Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Chapter 11, Lesson 3, Ancient Greek Culture (pp. 345-350)
I. The Family of Greek Gods
B. All Greeks worshipped Zeus and his family of gods, each of
whom had a specific role with particular duties and powers.
C. The Greeks built sacred places called sanctuaries to honor their gods.
II. Sanctuaries to the Gods
B. Some sanctuaries were also places where oracles, or predictions of
the future, were told.
C. The Greeks also honored their gods and goddesses by holding religious festivals.
III. Greek Drama
B. Most of the plays were about Greek gods or heroes, combining
religion and history with entertainment.
C. Plays were either tragedies, in which the hero was ruined by a
character flaw, or comedies, which made fun of a variety of topics.
Lesson at a Glance Outline
A. The Greeks believed their gods controlled both the natural and human world.
A. The Greeks used sanctuaries to make sacrifices to specific gods.
A. Greek plays were written and performed twice a year at festivals in
Athens honoring Dionysus.
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