Early People of the Aegean Open your notebook to your Ch. 5, Section 1 notes!! 1. Do your notes have the date in the left margin? 2. Do your notes have the section title along the top?

Centers of Greek Civilization * The first known civilization in Greece was the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. (Crete = Greece’s largest island) * The Minoan civilization reached its height, or greatest success, between 1750 B.C.E and 1500 B.C.E * The success of the Minoans was based off trade, not conquest! * From their island they crossed the seas to the Nile Valley and the Middle East ---> As they traveled they acquired ideas and technology that they adapted to their own culture (this is Cultural Diffusion!!!)

Where is Crete located? * Crete is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. * Crete is the largest island in Greece. * Crete is home to the Minoan Civilization. * If you traveled south from Crete you would run into Africa and more specifically Libya and Egypt!

Crete is located only a few hundred miles from the mouth of the Nile River (about the distance from Chicago to St. Louis, Missouri which is a 5 hour car drive).

Knossos Island of Crete

The Palace at Knossos: home of the Minoan royal families

Palace at Knossos (NAHS uhs)

The rulers of Knossos lived in a beautiful palace, unfortunately only ruins remain today The palace housed rooms for the royal family, banquet halls, working areas, as well as religious shrines The palace is famous for its walls that have painted frescoes

Painted frescoes in King Minos’ Throne Room in Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete

Other Minoan Art Three Minoan figures: notice the way they are positioned, you only see their profiles and notice the detail in the hair. Minoan religious figurine depicting the mother goddess.

What can we learn about the relationship between the Minoans and the Egyptians? Cultural Diffusion: Fresco in Palace of Knossos Fresco from Memphis, Egypt

What happened to the Minoans? By about 1400 B.C.E. the Minoan civilization vanished. Archaeologists are not sure of the reasons for its disappearance. Some theories: A volcanic eruption on a nearby island may have caused enough damage to wipe the Minoans out! An earthquake may have destroyed the palace followed by a tidal wave that drowned the inhabitants! Invaders definitely played a role in the destruction. These intruders were the Mycenaeans (mi suh NEE uhnz)!!!

The Mycenaean Civilization The Mycenaean Civilization dominated the Aegean world from about 1400 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E. They are the first Greek-speaking people of whom we have a written record. The Mycenaeans were sea traders. They traded goods as far as Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The Mycenaeans lived in separate city-states on the mainland of Greece.

More specifically in the north east of the Peloponnesus! Where is Mycenae? More specifically in the north east of the Peloponnesus! Mycenae is located in the Peloponnesus

What is a city state? A city-state is a political unit made up of a city and the surrounding lands In each Mycenaean city-state a warrior-king built a thick-walled fortress from which he ruled the surrounding villages This picture is of the famous Lion Gate located at the entrance of the Mycenaean archaeological ruins.

Take a closer look! This Lion Gate has become a famous symbol representing the Mycenaean ruins Lions were considered a symbol of majestic strength

The ruins at Mycenae are extensive and beautiful! It takes about two hours to see all of the ruins!

Entrance to Mycenaean Tomb The Mycenaeans built tombs to bury their royalty. The tombs are perfectly circular and have perfect acoustics! And to think that they didn’t have modern technology! Entrance to Mycenaean Tomb

Mycenaean Tombs Wealthy rulers amassed hoards of treasure that archaeologists have unearthed from their tombs Human remains from a Mycenaean tomb Mycenaean jewelry found in tombs

Mycenaean Death Mask This mask was found in a tomb at Mycenae It was once thought that it belonged to the famous King Agamemnon, but archeologists are not sure It’s made out of gold and was placed on the face of an important Mycenaean ruler

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 an economic rivalry between Mycenae and Troy. Troy was a rich trading city in present day Turkey. Troy controlled the vital straits,or narrow passage ways that connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

Where is Troy located?

Take a closer look!

Depiction of Helen of Troy from Greek pottery TROY - The Myth Our best source of information about Troy is from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. According to the story the Trojan Prince Paris kidnapped Helen who was the beautiful wife of Menelaus the Spartan King. Menelaus was brothers with Agamemnon the leader of the Mycenaeans. The Greeks gathered an army and sailed to Troy to bring back Helen. The Trojan War lasted for 10 years and many Greek heroes including Achilles and Odysseus fought. The Trojan War ended when the Greeks built a huge wooden horse and secretly hid inside; the Trojans took in the horse and the Greeks surprised the Trojans in the middle of the night. Depiction of Helen of Troy from Greek pottery

TROJAN WAR: Myth or Reality? For centuries most people regarded the Trojan War as purely a legend or mythological tale. In the 1870s, a wealthy German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann, set out to prove the legend was indeed a fact. He followed the details in Homer’s story The Iliad and traveled to modern day Turkey where he found evidence of fire and war dating to around 1250 B.C.E. If Troy existed, then the Mycenaeans who attacked Troy must have existed as well!! Schliemann excavated Mycenae too!

HOMER Homer lived around 750 B.C.E. (almost 500 years after the Trojan War took place!) Homer was a blind poet who wandered from village to village singing of heroic deeds. Like most ancient epics Homer’s tales were passed down orally from generation to generation until they were eventually written down. A bust (head sculpture) of Homer

Impact of Trojan War The story of Troy gives us an insight to the values of the ancient Greeks. Courage, bravery, honor, and eloquence on and off the battlefield are extremely important to ancient Greeks. Later Greeks look to the heroes of the Trojan War as role models and guides. For almost 3,000 years the epics of Homer have inspired writers, poets, playwrights, directors, artists and actors.