Enduring Understandings
- Greek city-states experimented with different forms of government.
- Democracy developed in Athens, where citizens participated in lawmaking and in the courts.
- Greek city-states cooperated to defeat a threat from the Persian empire, but rivalry between Athens and Sparta led to a series of wars that weakened all of Greece.
- The ancient Greeks pioneered scientific and medical discoveries, and they made important contributions in philosophy, history, and the arts.
- Alexander the Great conquered an empire stretching from Egypt to India, helping to spread Greek culture and learning across a wide area.
Watch the My Story Video
to learn about Pericles and the golden age of Athens.