SECTION 3: EARLY GREECE

MYCENAEANS

ANCESTORS

Indo-European Settled mainland around 2000 BC

MYCENAE

Leading City Built on steep rocky hill ridge Surrounded by wall 20 ft. thick Dominated Greece 1600-1100 BC

ARISTOCRATIC LIFE

Nobles Controlled

production and trade

Used armies to gain wealth

COMMON PEOPLE

Wood and stone tools Occupations

Mostly Farmers Weavers Herders Stonemasons

CONTACT WITH MINOANS

Invasion Trade Adopt

Sea Trade Alphabet Minoan legends

TROJAN WAR

1200 BC City of Troy on Anatolia Peninsula Kidnapping of Helen from Greek’s

Kingdom

HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN

Found remains of city

Legends of Trojan War based on real people and places

NEW THEORY

Fought for control of trade route through Dardanelles (Straits) to Black Sea colonies

CULTURE DECLINES

Collapsed around 1200 BC Dorians moved into the region

DORIANS

DORIANS

Spoke a dialect of Greek Settled into war torn countryside of

Mycenaean Far less advanced

DARK AGE

Period of time when civilization experiences a reversal of culture

Economy and Trade collapse Forgot how to write Little known about this time period

POETS AND HEROES

Without writing Greeks learned about history through spoken word

HOMER

Blind poet/Storyteller

Created the Iliad and the Odyssey

ILIAD

Describes events of ten year Trojan War

ODYSSEY

Describes ten year journey home of King Odysseus

MYTHOLOGY

GREEK GODS

Activities of gods explained human behavior

Myths (traditional stories) written about the Greek gods

Based on Polytheism

DEITIES

Humanization gods took human form with human

behavior gods lived forever

GODS AND GODDESSES

1. ATHENA - GODDESS OF WISDOM & ART 2. ARTEMIS – GODDESS OF WILDERNESS AND

BEASTS 3. APHRODITE - LOVE & BEAUTY 4. ZEUS - CHIEF DEITY 5. APOLLO - SON OF ZEUS GOD OF LIGHT &

PROPHECY 6. HERA-WIFE OF ZEUS These are the gods you will have to identify on

your test! MOUNT OLYMPUS - HOME OF 12 MOST

IMPORTANT DEITIES

ORACLE AT DELPHI

Greeks asked questions Priests would interpret Apollo’s answers

GODS

Influenced all aspects of Greek Culture Remains as symbols in western art and

literature