1 The Beginning…

2 The Minoans The Minoans were the first inhabitants of Crete around B.C.E. Crete is 155 miles long with 4 mountain ranges (Aquidneck Island is only about 15 miles long) The Minoan king (legendary King Minos) lived in a maze of a palace with 1500 rooms! Greek mazes were called labyrinths.

Minoan Culture The Minoans surrounded themselves with beautiful art showing scenes from their daily lives They had pottery made in fun shapes and decorated with geometric designs Even poor people had 4-8 room stone houses with running water and toilets that flushed! 3

4 Fun Fact! The Minoans were so laid back (like moi), that they didn’t even build walls to protect them. They were a very peaceful civilization.

They wrote in a language that has never been deciphered They would “Bull Jump” just for fun! They traded and got along with most people around the Mediterranean 5

6 What Happened to the Minoans?? Earthquake (around 1700 BCE) Volcanic eruption (around 1500 BCE) Tidal waves (following volcanic eruption) The Minoans disappear – most likely due to natural disasters Possibly from invasions too

7 The Mycenaeans The Mycenaeans were another tribe of early people living in Peloponnesus from around B.C.E. (exact times not known) Ruled by legendary King Agamemnon Mycenaeans were warriors armed with weapons and armor who fought with everyone they came in contact with.

Mycenaean Culture They built walled cities filled with lavish decorations (pottery and paintings) Wealthy aristocrats were buried with jewelry, gold funeral masks and pottery Artifacts prove they traded with Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor and other areas around the Mediterranean Epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey were written about this time period by the famous poet Homer. (not Simpson!) 8

What happened to the Mycenaeans? One possibility is that Dorians invaded from the north and took over Mycenaean territories. It is also probable that the Mycenaeans were weakened through years of civil wars. The Mycenaeans were great warriors but the Dorians had stronger, iron weapons. (Mycenaean weapons were made of stone and wood) Written records were found telling that the Mycenaeans tried to save their women and children by moving them from town to town when under attack. 9

10 The Dorians Around 1200 BCE, after the Dorians took over, all written records stopped. The Dorians did not write things down and they did not use elements of art or culture. Greece fell into the Dark Ages.

11 The Greek Dark Ages Historians and archaeologists are not sure what caused the Dark Ages – possibly many natural disasters BCE until approximately 800 BCE Many cultural elements were lost: Lost written language Trade with Asia Minor, the Middle East, and Egypt stopped almost entirely Entire villages were abandoned Art disappeared too This could all be due to people reverting back to nomadic lifestyles.

The “Upside” of the Dark Ages People became professional storytellers. They went from town to town, earning a living by reciting poetry, singing songs, and telling stories, – many of which we now know as Greece’s famous myths and legends. They told the same stories over and over, and they told them in the same language. Eventually, everyone in ancient Greece knew all the stories and Greek language by heart. By the end of the Dark Ages a common written and oral language was used by all Greeks and their stories began to be written down. 12

People began to resettle in villages near rocky protected hills known as an acropolis These settlements grew into city-states In these city-states, different types of government began to form What types of government do you remember from Section 1? By 800 BCE Greek culture began to grow once again! YIPPEE!!!!! 13

The End 14