1. Early Civilizations in Greece
1900 – 133 B.C.E

2. Mountains 80% of Greece is made up of mountains.
Limited plains for large scale farming.
The Greek peninsula is divided by the Pindus Mountains, highest peak Mt. Olympus.
Rugged landscape isolated Greeks from one another, communities were fiercely independent.

3. Sea East the Ionian Sea South the Mediterranean Sea
Greece is surrounded on 3 sides by the Sea:
East the Ionian Sea
South the Mediterranean Sea
West the Aegean Sea
Rugged coastline provided many good harbors.
Most Greeks lived no more then 60 km from the water, on the mainland or islands.
Naturally, Greeks were seafaring trading people.

4. Minoans 2700 – 1450 B.C.E.
By 2800 B.C.E Minoans established a Bronze age civilization on the island of Crete.
Although not Greek, Minoans had a great influence on Greece.

5. Minoans Civilization
King Minos of Crete ruled from great city of Knossos.
Established a large sea empire based on trade.
Greatly expanded knowledge and new technologies via mixing with many far away civilizations.
In 1450 B.C.E Minos was invaded and destroyed by mainland Greeks, the Mycenaeans.

6. Mycenaeans 1600 – 1100 B.C.E Mycenae means fortified city.
Warrior culture.
Large commercial network throughout Mediterranean.
Lead by King Agamemnon who sacked Troy.
Invaded by Greeks from the north, by 1100 B.C.E. Mycenaean civilization collapsed.

7. Collapse of Mycenaean Civilization Dark Age (1100-750 B.C.E.)
Earthquakes destroy many cities.
Kingdoms began battling each other.
Many fled and settled in Asia Minor and around the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
Life becomes more agrarian (rural/farming oriented).
Iron replaced bronze, to make tools and weapons.
Phoenician alphabet adopted, 24 letter system made literacy much easier.
Homer writes Iliad and Odyssey describing heroics of the Trojan Wars.

8. The Trojan War The Iliad & the Odyssey, written by Homer
The city of Troy controlled many of the trade routes between the Aegean Sea and the Black sea – made the Mycenaean people jealous
1250 BCE – Mycenaeans banded together under the king to attack Troy
Struggle began when Troy’s prince Paris kidnapped Helen, the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta
Menelaus and Agamemnon of Mycenae enlisted the other Greek rulers to save Helen.

9. Trojan war cont’d…
Trojan horse – famous story – Greek warriors burned their tents and sailed away to lead Trojans to believe that they had fled. On the shore they left a large wooden horse. The Trojans pilled it into their place of assembly and discussed what to do with it. Destroy it with fire? Throw it off a cliff? Offering to the gods?
Decided leave the horse standing unharmed inside their gates. The Greek warriors hidden inside crept out and attacked the Trojans that night – killing many and destroying their city.
In Homer’s version of the tale the war raged on for 10 years before the Mycenaeans were victorious – destroying the city and driving the Trojans into exile.

10. Greek Mythology

11. The Olympians Zeus Hestia Hades Athena Hera Ares Artemis Apollo
Aphrodite
love
Artemis
hunting
Zeus
Earth and sky
Apollo
sun
Hestia
home
Hades
underworld
Athena
wisdom
Demeter
vegetation
Poseidon
sea
Hera
marriage
Ares
war
Dionysus
Fertility/wine

12. References
a.htm Social Studies for Kids, Sparta vs Athens Compare Sparta and Athens How to write a cause an effect essay