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Ancient Greece
Geography
 The Modern Greek nation is a 50,000 square
mile mountainous peninsula with over 6,000
islands.
 There are small plains and river valleys in
between the surrounding mountain ranges.
 How did this impact civilization development?
Geography
 The Modern Greek nation is a 50,000 square
mile mountainous peninsula with over 6,000
islands.
 There are small plains and river valleys in
between the surrounding mountain ranges.
 How did this impact civilization development?
 Isolation led to diverse Greek communities
with a strong sense of independence, which led
to rivalry among the city-states, or polis.
 Proximity to the sea, along with natural
harbors, led to the Greeks becoming seafarers,
which led to trade and the establishment of
colonies.
The Largest Most Powerful
Greek City-States
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Argos
Athens
Byzantium
Corinth
Megara
Olympia
Oracle of Delphi
Sparta
Thebes
Troy
Early Greek Civilizations
The Minoan Civilization
2800 - 1450 BC
 The Minoan Civilization was a Bronze Age
civilization which flourished from 2800 to
1450 BC on the island of Crete.
 The Minoan Civilization was a Bronze Age
civilization which flourished from 2800 to
1450 BC on the island of Crete.
 It was named after Minos, son of Zeus and
Europa, the legendary king of Crete.
 Every year Minos picked seven boys and
seven girls to be sent to the labyrinth to be
eaten by the Minotaur.
Minos searched for Daedalus by travelling
from city to city asking a riddle; he would
present a spiral seashell and ask for it to be
strung all the way through. When he reached
Sicily, King Cocalus, fetched Daedalus
knowing he would be able to solve the riddle.
Daedalus tied a string to an ant, which walked
through the seashell, stringing it all the way
through. Minos then knew Daedalus was in
Cocalus’ court, and demanded he be handed
over. Cocalus managed to convince Minos to
take a bath first; then Cocalus’ daughters and
Daedalus trapped Minos in the bath, and
scalded him to death with boiling water.
 The Minoan Civilization was a Bronze Age
civilization which flourished from 2800 to
1450 BC on the island of Crete.
 It was named after Minos, son of Zeus and
Europa, and the legendary king of Crete.
 Every year Minos picked seven boys and
seven girls to be sent to the labyrinth to be
eaten by the Minotaur.
 An enormous palace complex was located at
Knossos, which was the center of a seafaring
empire with a rich culture.
Palace at Knossos
Bull Leaping
Youths Boxing
Snake Goddess, 1600 BC
 The Minoan Civilization was a Bronze Age
civilization which flourished from 2800 to
1450 BC on the island of Crete.
 It was named after Minos, son of Zeus and
Europa, and the legendary king of Crete.
 Every year Minos picked seven boys and
seven girls to be sent to the labyrinth to be
eaten by the Minotaur.
 An enormous palace complex was located at
Knossos, which was the center of a seafaring
empire with a rich culture.
 Around 1450 BC, the civilization suffered a
catastrophic collapse, possibly triggered by a
tidal wave from a volcanic explosion on
Thera.
Thera
Mycenaean Greece
1600 - 1100 BC
 The Mycenaean Civilization flourished from
around 1600 to 1100 BC.
 Powerful monarchs built fortified palaces on
hills surround by gigantic stone walls, with
the civilian population living outside the
walls.
 The Mycenaean Civilization flourished from
around 1600 to 1100 BC.
 Powerful monarchs built fortified palaces on hills
surround by gigantic stone walls, with the civilian
population living outside the walls.
 The Mycenaean monarchs formed a loose alliance
with an extensive commercial network.
 Mycenaean pottery has been found throughout
the Mediterranean area, even in Egypt.
 The Mycenaean Civilization flourished from
around 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.
 Powerful monarchs built fortified palaces on hills
surround by gigantic stone walls, with the civilian
population living outside the walls.
 The Mycenaean monarchs formed a loose alliance
with an extensive commercial network.
 Mycenaean pottery has been found throughout
the Mediterranean area, even in Egypt.
 By 1300 B.C. the Mycenaeans began to fight one
another, and the Mycenaean Civilization collapsed
in 1100 B.C. with the invasion of new Greekspeaking invaders from the north.
Mycenae Today
Homer
 The Mycenaeans were a warrior people who
prided themselves on heroic deeds in battle.
 Epic poems were written which passed down
legends of heroes and heroic deeds.
 The most famous of these epic poems, the
Iliad and Odyssey, were written by Homer.
 Through his works, Homer taught that a
Greek strives for excellence, or Arête, which
is won in a struggle or contest.
 Greeks looked upon these heroes as ideal
Greeks, and model themselves after them.
 Courage, honor, and pride were idealized.
 The Iliad was loosely based on the Trojan
War.
 Paris, a prince of Troy, kidnaped Helen, wife
of the King of Sparta, which began a war that
lasted ten years.
 The Iliad was loosely based on the Trojan
War.
 Paris, a prince of Troy, kidnaped Helen, wife
of the King of Sparta, which began a war that
lasted ten years.
 King Agamemnon of Mycenae, brother of
Sparta’s king, led an alliance of Greek citystates against Troy.
The Mask of Agamemnon
 The Iliad was loosely based on the Trojan
War.
 Prince Paris of Troy kidnaped Helen, wife of
the King of Sparta, which began a war that
lasted ten years.
 King Agamemnon of Mycenae, brother of
Sparta’s king, led an alliance of Greek citystates against Troy.
 Achilles was one of the principle Greek
heroes.
 The Iliad was loosely based on the Trojan
War.
 Prince Paris of Troy kidnaped Helen, wife of
the King of Sparta, which began a war that
lasted ten years.
 King Agamemnon of Mycenae, brother of
Sparta’s king, led an alliance of Greek citystates against Troy.
 Achilles was one of the principle Greek
heroes.
 The Greeks defeated the Trojans by hiding in
a huge wooden horse and leaving it as a gift.
The Trojan Horse
 The Odyssey was the story of King Odysseus’
long journey home, following the Trojan War.