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Lesson 1: Early Greece Topic 5: Ancient Greece
Lesson 1: Early Greece
Topic 5: Ancient Greece
BELLWORKThe Influence of Trade:
Early Greece was strongly influenced by trade. Crete, the island where the Minoans and later the Mycenaeans lived, was located in a region that allowed traders to reach areas in Africa and the Middle East, so that these early Aegean civilizations, trading by sea, made contact with other great early civilizations.
Consider how trade influences the culture and economies of countries as you think about the following questions.
QUESTIONS:
How might the need to access trading routes affect
a country?
How might trade affect the building and settlement
of towns?
How might contact with other groups have an
impact on people?
What might cause culture to spread across different
countries?
Minoans Prosper From Trade-The island of Crete was the cradle of an early civilization that later influenced Greeks living on the European mainland
-The people of Crete had absorbed many ideas from the older civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia
-Located in the Aegean Sea, Crete was home to the first European civilization
-The British archaeologist Arthur Evans, who unearthed its ruins in the early 1900s, named the culture the Minoans after King Minos, a legendary king of Crete
A Crossroads Location-They lived at the crossroads of three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe.
-Early on, they engaged in seaborne trade, crossing the seas to the Nile Valley and the Middle East
-Through contact they acquired artistic ideas and technologies such as metalworking
-Minoans developed several systems of writing first using a form of hieroglyphs, and later two other scripts
-Most writing appeared on seals or disks
An Economy Based on Trade-The success of the Minoans was based on trade, not conquest
-Minoan traders set up outposts across the Aegean and beyond
-From Crete, they exported timber, food, wine, wool, and many other goods
-From Egypt and the Middle East, they brought back cargoes of precious stones, copper, ivory, gold, and silver as well as tin
-The nearest tin mines were located in Spain, Britain or Persia, suggesting that Minoan traders acquired goods that had traveled great distances
The Palace at Knossos -Minoan civilization reached its height between
about 1700 B.C.E. and 1400 B.C.E.
-During this time, Minoan kings built a vast palace at Knossos with rooms for the royal family, banquet halls, working areas for artisans, and religious shrines
-They were polytheistic, worshiping gods who were thought to control the forces of nature
-Archaeological evidence shows the importance of a snake goddess holding a snake in either hand
-The bull held a place of honor in Minoan religious beliefs
Minoan Frescoes Show Palace Life-The walls of the palace were covered with colorful frescoes
-Some show young nobles strolling through gardens outside the palace
-Women appeared freely in public and may have enjoyed more rights than women in other ancient civilizations
-A startling fresco depicts men and women jumping through the horns of a charging bull
-Sculptors also created works showing bull leapers which might have been a religious activity
Minoan Civilization Disappears-Archaeologists have found that Minoan palaces were destroyed and rebuilt more than once
-Around 1400 B.C.E. the palace was destroyed by fire and sudden destruction
-Scholars do not know why Minoan civilization fell yet it is certain that invaders played a role in the destruction of Minoan civilization
-These intruders were the Mycenaeans, the first Greek-speaking people of whom we have a written record
Mycenaean Civilization-During prehistoric times, groups of peoples speaking related Indo-European languages moved into Europe and Western Asia
-The Mycenaeans moved into southeastern Europe
Trade by Sea Brings Wealth-Mycenaean civilization dominated the Aegean world from about 1400 B.C. E. to 1200 B.C.E.
-Like the Minoans, the Mycenaeans were sea traders
-They reached out beyond the Aegean to Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia
-They learned many skills from the Minoans, including the art of writing
-They absorbed Egyptian and Mesopotamian customs, many of which they passed on to later Greeks
Trade by Sea Brings Wealth-The Mycenaeans lived in separate city-states on the mainland
-In each, a warrior-king built a thick-walled fortress from which he ruled the surrounding villages -Wealthy rulers amassed treasure, including fine gold ornaments that archaeologists have unearthed from their tombs
The Trojan War-The Mycenaeans are best remembered for their part in the Trojan War, which took place around 1250 B.C.E.
