RISE of the Greeks Minoan way of life Located on the island of Crete Society based on naval prowess Had huge palaces Based on Egyptian, Syrian, and Mesopotamian models Knowledge about Minoans comes from Frescoes

Rise of the greeks Mycenaean way of life Located in Greece mainland Greece described in Homer’s Illiad Agamemnon was a Mycenaean king “Discovered” by H. Schliemann

Rise of the greeks Mycenaean way of life Borrowed heavily from Minoans Fortified hilltop citadels Linear B leaves us a record of Mycenaean practices Uniform culture (sea trade networks and piracy) Exported olive oil, weapons, slaves and mercenaries

GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS Rise of the greeks GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS The areas inhabited by the Greeks relied entirely on rainfall. Limited land, thin topsoil, and sparse rainfall supported only small populations Greeks develop small independent city-states

GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS Rise of the greeks GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS The difficulty and expense of overland transport, the availability of good anchorages, and the need to import metals, timber, and grain drew the Greeks to the sea.

GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS Rise of the greeks GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS Food importation and trade networks lead to a population increase The effects of population growth included urbanization, specialization, and the development of the polis. Excess populations led to the need to colonize various areas – sharpens “Greek” identity

GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS Rise of the greeks GEOGRAPHY AND THE RISE OF THE POLIS What a polis looked like: Urban center and its surrounding rural territory Features included an acropolis, an agora, and fortified walls.

TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Rise of the greeks TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Increasing prosperity and the growth of a middle class in Archaic Greek society led to the emergence in the mid-seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E. of tyrants, individuals who seized power in violation of normal political institutions.

TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Rise of the greeks TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Athens had an unusually large hinterland (Attica) that supported a population of about 300,000 by the fifth century B.C.E. Leads to a larger land controlling aristocracy Athens went through a period of rule by tyrants in the sixth century B.C.E. (Pisistratus)

TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Rise of the greeks TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Greeks had begun to develop the concepts of individualism and humanism. In the late sixth and early to mid-fifth centuries B.C.E., Athens ejected the tyrant family and developed a democracy.

TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Rise of the greeks TYRANTS LEAD TO DEMOCRACY Why democracy over Tyranny? Tyrants were disgruntled aristocracy Oftentimes this lead to political privilege by the wealthy in society People chose the individualism of democracy over the oligarchy of a tyranny

LIFE IN SPARTA AND ATHENS Rise of the greeks LIFE IN SPARTA AND ATHENS See Handout: Sparta vs. Athens