Early Civilizations in GreeceEarly Civilizations in Greece

Chapter 4

The Impact of GeographyThe Impact of Geography Greece is relatively small

peninsula, about the size of Louisiana, with many surrounding islands

The geography consists of small plains & river valleys surrounded by mountains

The mountains a very important in the development of Greece as they isolated her from other influences & allowed her to develop their own independent culture & way of life

Even though Greece was isolated from many outside influences it did not stop rivalries between neighboring communities

The Impact of GeographyThe Impact of Geography

The sea also impacted Greek history

The Aegean, Mediterranean, & Indian Seas give Greece many ports that were ideal for trade

No part of Greece is more than 60 miles from a body of water

The Minoans and the MycenaeansThe Minoans and the Mycenaeans

The Minoan civilization was established during the bronze age on the island of Crete

This civilizations economy was based on trade especially with southern Greece & Egypt

The wealth gained through trade allowed the Minoans to adopt techniques & designs from other cultures which they applied to their own

The Minoan empire lasted until 1450 B.C. when it suddenly collapsed

Some believe that the collapse was due to a massive tidal wave while others believe that it was because of invasion by the Mycenaeans

MINOANS

The Minoans and the MycenaeansThe Minoans and the Mycenaeans

The Mycenaeans were Indo-Europeans who were led by powerful monarchies who lived in fortified palaces

The Mycenaeans were warriors who prided themselves on heroic deeds that were then depicted on wall murals

Economically they established a large commercial network through the Mediterranean area

Mycenaean Greece was troubled by internal wars, major earthquakes, & invasions

By 1100 B.C. the civilization had collapsed

The Greeks in the Dark Age The Greeks in the Dark Age After the collapse of the

Mycenaeans Greece entered into a period of decline as food production fell

This became known as the Dark Age

There was a revival in trade as many left the mainland to settle abroad

By the end of the Dark Age the Greeks had adopted Phoenician alphabet making reading & writing much simpler

It was during this period that Homer wrote the Iliad & the Odyssey which was based on stories of the Trojan War

Homer’s hero taught values of honor & courage

The Greek City StatesThe Greek City States

Chapter 4-2

Polis: The Center of Greek LifePolis: The Center of Greek Life By 750 Polis had

become the center of Greek life

People would meet at the center of polis to discuss political, social, & religious activities

The meeting place was a fortified hilltop called an where it contained a large open area called the agora

AGORAAGORA

Polis: The Center of Greek LifePolis: The Center of Greek Life

The Polis was a community of people with common goals & identity

This community was divided into 3 different groups, those with political rights (males), those with no political rights (Women & children), & noncitizens (slaves & foreigners)

All were expected to be loyal to the Polis

Greek ExpansionGreek Expansion By 750 B.C. many Greeks, because

of trade & need for farmland, had begun to move to distant lands

New Greek colonies were established in Italy, France, Spain, & Africa

This allowed the Greek culture to flourish as well as its trade

Trade provided great wealth to a group of people who were blocked from political power by aristocrats

This led to the rise of a new group called the tyrants

The tyrants tried to help the poor & built public works

However they fell out of favor with the Greeks because of the Greek belief in rule of law

This rule of law would eventually lead to the end of aristocrat rule & the development of democracy

Two Rival City-StatesTwo Rival City-States Like other Greek city-states

Sparta needed more land & to get it they conquered neighboring lands

The conquered people became known as the helots who were then forced to work for the Spartans

Spartan life was a very rigidly controlled with military training & service as men were required to be in the army until the age of 60

Because the men were consumed with military affairs Spartan women had more power in the home than did Greek women

The Spartan government was an oligarchy headed by two kings

HELOTHELOT

Two Rival City-StatesTwo Rival City-States

By the seventh century B.C. Athens was an oligarchy under the control of the aristocrats

Under this rule many of the farmers had been sold into slavery for their debt

To avoid civil war the aristocrats turned power to Solon who released those in slavery due to debt

By 512 B.C. power was in the hands of Cleisthenes who created a new council that supervised foreign affairs, oversaw the treasury, & proposed new laws

This would become the foundation for Athenian democracy