World HistoryChapter 4-Ancient Greece

Section 1The First Greek Civilizations

The Impact of GeographyGreece is a small, mountainous peninsula;

many islands; mountains and sea played a key role in development of the civilization

Mountains kept the Greeks isolated; formed their own ways of life; very independent

Because of the long seacoast, many Greeks became seafarers; trading and establishing colonies

Geography of Greece

The Minoan civilizationBronze Age civilization, used metals, set up

on the island of CreteNamed Minoan after King Minos of Crete by

Arthur Evans, archaeologists who discovered Flourished between 2700-1450 B.C.Evans found a palace complex at Knossos;

remnants of a rich culture; sea empire based on trade

Minoan Civilization

MinoansPalace at Knossos-elaborate, many rooms for

the royal family, workshops for making things, bathrooms with drains

Rooms were painted and decorated; storerooms held grain, oil, & wine-taxes

1450 B.C.-suffered a collapse, some think a tidal wave; most historians believe they were invaded by Mycenaeans, mainland Greeks

Palace at Knossos

The First Greek State: MycenaeMycenae; fortified city found by Heinrich

Schliemann, one of several such centers, flourished between 1600-1100 B.C.

Indo-European people; entered Greece around 1900 B.C.

High point of civilization b/n 1400-1200 B.C.; powerful monarchies, may have formed loose alliances with each other

Mycenaean Civilization

MycenaePalace centers built up on hills, surrounded

by walls; the rest of the people lived outside the walls

Tholos or tombs for the royal family was a unique feature of these centers; built into hills

Extensive trade networkWarrior people, many murals of battles,

expanded militarily to include Crete & some Aegean Islands

Mycenaean architecture

Attack on Troy & the Fall of the Mycenaean CivilizationMost famous military expedition; did it

happen? Attacked city of Troy around 1250 B.C.; led

by King Agamemnon of Mycenae Mycenaean society was in trouble by the late

13th century B.C.; fighting among each other, major earthquakes; invasions from the north; by 1100 B.C. it had collapsed

The Greeks in a Dark AgeDark Age of Greece-from 1100-750 B.C.; food

production dropped as did populationVery few records of what happened existBy 850 B.C. farming was revived; new Greece

was starting to develop

Developments of the Dark AgeDuring the Dark Ages many Greeks left the

mainlandWestern part of Asia Minor-IoniaAeolian Greeks-left northern & central

Greece, settled on island of Lesbos and mainland areas near there

Dorian Greeks-settled in southwestern Greece, area of the Peloponnesus, some islands in southern Aegean(Crete)

Greek Migrations

More DevelopmentsRevival of trade; other economic activityIron replaced bronze in weapons & farm

tools; increase food production, affordable weapons

Greeks adopted Phoenician alphabet; made learning to read and write easier

Greek Alphabet

HomerHomer wrote down epic poems that had been

passed down for generations orallyIliad –story of the Trojan War-Greek states

wage war on the city of Troy to get Helen(wife of a king) back

Story not just of war, but of the Greek hero Achilles and what his anger caused

Odyssey-retells the story of Odysseus and his return home

Homer

Homer’s impactIt is said Homer did not record history as

much as he created itGreeks look at these two stories as actual

historical accounts; ideal past; texts for educational purposes

Homer taught values like courage and honor; Greeks used these as part of their tradition & a model for future generations

Arete-excellence won in a struggle; fighting for family, honor; earns a reputation

Trojan Horse

Achilles & Odysseus