Intro to Ancient Greece
Geography Ancient Greece consisted mainly of a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean It also included about 2,000 islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas
Geography The sea shaped Greek civilization just as rivers shaped the ancient civilizations Greeks rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach the coastline. The Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the neighboring Black Sea were important transportation routes for the Greek people.
Trade As the Greeks became skilled sailors, sea travel connected Greece with other societies. Sea travel and trade were also important because Greece lacked natural resources, such as timber, precious metals, and usable farmland.
The Minoans Lived on the island of Crete Had great power in the Mediterranean Sea Made many trades with other countries
Minoan Decline No one knows why this powerful civilization stopped to exist THEORY: Volcanic eruption on Thera Toxic gas Caused Tsunamis
Indo-Europeans Began to settle in mainland Greece
The Mycenaeans Replaced the Minoans Lived and grew on Mainland Greece Leading City: Mycenae Surrounded by massive wall about 20 feet thick Adapted Minoan writing system Advanced in Bronze & Iron
The Trojan War 1200 B.C. – Mycenaean kings fought a 10 year war with Troy WHY!?!?!?!?! * Troy
Helen
Kidnapped?
Caused War
The TROJAN Wall!
How do we get in???
AH HA! The Trojan Horse of Course!
Fact or Fiction? Heinrich Shliemann excavated Turkey Discovered this story may be TRUE!!
The Boring Theory Trojan war was over: Struggle for control of a crucial waterway in the Aegean Sea
The Dorians Less advanced then the Mycenaeans Forgot the art of writing during this age No written record exists Little known about this time