A BRIE

F JO

URNEY

THROUGH T

HE

HISTO

RY OF

HELLAS

HELLAS/ΕΛΛΑΔΑ ( GREECE )• Population :11,000,000~[ (as of 2012)• Area : 32,000~ km2

• Currency : Euro (€)• Religion : Eastern Orthodoxy• Language: Greek• Region: Europe

LANDSCAPE

• Greece is a country located in the southeast Europe.

• Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world (13,676km in length). In western Greece there is the Ionian Sea, in the east the Aegean and in the south the Mediterranean.

• There are over 1400 islands all over the seas. But only 227 of these are inhabited.

• 80% of Greece consists of mountains. The highest one is mount Olympus which is 2,917 m high.

ANCIENT HELLAS

The history of Hellas began with the Aegean Civilizations of the Bronze Age.

Hellas is the place of origin of:

• Democracy

• Philosophy

• The Olympic Games

• Literature

• Histography

• Political science

• Major scientific & Mathematical principles

• Drama (both comedy and tragedy)

• In 334 B.C. he invaded Asia Minor, aiming to free the Hellenic colonies there.

• Although he died young, Alexander’s legacy extended beyond his military conquests. His campaigns resulted in the wide-spreading of the Hellenic culture and language. He founded many cultural centers, some of them passing the test of time through the 21st century.

ANCIENT HELLAS

Alexander the GreatKing of the Ancient Hellenic Kingdom of Macedonia

ENSLAVEMENT TO THE OTTOMANS

• After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, Hellas became enslaved to the Ottomans in 1453. The Turkish period lasted 4 centuries.

• Freedom came with the Greek Revolution, which started in 1821.

• The first Kingdom of Greece was formed in 1832, taking its final form in 1947.

FAMOUS GREEKSIN ART

Odysseas Elytis and Giorgos Seferis have won a Nobel prize.

IN SCIENCE From the ancient physician Hippocrates to

Georgios Papanikolaou and from Euclid to Konstantinos Karatheodoris, Greece is constantly present in scientific research.

THE HYMN TO THE LIBERTYThe “Hymn to the liberty” has been the national anthem of Greece since 1865, after the order of King George the 1st. The poem was written by Dionisios Solomos and the melody was composed by Nikolaos Mantzaros. Although the original poem consists by 158 verses, only the first 2 are sung as the official anthem.

THE FLAGo The lines represent the nine syllables of the phrase

“eleftheria I thanatos” which means freedom or death.

o The colors show the colors of the greek sky, sea, clouds and waves.

o The cross represents the religion of the people.

o The flag was established during the greek rebellion in 1821.

CUISINE• Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery

makes wide use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats, including lamb, poultry, rabbit and pork. Also, important are olives, cheese, eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgette), and yogurt.

• Greek desserts are characterized by the dominant use of nuts and honey.

• Mezés (μεζές) is a collective name for a variety of small dishes, typically served with wines or anise-flavored liqueurs as ouzo or homemade tsipouro.

• Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis.

ATHENSAthens is the capital of Greece. It is located in the center of the country and it is more than 3,400 years old. It was named after Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom. It has lot of museums and archeological places. Nowadays, it is an international city and the center of the greek culture.

• The second largest city of Hellas.

• Population: 1,000,000~ 

• Thessaloniki was founded by the King Cassander of Macedon around 315 BC.

• The name was taken from Alexander’s half sister, Thessalonike.

• It was captured by the Ottomans in 1430 A.D.

• It was liberated by the Hellenic army 1912 A.D.

THESSALONIKI (ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ)

• 1917: Most of the old center was destroyed by the Great Thessaloniki Fire. The Fire destroyed 2/3 of the city, leaving 70.000 homeless, the majority being Turkish and Jewish.

• Its landmark is the White tower, which was a prison during the Ottoman years.

• Thessaloniki is now a multicultural center with a plethora of festivals, activities, monuments and museums.

• It is the 2014 European Youth Capital.

THESSALONIKI (ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ)

QUIZ TIMEHellas was liberated from the Ottomans in

1721

TRUE FALSE

QUIZ TIMEThessaloniki has a population of around

1.000.000

TRUE FALSE

QUIZ TIMEAlexander the Great liberated Hellas from

the Ottomans

TRUE FALSE

QUIZ TIMEHellas is part of Asia

TRUE FALSE

QUIZ TIMEAthens is the capital of Hellas

TRUE FALSE

QUIZ TIMEThessaloniki was liberated earlier than

the rest of Hellas

TRUE FALSE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

By the students of the 3rd Gymnasium of

Kalamaria.