Early Years Ancient Greece 2500 B C E

Early Years: Ancient Greece 2500 B. C. E. – 750 B. C. E.

Introduction • Greece is the birthplace of the classical world • Produced great philosophy, politics and sculpture • Origin of democracy • Polis – at the center of Greek life

Geography • Many small mountain ranges • No unifying river system like in Egypt and Mesopotamia • Produced some food, but not enough to feed growing population • Result: Geography encouraged development of trade and the sea became a central part of Greek life

Geography, cont. • Greeks isolated from each other due to mountains • Each city-state independent and established their own values, system of government • Each was attached to their own independence • Each was small- people get to participate in politics • Also led to great rivalry and wars that damaged these great societies

The Peloponnesus

Economy • Majority of Greeks farmed or raised livestock • Products produced: Olives, figs, fish, cheese, grapes and chicken • The Sea influenced the economy and every other aspect of Greek life

The Sea • Long seacoast • Good harbors • Helped Greeks become good sailors and traders • Their dominance of the sea helped the Greeks establish colonies throughout the Mediterranean

Map of Greece

Minoans • 2000 B. C. E. to 1450 B. C. E. • Earliest civilization to emerge in the Aegean region • On the island Crete • Named after Minos, a legendary King of Crete

Minoans: Crete

Minoans, cont. • Great palace at Knossos • This was the seat of all kings • Artifacts reveal a complex and wealthy culture • Probably part of a great trade empire • We know that they had contact with Egyptians • They controlled the seas

Fresco Painting in Palace

Crete: Palace of Knossos

Art from time of King Minos Throne

Minoan Civilization

Minoans Collapse • Collapse suddenly around 1450 B. C. E. • Cause uncertain • Some believe it was a tsunami caused by a volcano on the island • Others believe invasions by the Mycenaeans caused collapse

Mycenaeans: 1600 -1100 B. C. E. • Named after area where they lived, Mycenae • An Indo-European people who came from central Asia into Europe • Entered Greece from the north, gained control, and established a civilization • Peak of civilization: 1400 -1200 B. C. E.

Map of Mycenae

Mycenaeans, cont. • Known for their fortified palace centers, built on hills and surrounded by walls • Royal family lived within the walls, everyone else outside

Mycenaean Politics • Various palace complexes in this region, with Mycenae the strongest • Formed a loose confederation of independent states

Mycenaean Society • Language: linear B ( a form of Greek script) • Social Order: – King – Commanders of the army – Priests – Record keepers/govt. workers – Free citizenry: peasants, soldiers, artisans – Slaves and serfs

Society, cont. • Military-based/warrior people • Pride based on military heroics • Conquered new territory (Crete and other islands) • Did they conquer Troy as told by Homer in the Iliad? • Traded extensively throughout Middle East and North Africa

Decline • New invaders into Mycenae • Burned Mycenae itself, then other states • Enter a new period of instability and uncertainty

Mycenaeans

Dark Age of Ancient Greece: 1100 - 750 B. C. E. • After Mycenaeans collapse, population declines and food production dropped • Farming will not recover until 850 B. C. E. • Bad times saw people leaving mainland Greece and heading to southwest Asia Minor (Ionia) • Another group moved into the Peloponnesus, the Dorians, and also on Crete and Rhodes

Dark Age Migrations

Dark Age, cont. • Due to lack of agriculture, Greeks traded other goods • Iron replaced bronze in making of weapons – now more affordable • Farming tools made of iron helped revive agriculture • Adopted Phoenician alphabet – made writing and reading easier to learn • At end of Dark Age, Homer’s works appear

Homeric Age • Two great epic poems: Iliad and Odyssey • Stories had been passed down from multiple generations, and recorded by Homer • Iliad: The Mycenaens, under Agamemmon attack and sack city of Troy for revenge for the kidnapping of Helen (Queen of Sparta) by Paris (prince of Troy) • Book teaches values of heroism and honor and that a man’s character is more important than his accomplishments

Odyssey • This is the story of the journey of Odysseus from Troy back to his home and wife • Moral lesson: morality is tested constantly, and virtue is always better than giving into temptation

Homer’s Importance • Greeks accepted these poems as recorded facts • Values and stories became marks Greeks measured themselves against • Greeks valued strength, honor, virtue, excellence – yet these were aristocratic values (wealthy) • Homer provided a model of heroism that Greeks sought to emulate

The Polis • After the age of Homer, came the Archaic (ancient times) Age of Greece • This time period is marked by the development of the Greek polis as well as Greek colonization of the Mediterranean and Black Sea The polis was the center of Greek life • It consisted of a city and the land that surrounded it (think suburb)

Polis, cont. • The city was the center for politics, trade, religion, and social events • Each polis had different values (military, education, arts) and were distinct – influenced by geography

Social Order in the Polis 1. Adult males – had political rights 2. Women and children- no political rights 3. Noncitizens – slaves and resident aliens (from a different polis) • There was great loyalty to the polis, but great distrust towards other poleis • Cause hostility and warfare

Summary • The geography of Greece influenced the development of its economy, political and social structure as well as its history • The formation of independent citystates, called poleis, led to innovation, creativity and advanced cultures, yet also to conflict and warfare that would bring ancient Greece to its ruin