1. World History Chapter 4-Ancient Greece
Section 1
The First Greek Civilizations

2. The Impact of Geography
Greece is a small, mountainous peninsula; many islands; mountains and sea played a key role in development of the civilization
Mountains kept the Greeks isolated; formed their own ways of life; very independent
Because of the long seacoast, many Greeks became seafarers; trading and establishing colonies

3. Geography of Greece

4. The Minoan civilization
Bronze Age civilization, used metals, set up on the island of Crete
Named Minoan after King Minos of Crete by Arthur Evans, archaeologists who discovered
Flourished between B.C.
Evans found a palace complex at Knossos; remnants of a rich culture; sea empire based on trade

5. Minoan Civilization

6. Minoans
Palace at Knossos-elaborate, many rooms for the royal family, workshops for making things, bathrooms with drains
Rooms were painted and decorated; storerooms held grain, oil, & wine-taxes
1450 B.C.-suffered a collapse, some think a tidal wave; most historians believe they were invaded by Mycenaeans, mainland Greeks

7. Palace at Knossos

8. The First Greek State: Mycenae
Mycenae; fortified city found by Heinrich Schliemann, one of several such centers, flourished between B.C.
Indo-European people; entered Greece around 1900 B.C.
High point of civilization b/n B.C.; powerful monarchies, may have formed loose alliances with each other

9. Mycenaean Civilization

10. Mycenae
Palace centers built up on hills, surrounded by walls; the rest of the people lived outside the walls
Tholos or tombs for the royal family was a unique feature of these centers; built into hills
Extensive trade network
Warrior people, many murals of battles, expanded militarily to include Crete & some Aegean Islands

11. Mycenaean architecture

12. Attack on Troy & the Fall of the Mycenaean Civilization
Most famous military expedition; did it happen?
Attacked city of Troy around 1250 B.C.; led by King Agamemnon of Mycenae
Mycenaean society was in trouble by the late 13th century B.C.; fighting among each other, major earthquakes; invasions from the north; by 1100 B.C. it had collapsed

13. The Greeks in a Dark Age
Dark Age of Greece-from B.C.; food production dropped as did population
Very few records of what happened exist
By 850 B.C. farming was revived; new Greece was starting to develop

14. Developments of the Dark Age
During the Dark Ages many Greeks left the mainland
Western part of Asia Minor-Ionia
Aeolian Greeks-left northern & central Greece, settled on island of Lesbos and mainland areas near there
Dorian Greeks-settled in southwestern Greece, area of the Peloponnesus, some islands in southern Aegean(Crete)

15. Greek Migrations

16. More Developments Revival of trade; other economic activity
Iron replaced bronze in weapons & farm tools; increase food production, affordable weapons
Greeks adopted Phoenician alphabet; made learning to read and write easier

17. Greek Alphabet

18. Homer
Homer wrote down epic poems that had been passed down for generations orally
Iliad –story of the Trojan War-Greek states wage war on the city of Troy to get Helen(wife of a king) back
Story not just of war, but of the Greek hero Achilles and what his anger caused
Odyssey-retells the story of Odysseus and his return home

19. Homer

20. Homer’s impact
It is said Homer did not record history as much as he created it
Greeks look at these two stories as actual historical accounts; ideal past; texts for educational purposes
Homer taught values like courage and honor; Greeks used these as part of their tradition & a model for future generations
Arete-excellence won in a struggle; fighting for family, honor; earns a reputation

21. Trojan Horse

22. Achilles & Odysseus