Minoans Mycenaeans

MYCENAEAN GREECENarrative Sentences

HOMEWORK

1. Read textbook pages on Mycenaeans & Minoans

Incorporate some of your sentences from today’s writing exercise into a 2-3 paragraph narrative/descriptive essay:

Topic: “Who were the Minoans and the Mycenaeans, and what were their contributions to Greek culture?”

NARRATIVE WRITING

Tells a story.

uses framing words like...

before, after, then, next, first, second, third...

in 1450 BC, about 10 a.m., Next Tuesday, last May

is written in the appropriate tense (past, present, future)

explains a series of events.

FOR EACH SLIDE...

Write one descriptive sentence and one narrative sentence

OR...

write two descriptive sentences.

OR

write two narrative sentences.

THE MINOANS

A.D. 1905 — Sir Arthur Evans finds a palace on the island of Crete.

beautiful pottery, lovely wall paintings

existed about 2000 BC-14500 BC

KNOSSOS

Palace of Minoan Kings

built c. 1600 BC, used for c. 400 years

No walls, no fortifications

Minoans relied on navy

“Labyrinth” of Minotaur?

F R E S C O F R O M T H E PA L A C E O F K N O S S O S Religious or political ceremony? c. 1550 BC?

MINOAN SNAKE GODDESS

Minoan Great Goddess

Snakes, bird on head

this figure, c. 1500 BC

terra cotta covered in glazes made from oxides

evidence of worldwide trade

MYCENAEAN KINGSHIP

Mycenaeans have a warrior-king

Honor and wealth are very important —

judged by what you can afford to give away.

sources of wealth = many followers

WEALTH=PRESTIGE

Previous slide: Lion Gate of Mycenae, c. 1380 BC.

Solid rocks, assembled without mortar

This slide: Mask of Agamemnon, c. 1350 BC

Solid gold, hammered into a sheet

R O YA L G R AV E C I R C L E “ A ” AT M Y C E N A Einside the fortress walls, just inside the Lion Gate. c. 1540 BC

MYCENAE, THEN & NOW

Hilltop fort

Walls 11+’ w, 20+’ h

Royal palace: Megaron

Royal grave circle: mask of Agamemnon

Castle & Palace, c. 1300 BC = wealth & power

MINOANS MEET MYCENAEANS

About 2000 BC, folk we call “Mycenaeans” settle in mainland Greece.

They like Minoan style

but they don’t copy well

Culture at height, 1600 BC to 1100 BC.

BORROWINGS

About 1450 BC, Crete gets hit by a tidal wave and some earthquakes.

Minoan society fails.

c. 1400 BC, Mycenaeans invade.

Take country, writing system

T R E A S U RY O F AT R E U S“beehive tomb” built by the Mycenaeans c. 1280 BC

T H E T R O J A N H O R S EThe Trojan War, fought between Mycenaeans & Hittites, probably 1250 BC-1210 BC

THE DORIAN INVASION

c. 1100 BC, Myceanean fortresses and palaces destroyed by fire & war in a 10-year window

Historians call this the “Dorian Invasion”

Writing disappeared.

The Greek Dark Ages