-The conflict may have had its origins in economic rivalry between the city-states of Mycenae and Troy
-Troy was a rich trading city in present-day Turkey, that controlled the vital straits connecting the Mediterranean and Black Sea
The Trojan War-In Greek legend the war had a more romantic cause
-When the Trojan prince, Paris, kidnaps Helen, the beautiful wife of a Greek king, the Mycenaeans sail to Troy to rescue her
-For the next 10 years, the two sides battle until the Greeks finally seize Troy and burn the city to the ground
The Trojan War-For centuries, most people regarded the Trojan War as pure legend
-Then, in the 1870s, a wealthy German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann set out to prove that the legend was rooted in fact
-As Schliemann excavated the site of ancient Troy, he discovered that the city had been rebuilt many times and included at least nine layers
-At the layer dating to about 1250 B.C.E., he found evidence of fire and war
-Exact details remain lost in legend, most modern scholars now agree that the Trojan War was an actual event
Homer and the Great Greek Legends-Not long after the victory over Troy the Mycenaeans came under attack from sea raiders and another Greek-speaking people, the Dorians, invaded from the north
-As Mycenaean power faded, their people abandoned the cities, trade declined, people forgot many skills
-From 1100 B.C.E. until about 800 B.C.E.Greek civilization seemed to step backward
-Newcomers absorbed stories and traditions from the Mycenaeans into their own heritage -In this way, they built on the legacy of earlier civilizations to forge a new, Greek civilization
Two Epic Poems-Historians know little about the Dorians arrival in Greece, but we get hints from two great epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey
-These epics may have been the work of many people, but they are credited to the poet Homer, who probably lived about 750 B.C.E.
-According to tradition, Homer was a blind poet who wandered from village to village, singing of heroic deeds
-Homer’s tales were passed on orally for generations before they were finally written down
The Iliad-Our chief source of information about the Trojan War, although it includes many fantastic stories about gods, goddesses, and even a talking horse
-At the start of the poem, Achilles, the mightiest Greek warrior, has withdrawn from battle
-The war soon turns against the Greeks, but Achilles stubbornly refuses rejoin the fighting
-Only after his best friend is killed does Achilles return to battle
-The Iliad's first word and major theme is anger, especially the anger of Achilles
The Odyssey-Tells of the many struggles of the Greek hero Odysseus on his return home
-On his long voyage, Odysseus encounters a sea monster, a race of one-eyed giants, and a beautiful sorceress who turns men into swine
-In the Odyssey, the story shows the many sides of the man Odysseus
-He is a determined resourceful hero who must overcome great odds to make it home
-The Odyssey features the story of the Trojan Horse, which allowed the Greeks to win their victory over Troy
Legacy of Homer’s Epics-The epics reveal much about the values and culture of the ancient Greeks
-The heroes display honor, courage, and eloquence
-The tales have been told and retold for almost 3,000 years
-The Greeks thought of Homer as their greatest poet, a cultural hero
-The epics have been admired throughout later Western civilization, and their stories have inspired Western writers and artists to the present
Legacy of Homer’s Epics-The epics portray a wide range of characters, some brave and courageous, others cowardly and weak
-Almost every kind of character written about since then was first captured in Homer’s epics
-They reflected the Greek world view, which later had much influence on the Western world
-The gods played a role, but they had the same weaknesses as humans -The key figures were individual humans who displayed reason, intelligence, courage, honor and restraint
A Legacy for the Future-After the Dorian invasions, Greece passed several centuries in obscurity
-The people lived in small isolated villages and had few contacts with the outside world
-Over time they made the stories about Crete and Mycenae a part of their heritage
-They built upon the legacy of those and other civilizations to forge a new Greek civilizationThat would not only dominate the region; it would ultimately extend the influence of Greek culture over most of the Western world
EXIT TICKETRead the summary below of a story from Greek mythology. Think about how this myth conveys meaning relating to early Greek civilization
When the inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus wanted to escape from Crete, Daedalus built them each a huge pair of wings made of feathers and wax. They would wear these wings to fly off the island. Before they set out, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high. The two started on their way together, but before long Icarus grew enchanted with flying. He rose higher and higher, ignoring his father’s advice. Soon the sun began to melt the wax and Icarus fell to his death in the sea below. The sea, Icaria, was named for him.
QUESTIONS:
In the myth, Daedalus builds fantastic wings that will allow him to soar high. In what way were the early Greeks like Daedalus, determined and inventive?
How did the Minoans and Mycenaeans attempt to “soar high,” or strive for greatness?
Icarus dies when he soars too high. Were there risks for the Minoans and Myceneaens in trying to build great civilizations?
How do myths like this one communicate ideas across time?
