Greece Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea Chapter 5 Section 1 page111

What did Greeks Value? - Pericles, an Athenian Statesman “Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people” - Pericles, an Athenian Statesman “For we are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes” -Thucydides, a historian

Geography Shapes Greek Life Greece wasn’t a united country, instead a collection of separate lands where Greek speaking people lived Like the Minoans who lived on the Greek island Crete

The land Greece mainly a mountainous peninsula extending into Mediterranean Sea. Also includes 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas Basically, a civilization on water Never traveled more than 85 miles between coastlines

Geography Rugged mountains covered ¾ of ancient Greece- only 20% of land suitable for farming- access to sea was important due to lack of natural resources Because of mountains, couldn’t unite under a single government Didn’t have roads- just dirt paths. To travel from Sparta to Olympia (site of Olympic games) took 7 days to travel just 60 miles!

Today, they have built homes and buildings on these steep rugged mountains

With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece wasn’t able to support a large population Greeks based diet on basic staple crops like grains, grapes and olives Desire for more living space and farmland were probably factors that motivated Greeks to seek new sites for colonies

Perfect climate Had varied climate that averaged 48 degrees in winter and 80 degrees in summer Weather allowed for an outdoor lifestyle Men spent time outdoors or at public events discussing politics, news, or engaging in sports

Mycenaean Civilization Develops Existed around 2000 B.C. Name came from city they settled in, Mycenae (my-SEE-nee) on the mainland of Greece

Mycenaean's Ruled by militaristic kings- these kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 B.C. City surrounded by protective walls 20 feet thick- could withstand any attack Lived in huge beautiful palaces

Mycenaean's Lived an extravagant life, drank from gold and silver and cups When royal Mycenaean’s died, they were buried with richest treasures Warrior kings became wealthy by controlling local production and trade Wealthy kings used weapons made of bronze while commoners used tools made of wood and stone

Influenced by the Minoan’s Kings invaded Crete, and flourished on the island for 600 years Preserved Minoan culture, especially using sea for travel Adapted the Minoan writing system to the Greek language and decorated vases with Minoan designs Legacy survived in form of legends, eventually forming core for Greek politics, religious practice, art and literature. http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/22/Jz3d5x-MUT4

Trojan War Legend: The Trojan War was a war waged, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor following the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta by a Trojan youth The actual Trojan war was probably a Mycenaean raid occurring around 1200 B.C. against rival trading city Troy, and a fight to control the Aegean Sea Many believed the legendary stories of the war was fictional 1870, and excavation of the site revealed 9 layers of city life in NW Turkey, suggesting the story of the Trojan war was based on real stories, events and people

Truth of Troy: Trojan War Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_36-H0-Vsps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiQ4j-D5o4o

The Dorians Shortly after Trojan war Mycenaean civilization collapsed Economy and trade stopped existing 1200 B.C. sea raiders attacked and burned palace after palace Another group moved to war-torn country side called the Dorians Far less advanced than Mycenaean Greeks- no written record for a 400 year period Hard to know about period of decline with no written record

Epics of Homer With no writing, Greeks of this time learned about Trojan War through spoken word Greatest storyteller was Homer, a blind man Composed epics- narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds Trojan War backdrop for Homer’s 2 epic poems, The Iliad and the Odyssey

The Iliad The heroes of the Iliad were the fierce Greek Achilles, and courageous noble Hector of Troy. The story is an example of arête, meaning virtue and excellence A Greek could display this ideal on the battlefield, in combat, or athletic competitions Read A Voice From the Past on page 114. What is Hector communicating to his wife?

The Odyssey Story is about Odysseus and how he uses wit and trickery to defeat the Trojans Much of the epic is set after the war, and is about his 10 year adventure home and the strange lands he visits along the way http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/18/pdTigtNMmDQ

Greeks Create Myths Greeks developed a rich set of myths- traditional stories- about their gods Tried to understand mysteries of human nature and human passions through myths Attributed human qualities to their gods like love, hate and jealousy The gods competed with each other constantly , but could live forever unlike humans

Greek Gods Zues- ruler of Gods lived on Mount Olympus with wife Hera Hera jealous of Zeus’s relationships with other women Athena, was Zeus’s favorite daughter, and goddess of wisdom Hermes was the son of Zeus, and messenger of gods

Gods and Goddesses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP_NeirFIkM

A few other things the Greeks have given us…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKsb0o7fb4M http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=87tXX0WxlS0

Assignment On the back side of your notesheet: Come up with 5 “ Gods of Worship” that would be important to society today. What would their names be? Be prepared to share with the class Examples: “God of Sports”, money, etc..