What kind of geographical environment did ancient Greek civilization have, and why did it produce marine civilization?

Among the five cradles of ancient civilization, Greek civilization is the most special one. First of all, Greek civilization is the source of European civilization, but it is a derivative civilization. It is a civilization influenced by the two rivers civilization and the ancient Egyptian civilization; Secondly, the ancient Greek civilization is marine civilization, and the other four civilizations are river civilization. The economic foundation of marine civilization is more dependent on industry and commerce, and the national character is more open, which is the foundation of modern western civilization. The reason why Greek civilization is so special lies in its geographical environment.

First, the influence of Greece's geographical location on traffic. The scope of ancient Greek civilization includes today's Greek peninsula, the islands along the Aegean Sea and the Asian peninsula. If we look at the colonies expanded by the Greeks, the activities in Greece will be even greater. There are Greek colonial city-states all along the Mediterranean coast and the Black Sea coast. Geographically speaking, ancient Greece is located in Asia and Europe, and it is the maritime transportation hub of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The special geographical position makes Greece a trade transit point in the Mediterranean region.

Aegean Sea

We can divide Greece into three parts: one is the Greek Peninsula. Here, the sea and land crisscross, the coastline twists and turns, and the harbors are densely covered, which is suitable for developing the navigation industry; Second, the islands are scattered and located in the northwest of the Mediterranean, with as many as 480. They have become transit stations or supply stations on the maritime traffic lines in continental Europe and western Asia; The third is the Aegean coast of Asia. This is the bridgehead of the Asian continent leading to Europe and the economic and cultural center of early ancient Greece.

The natural traffic location of ancient Greece makes it communicate with the two rivers civilization and the ancient Egyptian civilization very frequently, so it can absorb advanced civilization achievements from the two civilizations and promote its own social development. The myths, legends and characters of ancient Greece are all related to ancient Egypt and the two rivers. Whether in the Aegean civilization era or the city-state civilization era, the cultural customs of ancient Greece are closely related to the two river basins and Egypt. The earliest Greek historians and philosophers have been to the western Mediterranean and learned a lot of advanced knowledge.

Convenient sailing conditions warmed the relationship between the Greeks and the Mediterranean. Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, once said, "We live around the sea, just like frogs live around ponds." The ancient Greeks made a living through maritime trade, made a fortune and colonized and expanded. The ocean was the lifeline of Greece. Through overseas trade, Greek handicrafts have developed rapidly, and Greek pottery, olive oil and wine are exported to Asia, Europe and Africa. Greek civilization became a marine civilization.

Blue Mediterranean

Many Greeks are engaged in industry and commerce or overseas trade. They are used to the relatively free living environment, relatively equal's trading position, enthusiasm and adventurous spirit. Therefore, the personality of the ancient Greeks has the characteristics of the ocean. They are full of energy, passion and love freedom. This is in sharp contrast with the oriental characteristics of patience, low-key and conservatism.

First, the broken terrain and the "small country and few people" Greek terrain are characterized by many mountains and few plains. The cultivated land in Greece today only accounts for 18% of the national area, and it was even less in ancient times. High mountains divide the flat land into narrow spaces, which seriously limits the agricultural development in Greece. In the early days of civilization, Greece was still self-sufficient in food production, but with the continuous influx of immigrants and the continuous growth of population, Greece's population carrying capacity has exceeded its limit.

Topographic map of Greece

At this time, the Greeks would choose to colonize overseas. They established city-states similar to local city-states along the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts to alleviate the population pressure. These colonial activities were spontaneous at first, and then gradually turned into organized activities, gradually with a certain aggressive nature. Since modern times, western countries have been keen on overseas colonial expansion, which is largely influenced by Greek civilization.

Ancient Greece and Colonial Distribution

Another important influence of topography on Greek civilization is the formation of a "small country with few people" political form. Due to the twists and turns of land transportation, the early Greek city-states were relatively independent and difficult to unify. Due to the broken terrain, the size of the city-state is also very small. In the 6th century BC, there were hundreds of city-states in Greece, ranging in area from 100 square kilometers to 8,000 square kilometers and in population from several thousand to several hundred thousand.

Ancient Greek polis

There are many city-States, and the ethnic form of small countries and few people is an important source of democratic politics. Because the country is small and the population is small, the opportunities for citizens to participate in politics are greatly increased, and even every citizen has the opportunity to participate in national political activities. For managers, a small country does not need an authoritarian management model. On the contrary, the democratic model is more supported by the people.

Athens temple

Of course, there are also authoritarian regimes in the Greek city-states, such as tyrant politics and oligarchy. However, due to the broken terrain, the blood tribes were scattered in the late primitive society. Many tribes of different ancestry began to live together, which broke the cohesion of the clan earlier. Therefore, although there was aristocratic politics in ancient Greece in history, it was not long and the foundation was fragile. This is also an important condition for the emergence of democracy.

Second, the resources brought by the Mediterranean climate Most parts of Greece have a typical Mediterranean climate, characterized by dry and hot summers and mild and humid winters. Most food crops are not suitable for this climate, however, cash crops such as grapes, olives and figs are suitable for growth. Most parts of Greece are rich in olive oil and wine. According to historical records, when a child was born in Greece, an olive was planted in the yard. Greece has also introduced laws to protect olives. The cultivation of olives and grapes provided resources for the industrial and commercial development of Greece.

The legend of olives

In northern Greece, the climate is close to continental and relatively dry. Ancient northern Greece was a place where nomadic people lived, where there were dense forests and many grasslands, which were suitable for developing animal husbandry. The wood, cheese, fruit and mutton produced here are all resources for developing business. The nomadic people here often become a threat to the Greek city-state. Ancient Greek civilization was conquered by nomadic people in the north several times, but nomadic people were conquered by Greek culture and eventually merged into one.

The phalanx of northern Macedonia

Another major influence of Mediterranean climate on Greece is that there is no need to build large-scale water conservancy projects. Compared with the monsoon climate in the east, the Mediterranean climate is mild. It will not cause a big flood, so it will not bring great losses to human production. Therefore, ancient Greece did not need to build large-scale water conservancy projects, so it did not need a highly centralized system to concentrate manpower and material resources. Eastern civilization, on the other hand, needs a strong country to fight against disasters because of frequent floods.

Greece has a sunny summer and a pleasant climate. People like to do outdoor sports and competitions in this weather, even naked competitions. Greeks are not ashamed of being naked, but proud of being fit. They believe that the human body is the most beautiful masterpiece of nature, and on this basis, people-centered humanism has emerged. This humanism spread from ancient Greece to today's western countries and became the most basic thought in the west.