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The civilization of ancient Greece flowered more than 2500 years ago, but the ideas of
the ancient Greeks continue to influence the way we live today. Greece is made up of a
peninsula and group of islands in southeastern Europe. A peninsula is a piece of land that
is almost surrounded by water. The people of ancient Greece attempted to
explain the world through the laws of nature. The ancient Greeks made important discoveries
in science. They developed democracy, where people govern themselves rather than being
ruled by a king. The Greeks also valued beauty and imagination. They wrote many stories and
plays that continue to be performed today. The people of ancient Greece could not farm
most of their mountainous, rocky land, so they became excellent sailors who traveled
to distant places. Greek sailors learned from many different cultures and spread their ideas
far from their home. Greeks sailors learned the alphabet from the sea-faring Phoenicians
of modern day Syria and Lebanon. Ancient Greek geographers divided the world
into regions we still use today. The lands west of Greece are still known as the western
world while the lands east of Greece are often referred to as the eastern world.
A cradle is a small bed for an infant. Many of the ideas that flourished in the western
world were “born” in ancient Greece; this is why Greece is often known as the Cradle
of Western Civilization.