Aegean SeaEastern

Mediterranean SeaCradle of Western

CivilizationThere many ideas

developed that influenced the Politics, Art, and thought of Western Civilization

Minoan CivilizationDeveloped on CreteNamed after the

legendary king Minos

Known for their magnificent Palaces

Knossos: More than 800 Rooms

Seafaring traders: Exported wine, honey, and olive oil

The Fall of the Minoans

Minoan Civilization began to decline about 1450 B.C.

Perhaps because of a disastrous earthquake or volcanic eruption

Greeks from mainland invaded Crete

The Palace at Knossos was destroyed

Rise of the Mycenaeans

Greek Speaking Indo-European tribes

Warrior-Kings ruled the walled cities built around their palaces at Mycenae, Thebes, and other places in southern Greece.

Civilization was named after the palace at Mycenae

Mycenae was the richest and most important town

Mycenaean way of Life…

Mycenaeans borrowed their culture and economic strategies from the Minoans

Mycenaean pottery and jewelry were decorated with designs in Minoan style

Kings employed Minoan artisans

Scribes borrowed system of writing from Crete

They took over the Minoans’ sea trade

Fall of another Civilization….

Rival Kingdoms were often at war with one another

An Empire rose during the chaos in Mycenae

The Mycenaean Empire rose to power when a Mycenae ruler brought the Kingdoms together.

The people of this Empire were called Achaeans

The Fall and the Dark Age….The Empire did not prevent

or stop the warfare between the Kingdoms

After the Fall, Greece entered a Dark Age that disrupted trade, farming, and arts

Dorians: illiterate people who moved to Southern Greece

Because the Dorians were illiterate, the art of writing was forgotten during the Dark Age

End of Dark Age and the rise of the Hellenistic Civilization….Some Achaeans were able to preserve

some parts of their old culture and skills

Greeks inherited the culture and skills of their ancestors

This paved way for the great age of Greek Civilization

Hellenic Age (From the name Hellas): Golden Age of Greek Civilization

Hellenic Age….• Most Greeks were farmers who grew wheat,

barley, olive trees, and grapevines• Greek artisans worked in small workshops

with simple hand tools. They produced fine woolen textiles, pottery, metal tools, and weapons

• Greeks also became fishermen and traders because of the excellent harbors in the coastline

Effects of Sea Trade….Many Civilizations influenced

Greece because of the sea explorations of the Greeks

The Greeks adapted the alphabet of Phoenicia for their own language

The Greeks borrowed the coinage system from the Lydians

The Greeks learned and gained the knowledge of Geometry from the Egyptians

Greek Mythology• The Greeks turned to

Religion for an explanation of changes in nature and as a means of gaining good fortune or a rich harvest

• They consulted Oracles, special temples whose priestesses and priests gave vaguely worded hints about the future.

• The famous of these oracles was the one at Delphi

Greek MythologyThe Greeks believed in

many gods who were said to live on Mount Olympus

Greek gods were not viewed as terrifying or all-powerful, however, but thought of the gods as if they were Human Beings

These gods were told and retold in Greek poems and plays

Greek Gods….Zeus – most important

Greek god, God of ThunderHera – wife of Zeus,

goddess of MarriagePoseidon – god of the seaAres – god of warApollo – god of music,

prophecy, medicine, and rational thinking

Athena – goddess of wisdom and handicrafts

Aphrodite – goddess of love and beauty

Demeter – goddess of farmland and grain

Hades – god of the underworld

Greek Festivals….The Greeks built temples to honor

the godsMusicians and poets presented

their best songs, and athletes tried to give their best performances

Olympic Games: most famous athletic games held every four years in Olympia

Olympic Stadium: held 40,000 spectators

The Epics of Homer….Homer: blind poet who

influenced Greek Religion

The Iliad and The Odyssey

Epics take place near the end of the Trojan War

Heroes of Iliad: Achilles and Hector

Hero of Odyssey: Odysseus

Hellenic Culture Spreads….Greeks established colonies

– settlement in other landsThese colonies were

independent of Greece but maintained close ties with the Greek homeland

The settlers carried Greek traditions and ways of living to their new homes, spreading Hellenic culture to the Mediterranean World