Ancient Greece is considered to be its homeland. Features of the origin of Greek civilization

. Ancient civilizations Mediterranean (Greece, Rome, Macedonia)

The history of the ancient world has long attracted Special attention European scientists. The point is not only that of all the periods of antiquity it is the best studied. It is believed that the civilizations of Greece and Rome stood at the origins of European traditions of political, economic and spiritual life.

Ancient Greece

At the turn of the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. residents of Greece and adjacent islands learned to make tools from bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. During this period, the first in Europe took shape on the island of Crete. public education. Archaeologists have found ruins of palaces on the island, evidence of the existence of a developed writing system.

Figure 2.4.1.

In 1450 BC. The civilization of Crete was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and earthquakes. Around the same time, Mycenaean (Achaean) tribes, who then lived in Greece, invaded Crete. They adopted the Cretan writing system and began to play a prominent role in trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. However, in the 12th century BC. the developing Achaean civilization was destroyed by the alliances of the Greco-Dorian, Thessalian, Boeotian, Ionian tribes of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor (they were known to the Egyptians as the “peoples of the sea”). Having moved to Greece, these tribes partially merged with the Achaeans and partially enslaved them.

After the conquest, the Greek economy fell into decline, and the population decreased sharply. Only from the 8th century BC. the rise of the Greek city-states began. The features of their development were largely determined natural conditions, the geopolitical position of Greece.

The relatively small, mountainous area was favorable for gardening and cattle breeding, but not agriculture. The sea played a big role here: fishing and maritime trade made it possible to make up for the lack of food. From the 5th century BC. The colonization of the coast of Asia Minor, the Black Sea region, and Italy began to acquire increasing importance. An excess population flocked to the colonies; they supplied Greece with the missing products. The first Greek colony, the city of Qom, was founded in 750 BC. on the coast of Italy.

City-states of Greece

IN ancient Greece it didn’t work out big, single state. The gradual development of tribal communities led to the formation on their basis of several hundred small independent states-policies, including a settlement (city) and adjacent land. Each policy had its own laws, a special management system, although common features, inherited from the tribal system. So, special role played by councils of elders, which represented the clan aristocracy and meetings of tribe members, for whom the rights of citizens were recognized. Foreigners, even wealthy ones, and slaves did not have the right to participate in public life. Land was considered as the common property of the policy, its property. With the development of commodity-money relations, the purchase and sale of plots of land became possible (although in some policies it was limited), but only by citizens of a given policy.

Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of democracy. Indeed, over time, in the largest city-states, especially in Athens who escaped the Dorian conquest, significant changes occurred in social life.

Instead of the hereditary power of tribal leaders (kings), the principle of election of the supreme ruler (archon) and his reporting to the council of heads of clans (areopagus) was introduced. The power of tradition and custom was gradually replaced by laws (the first of them, establishing general standards of behavior for all citizens and punishment for their violation, were adopted in 621 BC).

At the beginning of the 6th century BC. on the initiative of Archon Solon (635-559 BC), the entire population of the polis was divided into four categories depending on their property status. This weakened the position of the tribal nobility. Traders and artisans who became rich became equal in rights with her.

At the end of the 6th century BC. Instead of dividing the policy into family domains, the principle of dividing it into 10 districts was adopted, each of which elected its representatives to new advice(council of five hundred), dealing with all current affairs. The Areopagus retained only judicial functions in cases that did not involve property disputes. Foreigners who successfully conducted business in Athens received the rights of citizens. The total number of citizens was about 30 thousand people.

According to the tradition established in Athens, active participation in the affairs of the polis and the defense of democracy were the most important rights and duties of citizens. At the meetings, issues of war and peace were decided and officials were elected. The assembly could sentence to expulsion from the polis persons who posed a threat to democracy and were prone to tyranny.

Thus, by the 5th century BC. the tribal system in Athens was finally supplanted by a new state organization, which was called democracy .

Another path of policy development was demonstrated Sparta. This state was founded by a Dorian tribe, which, having settled in the south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, turned the local population into powerless slaves (helots). The Spartans considered it unworthy to cultivate the land, engage in trade, and crafts. This was the lot of slaves and newcomers from surrounding settlements. War was considered the only respectable occupation for men. The education system was subordinated to one goal - training hardy, taciturn, disciplined warriors. The Spartans' tradition of killing children who were born weak and whom they believed would not make good soldiers went down in history.

