1. The Early Greeks
Chapter 4 Section 1 Pg

2. The Geography of Greece
The mainland Greece is a peninsula meaning a body of land with water on each side
To the west is the Ionian Sea
To the south is Mediterranean Sea
To the east is Aegean

3. Early Greek Made their living by the sea
They became fishers, sailors, and traders.
Others made their living by farming
Growing wheat, barley, olives and grapes
They also raised sheep and goats

4. Minoans
Minoans were note Greek but their civilization was the first to arise in the region that later became Greece
They made their wealth from trade.
They built ships from oak and cedar and sailed as far as Egypt and Syria
They traded pottery & stone vases for ivory & metal
Their ships controlled the eastern Mediterranean Sea

5. Minoans About 1450 B.C. Minoan civilization suddenly collapsed.
Some believe by undersea earthquakes causing giant waves.
Others believe the cities were destroyed by a group of Greeks from the mainland called the Mycenaeans

6. The First Greek Kingdoms
The Mycenaeans were originally from central Asia
The Mycenaean leaders became the first Greek kings
They would pay their taxes in wheat, livestock, and honey and stored them in the place.

7. Mycenaeans learned from the Minoan
Mycenaeans began trade with the Minoan
As a result they learned much from their culture
How to work with bronze
How to build ships
How to navigate by the sun and stars.
They began worshiping the Earth Mother, the Minoans’ chief goddess

8. Dark Ages By 1200 B.C the Mycenaeans began to crumble
Eathrquakes and fighting among the kingdoms destroyed their hilltop forts.
By 1100 B.C their civilization had collapsed.

9. Dark Ages Between 1100 B.C. and 750 B.C. was difficult for the Greeks.
Overseas trade slowed and poverty took hold
Farmers grew only enough for their family
They stopped teaching others to wrist and do craftwork
They forgot the written language and how to do things

10. The good of the Dark Ages
Greek culture began to expand.
Thousands of Greeks left the mainland and settled in the islands in the Aegean Sea
Others moved to the shores of Asia Minor

11. Dorians
Dorians lived in the northern mountains of Greece and began to move south during the Dark ages
They brought iron weapons giving the Greece more advanced technology
Iron weapons and farm tools were stronger and cheaper than those made from bronze
Farms began to produce food again and trade revived

12. Alphabet Because of trade a new way of writing was obtained
The Greeks picked up the idea of an alphabet from the Phoenicinas.
The Greek alphabet had 24 letters that stood for sounds.
Making reading and writing more simpler than ever

13. City-State
The nobles created city-states after overthrowing the Greek Kings.
Each Greek city-state known as a polis was like a tiny independent country
The polis would have a main gathering place usually on the top of a hill called acropolis.
Acropolis were used as a safe refuge and as a religious center.

14. City-State continue
Below the acropolis would be an open area called agora.
This had two functions
A market
A place where people could meet and debate issues

15. Citizenship
Greeks were the first people to develop the idea off citizenship.
Each city-state was run by its citizens
These were political community who treat each other as equals and who have rights and responsibilities
Most Greek city-states citizens could only be free native-born men who owned land.
Some city-states allowed women and children to be citizens but they had no rights.

16. Rights of a Citizen They could gather in the agora
Choose their officials
Pass laws
Right to vote
Hold office
Own property
Defend themselves in court
In return they had to serve in government and fight for their polis as citizen soldiers

17. Hoplites
Early Greek wars were fought by nobles riding horses and chariots
The development of citizenship changed the military system
City-states depend on armies of ordinary citizens called hoplites
They would march into battle on foot with a round shield, a short sword, and 9-foot spear.
Hoplites made good soldiers because they took pride and fighting for their city-state
However this hometown loyalties divided the Greeks and caused them to destroy one another.