History of Ancient Greece Greek History Hellenistic Period Early Greece City States Minoans Sparta Athens Philip II Alexander “the Great” Mycenaeans Persian Wars Peloponnesian War Dorians “Dark Age”

Early Greek History

Minoans Crete was home to the earliest civilizations in Greece: the Minoans, the Myceneans, and the Dorians.

Ancient Greece the Beginnings A. The MINOANS (Cretans) 1. Civilization rose around 2800 B.C. on the Isle of Crete. 2. Good carpenters and metal workers-built ships *earned living from trade rather than farming. 3. By 2000 B.C.-Crete had become the world’s first important seafaring people.

4. The People *Small people with bronzed skin & long hair. *Wore fancy clothes and jewelry. *They loved sports (boxing and bull leaping) 5. Cities and Palaces *Minoan cities had a palace at their center. *No walls were built--sea and navy provided protection. *Knossos was the largest city on Crete. -it included a 5 story palace with a labyrinth -Labyrinth=Double Axe... “House of the Double Axe”

6. Rulers and Religion *Rulers were Priest-Kings. *Rulers interpreted what gods wanted people to do. *Minoans were Polytheistic. -Main goddess was the Great Goddess.   7. Fall of the Minoans *Their decline is uncertain. *Legend explains the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. *Around 1400 B.C. control of Crete passed to the Myceneans.

King Minos’ Palace at Knossos

Aerial View of the Palace at Knossos Ruins of Palace at Knossos

Minoan Traders

Minoan Bull Leaping The Minotaur

Mycenaean World Mycenaean Ruins

Mycenaean Ruin The Megaron

B. The MYCENEANS 1.Background *From the lowland of mainland Greece. *They built fortress-palaces on hilltops for kings. -In times of danger people took shelter within the palace walls. *Main feature of the palace was the Megaron. -A square room with a hearth at its center. *Land was divided into estates farmed by slaves or tenants. *Landowners gave goods to the king in exchange for protection (ex..horses, chariots, wheat)

2. Traders and Pirates *Myceneans borrowed several aspects of Minoan culture (bronze work, writing, fashions...) *Most important..how to build and navigate ships *They became rich through the growing and trading of Olive Oil. *They were a warrior people. -had pirate fleets in the Mediterranean. *By 1400 B.C. they replaced the Minoans as the main power of the Aegean world. *They remained strong for about 300 years. *They were then conquered by the Dorians. *Many Myceneans fled and settled in the Aegean islands on the western shores of Asia Minor. *This area came to be called Ionia.

The Dorians – Dorian Migration

Dorian Building & Dorian Ruins

C. The Dorians & the Dark Age 1. The Dorians conquered the Myceneans around 1100 B.C. *They used iron swords rather than bronze.   2. Dorians were not interested in advancing civilization. *It slipped into a “Dark Age” for over 300 years.

3. This was a period of wandering and killing. *Overseas trade stopped. *People forgot how to write and keep records. *Herding and farming became the main way of life. 4. Local leaders called themselves kings (more like chiefs) *The local kingdoms became fixed making each an independent community. *The people of these communities began to call themselves Hellenes or Greeks.

Sparta: a Military City-State

Sparta: a Military Way of Life

The Spartan Warrior

In Sparta, War was a way of life.

Athens – birthplace of democracy

Acropolis in Athens - Today

Athens- today

Democracy was born in Athens

Athens had a strong military, too.

Battle of Marathon

The Greeks defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon making them the dominant power in the Mediterranean world.

Battle of Thermopylae

300 Spartans at Thermopylae

Map of the Delian League

The Delian League A. As a result of the Persian Wars the Greeks formed a defensive league.   B. The headquarters were on the Island of Delos. 1. It was called the Delian League. 2. Sparta did not join. C. City-states could not withdraw unless all other members agreed.

D. It had a common navy built and crewed by Athenians, but paid for by all.   E. It turned into an Athenian Empire. 1. Athens controlled many aspects of other city- state’s business. 2. Money from the league was used for building projects in Athens. 3. Other members of the League resented Athens.

Peloponnesian War Map

Peloponnesian War Map 435 B.C.

Peloponnesian War A. In 433 B.C., Athens invoked a trade embargo against Megara, an ally of Sparta.   B. Sparta and their allies declared war on Athens. C. The war was fought on the Peloponesus Peninsula--Peloponnesian War. D. The War lasted for almost 30 years.

E. In 404 B.C., Athens which was facing starvation surrendered to Sparta. 1. Athens lost over 1/4 of its population due to the war and a plague that struck during it. 2. Sparta chose 30 Athenian men to rule Athens. 3. It was a puppet government.   F. Athens eventually revolted against the puppet government and set up a democracy. 1. They never regained their former strength. 2. The end of the war brought a loss of unity among many Greeks.

Alexander “The Great”

Macedonian Phalanx

Phalanx