Figure 2.4.2.


In Sparta, the tribal system remained unchanged. It was governed by a council of elders and a meeting of warriors; the role of leaders (kings) was limited. Equal distribution was maintained. All Spartans wore simple clothes, ate communally, and did not accept money.

The Spartan state waged constant wars against neighboring policies, capturing slaves, collecting tribute and gradually expanding its territory. If in Athens slave labor was used to a limited extent, only in mines and workshops, then in Sparta it was the basis of the economy.

City-states of Italy. Founding of Rome

The development of cities in Italy and Greece showed many similarities. In the VIII-VI centuries. BC. the Greeks colonized the coast of southern and central Italy, built Naples and Syracuse, which became important shopping centers Mediterranean. It had big influence on the tribal formations inhabiting Italy. In the north of Italy (in the territory of present-day Tuscany) the Etruscans dominated. Their origins are not precisely known; it is assumed that, like the Dorians, they belonged to the “peoples of the sea” and came from the East, conquering the local population.

In 753 BC. the city was founded by three Latin tribes living in the area of ​​the Tiber River Rome .

Figure 2.4.3.

View drawing

According to legends, Rome was built by a descendant Trojan hero Aeneas Romulus, who, together with his brother Remus, miraculously escaped murderers in infancy and was suckled by a she-wolf.

Initially, as in Athens, public life Rome was built on the basis of tribal traditions. The highest governing body was the Senate (from the Latin "senex" - "old man"), consisting of 300 people, the elders of the clans that founded the city. Ordinary members of the tribe, united in the curia according to the clan principle, could also express their opinions on the issues under discussion. The role of supreme ruler was assigned to an elected king, who was supposed to rule in accordance with tradition and the will of the Senate. From 616 BC People from the noble Etruscan family of Tarquinii were elected kings, which reflected the special role of the Etruscans in Italy.

The descendants of the city's founders called themselves patricians ("patres" - "fathers"), they owned lands adjacent to Rome. These lands were cultivated by individual families, in which the strict principle of patriarchy was in effect: the head of the family owned all the property and could execute or sell into slavery the guilty member. At the same time, the lands were considered the common property of the Romans; they could not belong to strangers. Since Rome often waged wars of conquest against neighboring tribes and city-states, the amount of land that was at the disposal of the patrician families constantly increased.

The newcomer population, members of other tribes who settled in Rome, were called plebeians. They had no right to participate in the life of the city, although they were involved in military service in auxiliary units. They could ask for patronage from the patricians, becoming their “clients,” and get work on their farms, becoming artisans and traders.

Tribal traditions limited royal power. Under Servius Tullius (578-534 BC), reforms similar to those of Solon in Athens were carried out, which dealt a serious blow to the privileges of the clan nobility.

The entire male population, including the plebeians, was divided into five categories, depending on their property status and, accordingly, their ability to acquire light or more expensive goods. heavy weapons. Each rank was divided into centuries (hundreds), which in case of war took to the battlefield. There were 193 centuries in total, the patricians fielded 19 centuries of horsemen. (Equipping mounted warriors required the greatest expenses.) In peacetime, members of each century received the right to discuss the current affairs of the city, becoming a governing body.

The poorest Romans, unable to buy weapons, united, regardless of their number, into a century of “proletarians” (from the Latin “proles” - “offspring”. It was understood that they were only fit for its reproduction).

Infringement of the interests of the clan nobility caused resistance. Tullius was killed new king Tarquin the Proud canceled the reforms. However, the tyrannical nature of his rule also angered the Senate. In 509 BC. he was expelled. Established in Rome republic. A form of government in which supreme power belongs to a person or several persons or bodies elected by the population for a certain period of time. Antique r. Bourgeois R. Sovetskaya r. (Ushakov’s Russian language dictionary). The supreme power passed into the hands of two consuls, who were elected by the Senate from among the patricians for a period of one year. In the outbreak of war with the Etruscans, the Romans managed to defend their independence.

Ancient Greece.

The roots of European culture are in Greece. The creative achievements and discoveries of the Greeks left their mark on all directions and forms of European culture - from sports to philosophy. 2 thousand years have passed, and the influence of Greek culture is still strong.

