Unit 4 The Beginnings

1. What ideas did the U.S. Founding Fathers take from the Athenian democracy to create our Government?

2. How did characteristics and contributions of Greek culture help to lay the foundation for Western civilization?

3. How did the rugged landscape of Ancient Greece contribute to the development of the polis?

4. What were the cultural, military, social, political, and economic characteristics of Ancient Greece?

5. How did the empire of Alexander the Great establish a basis for the spread of Hellenistic culture?

Essential Questions

Map of Ancient Greece

Mediterranean Sea

Carpenters & metal workers

Battering ram

The Minoans

Farmed & fishedHousehold duties & attended sporting eventsBull Leaping

The People

Provide a list of occupations performed by the Minoans.

What did most of the occupations have in common?

Why would occupations related to the sea be plentiful in Minoan society?

Human / Environmental Interaction

Crete the Minoan Civilization (1:13)

Ancient Crete – The Minoans (7:47)

PalaceKnossos

Cities & Palaces

Knossos – largest city of Crete

A room in the Knossos palace.

Map of Crete

Priest – kingsMother earth

Fall of the MinoansTheseus & MinotaurSouthern RussiaLanguage, fashions &

ship building

Rulers & Religion

King Minos = ruler of CreteMinotaur = devourerPrincess Ariadne = most beautiful woman

(in her eyes)King of AthensPrince Theseus7 Athenian boys & girls

Thesueus & the Minotaur

Theseus & the Minotaur

Mycenae, Greece

The Mycenaean civilization developed and expanded throughout the Greek peninsula during the Bronze Age, and by 1650 B.C. was beginning to expand beyond it. But while the Minoans had become a commercial power, Mycenae became a military power. By the mid-15th century, Mycenae had conquered much of Crete and had seized Knossos. Mycenae flourished with the collapse of Minoan commerce.

The Mycenaeans•Southern Russia

•Language, fashions & ship building

The Trojan War

•Troy

•Homer

•Illiad

•Odyssey

Click for the story

It was said she has the face to launch a 1,000 ships

City of Troy

Excavation – Modern day Troy

Modern day Troy

Trojan War•Fact or fiction? You decide…

•Cause – Helen of Sparta

•Helen married Menelaus, brother of King Agamemnon

•Helens’ father – oath to support Menelaus

•Paris – prince of Troy

•Odysseus – King of Ithaca

Trojan War

Trojan War

Trojan War

Dark Ages

•Civil war

•Dorians

•Ionia