early years: ancient greece 2500 b.c.e. – 750 b.c.e
TRANSCRIPT
Early Years: Ancient Early Years: Ancient GreeceGreece
2500 B.C.E. – 750 B.C.E.
IntroductionIntroduction
• Greece is the birthplace of the classical world
• Produced great philosophy, politics and sculpture
• Origin of democracy
• Polis – at the center of Greek life
Geography• Many small mountain ranges• No unifying river system like
in Egypt and Mesopotamia• Produced some food, but
not enough to feed growing population
• Result: Geography encouraged development of trade and the sea became a central part of Greek life
Geography, cont.
• Greeks isolated from each other due to mountains
• Each city-state independent and established their own values, system of government
• Each was attached to their own independence
• Each was small- people get to participate in politics
• Also led to great rivalry and wars that damaged these great societies
The Peloponnesus
EconomyEconomy
• Majority of Greeks farmed or raised livestock
• Products produced: Olives, figs, fish, cheese, grapes and chicken
• The Sea influenced the economy and every other aspect of Greek life
The SeaThe Sea
• Long seacoast• Good harbors• Helped Greeks become
good sailors and traders• Their dominance of the
sea helped the Greeks establish colonies throughout the Mediterranean
Map of GreeceMap of Greece
Minoans
• 2000 B.C.E. to 1450 B.C.E.
• Earliest civilization to emerge in the Aegean region
• On the island Crete• Named after Minos, a
legendary King of Crete
Minoans: Crete
Minoans, cont.Minoans, cont.
• Great palace at Knossos
• This was the seat of all kings
• Artifacts reveal a complex and wealthy culture
• Probably part of a great trade empire
• We know that they had contact with Egyptians
• They controlled the seas
Fresco Painting in PalaceFresco Painting in Palace
Crete: Palace of KnossosCrete: Palace of Knossos
Art from time of King MinosArt from time of King Minos
Throne
Minoan CivilizationMinoan Civilization
Minoans CollapseMinoans Collapse• Collapse suddenly
around 1450 B.C.E.• Cause uncertain• Some believe it was a
tsunami caused by a volcano on the island
• Others believe invasions by the Mycenaeans caused collapse
Mycenaeans: 1600-1100 B.C.E.
• Named after area where they lived, Mycenae
• An Indo-European people who came from central Asia into Europe
• Entered Greece from the north, gained control, and established a civilization
• Peak of civilization: 1400-1200 B.C.E.
Map of MycenaeMap of Mycenae
Mycenaeans, cont.Mycenaeans, cont.
• Known for their fortified palace centers, built on hills and surrounded by walls
• Royal family lived within the walls, everyone else outside
Mycenaean PoliticsMycenaean Politics
• Various palace complexes in this region, with Mycenae the strongest
• Formed a loose confederation of independent states
Mycenaean SocietyMycenaean Society
• Language: linear B ( a form of Greek script)
• Social Order:– King– Commanders of the army– Priests– Record keepers/govt. workers– Free citizenry: peasants, soldiers, artisans– Slaves and serfs
Society,cont.Society,cont.
• Military-based/warrior people
• Pride based on military heroics
• Conquered new territory (Crete and other islands)
• Did they conquer Troy as told by Homer in the Iliad?
• Traded extensively throughout Middle East and North Africa
DeclineDecline
• New invaders into Mycenae
• Burned Mycenae itself, then other states
• Enter a new period of instability and uncertainty
MycenaeansMycenaeans
Dark Age of Ancient Greece: 1100- 750 B.C.E.
• After Mycenaeans collapse, population declines and food production dropped
• Farming will not recover until 850 B.C.E.• Bad times saw people leaving mainland
Greece and heading to southwest Asia Minor (Ionia)
• Another group moved into the Peloponnesus, the Dorians, and also on Crete and Rhodes
Dark Age Migrations
Dark Age, cont.Dark Age, cont.
• Due to lack of agriculture, Greeks traded other goods
• Iron replaced bronze in making of weapons – now more affordable
• Farming tools made of iron helped revive agriculture
• Adopted Phoenician alphabet – made writing and reading easier to learn
• At end of Dark Age, Homer’s works appear
Homeric AgeHomeric Age• Two great epic poems: Iliad and Odyssey• Stories had been passed down from multiple
generations, and recorded by Homer• Iliad: The Mycenaens, under Agamemmon
attack and sack city of Troy for revenge for the kidnapping of Helen (Queen of Sparta) by Paris (prince of Troy)
• Book teaches values of heroism and honor and that a man’s character is more important than his accomplishments
Odyssey• This is the story
of the journey of Odysseus from Troy back to his home and wife
• Moral lesson: morality is tested constantly, and virtue is always better than giving into temptation
Homer’s Importance
• Greeks accepted these poems as recorded facts
• Values and stories became marks Greeks measured themselves against
• Greeks valued strength, honor, virtue, excellence – yet these were aristocratic values (wealthy)
• Homer provided a model of heroism that Greeks sought to emulate
The Polis
• After the age of Homer, came the Archaic (ancient times) Age of Greece
• This time period is marked by the development of the Greek polis as well as Greek colonization of the Mediterranean and Black Sea The polis was the center of Greek life
• It consisted of a city and the land that surrounded it (think suburb)
Polis, cont.• The city was the center
for politics, trade, religion, and social events
• Each polis had different values (military, education, arts) and were distinct – influenced by geography
Social Order in the Polis
1. Adult males – had political rights
2. Women and children- no political rights
3. Noncitizens – slaves and resident aliens (from a different polis)
• There was great loyalty to the polis, but great distrust towards other poleis
• Cause hostility and warfare
Summary• The geography of Greece influenced
the development of its economy, political and social structure as well as its history
• The formation of independent city-states, called poleis, led to innovation, creativity and advanced cultures, yet also to conflict and warfare that would bring ancient Greece to its ruin