How did the Greeks appear in the southern Balkans? This is not known for sure, but with a greater degree of probability we can assume that their tribes came there from the northern plains. State organization Greeks differed significantly from the communal system of the peoples of northern and lowland Europe, as well as from the primitive structure of Asian tribes. The northerners who came to the south of the Balkans retained their ethnic tribal differences, fixed in the language by the names of localities: the nationalities of Macedonians, Thessalians, Spartans, Athenians, etc. were formed. All of them, however, constituted a single Greek people and spoke a common language them in ancient Greek.

In all spheres of life, the Greek people showed their creative genius. The ancient Greeks were deep thinkers and excellent athletes, excellent fist fighters.

Their slogan is “No frills!” , inscribed on the pediment of the Temple of Apollo at Dolphins, did not mean a call for mediocrity. On the contrary, aurea mediokritas (i.e., the golden mean), glorified much later in Roman times in the lyrics and philosophy of Horace, contradicted their restless spirit, which, however, did not disturb balance and harmony. These features of the creative spirit of Hellenia left their mark on everything - architecture, painting and literature, philosophy and aesthetics, aesthetics and mythology. Venus of Milos will forever remain the embodiment of ideal female beauty.

In Greek culture, the individual comes to the fore. We have not encountered such a view of man in any of the cultures examined. Only the Greeks comprehended this category and thereby presented humanity with a whole series of the most important problems: personality and society, good and evil, love and hatred, generosity and revenge, the joy of earthly existence and the darkness of the kingdom of shadows, man as an equal among the gods.

Hellas is the birthplace of democracy.

In another area of ​​cultural and social life The Greeks acted as initiators and pioneers. Their city-states gave birth and passed on to subsequent generations practical experience democracy.

Nothing like this could have been discussed in earlier societies. The very word "democracy" Greek origin and means: “demos” - the people and “krateo” - I rule. The category of the individual and the concept of democracy are essentially and practically connected in such a way that they arise simultaneously and one does not exist without the other.

. Ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean (Greece, Rome, Macedonia)

The history of the ancient world has long attracted special attention of European scientists. The point is not only that of all the periods of antiquity it is the best studied. It is believed that the civilizations of Greece and Rome stood at the origins of European traditions of political, economic and spiritual life.

Ancient Greece

At the turn of the 3rd-2nd millennium BC. residents of Greece and adjacent islands learned to make tools from bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. During this period, the first state formation in Europe was formed on the island of Crete. Archaeologists have found ruins of palaces on the island, evidence of the existence of a developed writing system.

Figure 2.4.1.

In 1450 BC. The civilization of Crete was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and earthquakes. Around the same time, Mycenaean (Achaean) tribes, who then lived in Greece, invaded Crete. They adopted the Cretan writing system and began to play a prominent role in trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. However, in the 12th century BC. the developing Achaean civilization was destroyed by the alliances of the Greco-Dorian, Thessalian, Boeotian, Ionian tribes of the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor (they were known to the Egyptians as the “peoples of the sea”). Having moved to Greece, these tribes partially merged with the Achaeans and partially enslaved them.

After the conquest, the Greek economy fell into decline, and the population decreased sharply. Only from the 8th century BC. the rise of the Greek city-states began. The features of their development were largely determined by natural conditions and the geopolitical position of Greece.

The relatively small, mountainous area was favorable for gardening and cattle breeding, but not agriculture. The sea played a big role here: fishing and maritime trade made it possible to make up for the lack of food. From the 5th century BC. The colonization of the coast of Asia Minor, the Black Sea region, and Italy began to acquire increasing importance. An excess population flocked to the colonies; they supplied Greece with the missing products. The first Greek colony, the city of Qom, was founded in 750 BC. on the coast of Italy.

City-states of Greece

In ancient Greece there was no large, unified state. The gradual development of tribal communities led to the formation on their basis of several hundred small independent states-policies, including a settlement (city) and adjacent land. Each policy had its own laws and a special system of governance, although common features inherited from the tribal system were also preserved. Thus, a special role was played by the councils of elders, which represented the clan aristocracy and meetings of tribe members, for whom the rights of citizens were recognized. Foreigners, even wealthy ones, and slaves did not have the right to participate in public life. Land was considered as the common property of the policy, its property. With the development of commodity-money relations, the purchase and sale of plots of land became possible (although in some policies it was limited), but only by citizens of a given policy.

Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of democracy. Indeed, over time, in the largest city-states, especially in Athens who escaped the Dorian conquest, significant changes occurred in social life.

Instead of the hereditary power of tribal leaders (kings), the principle of election of the supreme ruler (archon) and his reporting to the council of heads of clans (areopagus) was introduced. The power of tradition and custom was gradually replaced by laws (the first of them, establishing general standards of behavior for all citizens and punishment for their violation, were adopted in 621 BC).

At the beginning of the 6th century BC. on the initiative of Archon Solon (635-559 BC), the entire population of the polis was divided into four categories depending on their property status. This weakened the position of the tribal nobility. Traders and artisans who became rich became equal in rights with her.

At the end of the 6th century BC. Instead of dividing the policy into family domains, the principle of dividing it into 10 districts was adopted, each of which elected its representatives to a new council (council of five hundred), which dealt with all current affairs. The Areopagus retained only judicial functions in cases that did not involve property disputes. Foreigners who successfully conducted business in Athens received the rights of citizens. The total number of citizens was about 30 thousand people.

According to the tradition established in Athens, active participation in the affairs of the polis and the defense of democracy were the most important rights and duties of citizens. At the meetings, issues of war and peace were decided and officials were elected. The assembly could sentence to expulsion from the polis persons who posed a threat to democracy and were prone to tyranny.

Thus, by the 5th century BC. the tribal system in Athens was finally supplanted by a new state organization, which was called democracy .

Another path of policy development was demonstrated Sparta. This state was founded by a Dorian tribe, which, having settled in the south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula, turned the local population into powerless slaves (helots). The Spartans considered it unworthy to cultivate the land, engage in trade, and crafts. This was the lot of slaves and newcomers from surrounding settlements. War was considered the only respectable occupation for men. The education system was subordinated to one goal - training hardy, taciturn, disciplined warriors. The Spartans' tradition of killing children who were born weak and whom they believed would not make good soldiers went down in history.

Figure 2.4.2.

In Sparta, the tribal system remained unchanged. It was governed by a council of elders and a meeting of warriors; the role of leaders (kings) was limited. Equal distribution was maintained. All Spartans wore simple clothes, ate communally, and did not accept money.

The Spartan state waged constant wars against neighboring policies, capturing slaves, collecting tribute and gradually expanding its territory. If in Athens slave labor was used to a limited extent, only in mines and workshops, then in Sparta it was the basis of the economy.

City-states of Italy. Founding of Rome

The development of cities in Italy and Greece showed many similarities. In the VIII-VI centuries. BC. The Greeks colonized the coast of Southern and Central Italy, built Naples and Syracuse, which became important trading centers in the Mediterranean. This had a great influence on the tribal formations inhabiting Italy. In the north of Italy (in the territory of present-day Tuscany) the Etruscans dominated. Their origins are not precisely known; it is assumed that, like the Dorians, they belonged to the “peoples of the sea” and came from the East, conquering the local population.

In 753 BC. the city was founded by three Latin tribes living in the area of ​​the Tiber River Rome.

Figure 2.4.3.

View drawing

According to legends, Rome was built by a descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, Romulus, who, together with his brother Remus, miraculously escaped assassins in infancy and was suckled by a she-wolf.

Initially, as in Athens, the social life of Rome was built on the basis of tribal traditions. The highest governing body was the Senate (from the Latin "senex" - "old man"), consisting of 300 people, the elders of the clans that founded the city. Ordinary members of the tribe, united in the curia according to the clan principle, could also express their opinions on the issues under discussion. The role of supreme ruler was assigned to an elected king, who was supposed to rule in accordance with tradition and the will of the Senate. From 616 BC People from the noble Etruscan family of Tarquinii were elected kings, which reflected the special role of the Etruscans in Italy.

The descendants of the city's founders called themselves patricians ("patres" - "fathers"), they owned lands adjacent to Rome. These lands were cultivated by individual families, in which the strict principle of patriarchy was in effect: the head of the family owned all the property and could execute or sell into slavery the guilty member. At the same time, the lands were considered the common property of the Romans; they could not belong to strangers. Since Rome often waged wars of conquest against neighboring tribes and city-states, the amount of land that was at the disposal of the patrician families constantly increased.

