Bellringer: 10/30 and 11/4 Write down or discuss with your neighbors 3-4 things you remember about the Persian Empire.

Table of Contents Update: Page #:

Agenda: 1. Bellringer 2. Notes: Greek Geography and Origins 3. Activities: Geography Packet Perseus Myth Reading

Greek Geography and Origins Ms. Allen World History 2015-2016

Europe: An Overview

Satellite View More vegetation than the Middle East Q: What do you notice about Europe [compared to Middle East of Mesopotamia, Judaea, Asia Minor?

Map 1: Regions of Europe Northern Europe Western Europe Eastern Europe Not clearly defined! Central Europe Southern Europe

Map 2: Peninsulas on Europe Balkan Peninsula Peloponnesus Italian Iberian Normandy Scandinavian Scandinavia Normandy Q: If lots of peninsulas, then lots of what? Iberia Italy Balkans Peloponnesus

Map 3: Bodies of Water Mediterranean Sea Black Sea Aegean Sea Adriatic Sea Strait of Gibraltar English Channel North Sea Baltic Sea North Sea Baltic Sea English Channel Q: If lots of peninsulas, then lots of what? Black Sea Adriatic Sea Strait of Gibraltar AegeanSea Mediterranean Sea

List the Major Rivers: Important boundaries: Rhine Danube Important trade route: Dnieper

Map 4: Mountains Alps Pyrenees Apennines Caucasus Urals Urals Alps Show me the mountains. Alps and Pyrenees are natural protective barriers. Apennines

The Geography of Greece

Where is it? The Balkan Peninsula: (land surrounded by water on three sides), includes Greece and other Southeastern European countries

Geographic Terms With the person next to you, do your best to define the following geographic terms on your notes: Isthmus Peninsula Strait Island Arable land

An example of a strait (narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water) are the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Strait

Peninsula EX: Balkan Peninsula Definition: A piece of land surrounded by water on 3 sides

Isthmus EX: Isthmus of Corinth Definition: A narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land.

Island EX: Rhodes, Delos, Samos, Crete Definition: A piece of land surrounded entirely by water

Arable Land EX: Definition: Land that is suitable for farming that can sustain and produce good crop yields

Facts of Life: Greek Geography Edition

Mountainous Terrain Contrast to… Civilizations with flatter terrain (i.e. Egypt) Civilizations with more traversable or arable land Effect on Greece… City-states develop in isolation Less unified, harder to unify because of geographic barriers

Hundreds of Islands dotted between adjacent seas Contrast to… Centralized, unified empires Civilizations not separated by water Effect on Greece… Forced to develop seafaring abilities (look to the Phoenician design for ships) Travel is difficult (by land) Not easy to get from city-state to city-state quickly

Throwback: Royal Road (Persia)

Travel is a problem… Royal Road: 1500 miles, 9 days Sparta to Olympia: 60 miles, 7 days

Many small streams, no large rivers Contrast to… River valley civilizations and their successors (i.e. Yellow River Valley  Qin and Han China) Other classical civilizations Effect on Greece… Travel/transportation is more difficult No “flooding” to help crops grow Harder to establish contact with other civilizations outside the Mediterranean region

Few fertile plains for growing crops Contrast to… River valley civilizations Other classical civilizations Effect on Greece… Economy centered on trade, not agriculture Difficulty growing crops Forced to trade for sustenance

Climate problems: Constant sun and little rain Contrast to… Non-Mediterranean civilizations Civilizations where climate was less mild Effect on Greece… Difficulty producing crops Droughts

Why did Greek city-states develop independently?

Activities: Using the packet readings and your logic skills… Label The Map of Greece (pp. 108-112) Label Greece in the World (pp. 108-112, 139, 145) Read the information about the Geography of Greece and answer the questions

Early Greeks: The Minoans c. 3200 -1100 BCE Lived on island of Crete Great navigators and farmers Palace led political, social and economic organization at Knossos Artistic expressions and grand construction Advancements in bronze Built sanctuaries

Minoan Culture Art work (drawings, murals or frescoes) at Knossos shows dangerous sports such as leaping over the backs of charging bulls as well as dancing, athletics, and festivals

Myth of the Minotaur Minoan Myth of King Minos at Knossos Theseus defeats the Minotaur (half man half bull) and escapes from the maze like structure called the labyrinth, saving the youth of Athens

THEORIES FOR DECLINE OF MINOANS 1750 BCE- earthquake destroys Minoan palaces 1628 BCE- volcano erupts at Thera 1400 BCE- War between Minoans and Myceaneans led to decline of power

Enter the Mycenaeans c. 1700 – 600 BCE 1490 BCE- Minoan palaces had been rebuilt however all were destroyed except at Knossos by Mycenaean warriors Mycenaeans took control of Crete at Knossos by 1500 BCE Myceneans controlled mainland Greece = main political centre was Mycenae More interested in war as pottery and grave sites reflect hunting, weapons, armour and war as well as fortified palace walls Slowly Minoan culture and traditions disappeared

THEORIES FOR DECLINE OF MYCEANEANS Shift in climate leading to drought forcing Myceanans to migrate to more fertile lands Tribe of nomadic warriors from north of Greece (Dorians) destroyed Mycenaeans