Early Greek Peoples The Minoans

The Minoans 1. Earliest Greek civilization were the Minoans which developed on the island of Crete around 2000 B.C. and named for legendary king Minos. 2. Created large palaces with running water

The Minoans 3. Walls covered with artwork called frescoes-paintings made on wet plaster walls. 4. Carved statues of gold, ivory, bronze, silver, and stone.

The Minoans 5. Become sailors and traders-maintained a strong navy. 6. Civilization destroyed by a volcanic eruption and tidal waves around 1628 B.C.

The Mycenaeans 7. Minoan civilization grew weak and was conquered around 1400 B.C. by a group from the mainland called the Mycenaeans. 8. The Mycenaeans controlled mainland Greece from 1600 B.C.-1200 B.C.

The Mycenaeans 9. Sea traders – beyond Aegean to Sicily, Italy, Egypt and Mesopotamia. 10. Warriors, living in several city states. 11. Best known for Trojan War.

The Mycenaeans 12. By 1200 B.C. earthquakes destroyed most Mycenaean cities. 13. Developed early form of Greek writing called linear B.

The City-States of Greece

The City-States of Greece 1. Polis - Greek word for city-state. 2. Centered around a fort, and then included the city, lands, and small villages that surrounded the city.

The City-States of Greece 3. Comes to represent center of Greek identity and people loyal to their independent and self-sufficient city- states. 4.Most covered a small area of land and had only around 10,000 people. 5.Only free, adult males had citizenship.

The City-States of Greece 6. Each had an acropolis or hill that contained a fort, temples, and other government buildings. 7. Each had an agora-public marketplace and meeting place. 8. Each polis had its own government, laws, calendar, money, weights, and measures

The City-States of Greece 9. People loyal to their polis. 10. All Greeks share same language and religious beliefs. 11.Thought that all others were barbarians.