The newcomer population, members of other tribes who settled in Rome, were called plebeians. They had no right to participate in the life of the city, although they were involved in military service in auxiliary units. They could ask for patronage from the patricians, becoming their “clients,” and get work on their farms, becoming artisans and traders.

Tribal traditions limited royal power. Under Servius Tullius (578-534 BC), reforms similar to those of Solon in Athens were carried out, which dealt a serious blow to the privileges of the clan nobility.

The entire male population, including the plebeians, was divided into five categories, depending on their property status and, accordingly, the ability to acquire light or more expensive heavy weapons. Each rank was divided into centuries (hundreds), which in case of war took to the battlefield. There were 193 centuries in total, the patricians fielded 19 centuries of horsemen. (Equipping mounted warriors required the greatest expenses.) In peacetime, members of each century received the right to discuss the current affairs of the city, becoming a governing body.

The poorest Romans, unable to buy weapons, united, regardless of their number, into a century of “proletarians” (from the Latin “proles” - “offspring”. It was understood that they were only fit for its reproduction).

Infringement of the interests of the clan nobility caused resistance. Tullius was killed, the new king Tarquin the Proud canceled the reforms. However, the tyrannical nature of his rule also angered the Senate. In 509 BC. he was expelled. Established in Rome republic . A form of government in which supreme power belongs to a person or several persons or bodies elected by the population for a certain period of time. Antique r. Bourgeois R. Sovetskaya r. (Ushakov’s Russian language dictionary). The supreme power passed into the hands of two consuls, who were elected by the Senate from among the patricians for a period of one year. In the outbreak of war with the Etruscans, the Romans managed to defend their independence.

In 494 BC. The plebeians, dissatisfied with their position, refused to participate in the next military campaign and left Rome fully armed. The patricians were forced to restore the order introduced by Tullius. The plebeians received the right to elect tribunes of the people to defend their interests before the Senate. In particular, the tribunes could suspend the implementation of decisions made by him.

In 451-450 BC. in Rome, for the first time, uniform laws were adopted for everyone (before that, disputes were resolved on the basis of tribal customs and traditions). From 445 BC Marriages between patricians and plebeians were allowed. Another century later, plebeians were given access to elected positions, including consular ones. At the same time, in Rome, officials did not receive a salary; they covered all expenses associated with their service at their own expense. This ensured only wealthy citizens had access to power.

The changes that took place meant that in the 5th century BC. in Rome, as before in Athens, a new politic system a public organization in which citizenship was more important than tribal ties.

These changes contributed to the transformation of city-states into major centers trade and crafts. They began to build up their military power and began to fight for dominance over the Mediterranean.

The struggle for dominance over the Mediterranean

The growing economic importance and profitability of Mediterranean trade led to the beginning of a struggle for dominance over the Mediterranean coast. It lasted from the 5th to the 2nd century BC. and ended with the triumph of Rome, which created the largest world power.

“Culture and History of Greece” - Architects follow the classical canons of ancient temples. The knowledge of the ancient Greeks about the origin of the Universe and man is impressive. People of a philosophical bent discover the essence of things. In Greek myths, many parallels can be drawn with the legends of other peoples. And nothing seems to change over time.

“Gods of Greece” - Poseidon – god of the sea. Ares is the god of war. Hades - God in the kingdom of the dead. Hephaestus is the god of fire and blacksmithing. Dionysus is the god of the fruitful forces of the earth, vegetation, viticulture, and winemaking. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and just war. Demeter is the goddess of agriculture. Artemis is the goddess of hunting, mountains and forests. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty.

“Lesson Greece” - Lesson progress. Lesson objectives. General lesson in the 5th grade of the section “Ancient Greece” in the course “History” Ancient world" The jury sums up the intermediate results. 4. Playing lotto The teacher distributes lotto cards with examples and envelopes with many answers. Preliminary stage. IN in this case cards are aimed at checking terminology Correct matching is assessed by the jury as 1 point Questions 1. tax A. Slaves in Sparta 2. strategist B. people 3. democracy C. Mandatory payment to the state 4. demos D. Military leader in Athens 5. helots D. People power.

