1. Minoans + Mycenaeans = “The Greeks”
Origins of the Greeks: Minoans & Mycenaean B.C.—1500 B.C

7. Minoans (2800-1400 BCE) Lived on island of Crete Capital is Knossos
Existed during Egypt’s Old Kingdom
Government: Priest-kings
Religion: Polytheists
Cities NOT surrounded by walls
Very peaceful.
Ship Builders, traders, farmers, and fishermen
Overpowered by Mycenaeans by 1400 BC
No complete explanation for why the civilization collapsed

9. Sculptures, Pottery, and Frescoes
Minoan Art
Sculptures, Pottery, and Frescoes

11. Minoans created and traded pottery, leather, bronze armor, and metal jewelry. They also enjoyed sports such as boxing and bull leaping.

12. Minoan Fresco at the Palace of Knossos

13. Minoan fresco: Prince of Knossos

14. Polytheists Main god: Great Goddess, Mother Earth)
Minoan Religion
Polytheists
Main god: Great Goddess, Mother Earth)

15. Minoan Religion Built shrines on housetops, hilltops, and in caves
Made offerings to gods which included:
Human hair
fruit
flowers
jewels
gold

16. The fall of Minoan civilization is described in the legendary fight of Theseus, a young Greek prince and the Minotaur.
Relief Sculpture of Theseus and defeated Minotaur

17. Mycenaeans (2000 - 900 BCE) Lower Greece (lowlands)
Built fortress-palaces on hilltops
Engaged in farming, herding, olive growing.
Traded: gold & bronze
Learned from Minoans: Shipbuilding, navigation, gold & bronze work, fashions, art, writing.
Better warriors than traders (pirates)
Became most powerful people in Aegean world by 1400 BCE
Trojan War (1200s BCE)
Conquered by Dorians (late 1200’s)

18. The “Dark Age” ( BCE)
Civil wars broke out following Trojan War
Dorians conquered Mycenaeans
Aegean world began era of “wandering and killing”
Independent communities developed
Layered view of nine major settlements of Troy
by Christopher Haussner based on archaelogical
excavation.

19. The Trojan War – History or Myth?
Story of the Trojan War first transcribed by Homer, roughly 500 years after the suggested date!
Can modern Science (Archaeology) prove the story?

20. Greek City-States (700 - 338 BCE)

21. Greek City-States The Hellenes, or Greeks emerge from the Dark Age
The Polis, or city-state was the center of Greek life
Polis structure:
Acropolis (fortified hill)
Agora (marketplace at foot of acropolis)
Polis included homes, farming villages, fields, and orchards

22. Greek Civics and Politics
Civic and personal honor is one and the same
The Polis (city-state) is above everything else
Greenblatt, Lemmo. Human Heritage. Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 1995.

23. A New Government Solon created 1st Constitution (594 BCE)
Set of principles and rules for governing
Purpose: To end oligarchy and to prevent uprising against government by middle and lower class

24. The First Democratic Constitution
Created by Cleisthenes in 508 BCE (lasted 300 yrs.)
Limits power of rich & land ownership
All male landowners could vote
All debts were erased
All enslaved due to debt, were freed
All Athenians became citizens and able to participate in government
Assembly created to make laws
Representation of Cleisthenes

25. The Athenian Government Structure

26. Greek Religion
The most popular priestess was a priestess in the temple of Delphi.
The Delphi was the center of the world for Greeks.

27. Gods with human qualities (anthropomorphism)
Poseiden
The Courtship of Venus and Mars
Aphrodite

28. Greek Theater
Began during festivals honoring the god Dionysus (600 BCE)
Types of Plays
Tragedies
Aeschylus
Sophocles
Euripides
Comedies
Only men could act in plays
A civic responsibility
"The Feast of the Gods".
Theatre of Apollo [foreground], mid-4th century BC; Temple of Apollo [C.], orig. mid-6th century BC (rebuilt BC)

29. The Great Greek Philosophers
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle

30. Socrates (469-399 BCE) Stonemason, spent time arguing with assembly
Taught: Question everything, use step-by-step questioning to final conclusion (Socaratic Method)
Executed for denying gods, corrupting youth, and trying to overthrow gov.
Greenblatt, Lemmo. Human Heritage. Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 1995

31. Plato (427-347 BCE) Pupil of Socrates Recorded speeches of Socrates
Father of Political Science
Founded The Academy to train government leaders
Wrote The Republic & The Dialogues

32. Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Pupil of Plato at The Academy
Trained in Medicine
“Master of Them That Know”
First to classify plants & animals
Developed final steps in scientific method (Hypothesis and Test)
Plato
Aristotle