The earliest Greek civilizations thrived nearly 4,000 years ago. The Ancient Greeks lived in Greece and the countries that we now call Bulgaria and Turkey.

The Ancient Greece empire spread over Europe as far as France in the East. The Greek Empire was most powerful between 2000 BC and 146 BC

The ancient Greeks developed new ideas for government, science, philosophy, religion, and art.

Ancient Greece was split into many different states, each one was ruled in its own way. Each state had its own laws, government and money but they shared the same language and religion. The two most important city states were Athens and Sparta.

Legacy of the Ancient Greeks - (How Ancient Greece influenced modern day culture.)

The influence of the Ancient Greeks are still felt by us today. The major impact in our lives today are in the arts, in philosophy, and in science, math, literature and politics.

• Trial by Jury

• Greek Myths

• Democracy
  The word 'democracy' is Greek. It means 'government by the people. We have a form of democracy in Britain, and this is a legacy of the Athenians and their assemblies and councils.

• Tragedy and Comedy

• Theatre
  The word 'theatre' is Greek. Most modern theatres follow the Greek plan.

• The Olympics
  The first Olympic Games were held in 776 BC at the Greek city of Olympia.

• Marathon
  Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to ask for help against the Persians just before the Battle of the Marathon (490 BC).

• Building styles (Architecture)
  Throughout the world, buildings have been constructed in the style of Ancient Greece. The British Museum is an example of this.

• The first alphabet with vowels
  The Ancient Greeks played an important part in the development of the alphabet. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and beta - have given us the word 'alphabet'.