“Greece and Macedonia” - 3) What happened in Macedonia in the 4th century. BC. MACEDONIA - Mountain country in the north of the Balkan Peninsula. Isocrates. Who in Greece was against King Philip? Remember: 338 BC - Battle of Chaeronea, conquest of Greece. F. 1. In the 5th century BC. The Persians failed to subjugate the cities of Hellas. Necessary to find out. Uprisings and wars.

"The Birth of Democracy in Athens" - Solon's Reforms. Demos requirements. “DEMOS” + “KRATOS” = DEMOCRACY (people) (power) (power of the people). SOLON - elected archon in 594 BC. The birth of democracy in Athens. Changes in the government of Athens. Elected from the nobility and the demos Consists of the nobility and the demos Shares power with the demos The people participate in governance.

“Culture of Greece” - Culture of Ancient Greece. Historical monuments Ancient Greece. The hair of the Greeks was thick and lush. Crepides. Endromids. The Acropolis embodied the idea of ​​the power and greatness of the Athenian state. Epic - special kind art of ancient Greece. White clothes were trimmed with a bright colored border. Characteristics culture of Ancient Greece.

To the question What is considered to be the birthplace of democracy? given by the author Artem Markin the best answer is Greece was and continues to be considered the birthplace of democracy. To be more precise, the Athenian polis. It was the Athenian Greeks who invented democracy.
Any invention appears only when there is a real need for it. The bow was invented when it became impossible to sneak up on prey within throwing distance of a dart. So did Athens in the 8th century BC. e. it was necessary to solve the problem of how to live further. It took the Greeks about two centuries to solve this problem. And as a result, an initially very cruel people invents democracy.
The cruelty of this people was manifested in relation not only to foreigners, but also to their children, for example:
the father of the family had the right to get rid of his children at their birth as he pleased;
the head of the family could sell his grown children to slave traders, etc.
"DEMOCRACY" MEANS "POWER OF THE PEOPLE."
Democratic changes in Athens are associated with the history of Solon, poet and legislator. Solon became rich in maritime trade. In Athens he enjoyed the reputation of a man free from class prejudices and impeccably honest.
“The nobility respected him for his wealth, the poor for his honesty” (PLUTARCH)
Solon (between 640 and 635 - about 559 BC)
He was able to tame the nobility and keep the “demos” from the bloody massacre, and the citizens of Athens gradually came to equality of civil and political rights in their polis.
Only this democracy was exclusively for “citizens” - it never extended to slaves, who in the ancient city made up the majority of workers.
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Because the we're talking about about Greece, it is not difficult to name its highest mountain. Undoubtedly this is Olympus.

Olympus
Olympus (Greek: Ὄλυμπος) is the highest mountain range in Greece (2917 m). National Park.
In ancient Greek mythology, Olympus is a sacred mountain, the seat of the gods led by Zeus.

Olympus
Well, this is the most high mountain V solar system Olympus volcano. Located on Mars. Height 27 km from the base of the mountain.

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One of the oldest cities in the world, the capital of Greece and the birthplace of democracy. This is a city of amazing fate, which over thousands of years has experienced the highest ups and downs, sometimes becoming the center of civilization, sometimes retreating to the sidelines of history. Athens grew not according to the plans of city planners, but due to waves of settlers who poured here as a result of political conflicts and disasters across the unstable Greek borders. Here is the “pearl” of Greece - the Acropolis, which is rightfully considered a masterpiece of world significance. The Parthenon, the temple of the Virgin Athena, the patroness of the city, rises majestically above the city and is clearly visible from any point. The Theater of Dionysus, located on the southern slope of the Acropolis, was part of the Sanctuary of Dionysus, now partially restored, and the site of the Athens Festival.
Greece is located in southeastern Europe and occupies southern part Balkan Peninsula and numerous islands, the largest of them are Crete, Rhodes, Corfu. The area of ​​the mainland and islands is about 132 thousand km2. Greece is washed by the waters of the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean seas. The landscape is very diverse. On the one hand, high mountains and mountain ranges such as Pindus, Olympus (the highest mountain in Greece, 2917 m), as well as the mountains of Macedonia and Thrace. On the other hand, there is an endless lace border of land framing the sea. It is this deeply rugged coastline that gives Greece that unusual beauty that makes it unique in the Mediterranean.

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