Rise of Greek Civilization The Geography of Greece

Rise of Greek Civilization

The Geography of Greece • Very mountainous • A peninsula: a body of land with water on three sides – Can you think of any other peninsulas?

The Geography of Greece • Many ancient Greeks made a living from the sea – Fishers, sailors, traders • Others relied on farming, although the land was not great for most crops. – They were able to often grow wheat, barley, olives, and grapes. – They also raised sheep and goats.

The Geography of Greece • Geography made it difficult for the Greeks to be united! – Divided by mountains and seas – Most communities and cities were very independent

The Minoans • Lived on the island of Crete, off the mainland of Greece • Palace ruins discovered in 1900 • Minoans were not Greek, but they were the first to live in an area that today is known as Greece

The Minoans • Palace at Knossos – Revealed how advanced the Minoans were – Contained twisting passageways that led to many different rooms: • Private quarters for the royal family • Storerooms packed with oil, wine, and grain • Workshop space for making jewelry, vases, and small ivory statues • It even had bathrooms!

The Minoans • Very wealthy! – Gained their wealth from trade – They controlled the Mediterranean Sea because of their location – They carried goods to foreign ports – Kept the sea free from pirates

The Minoans • They mysteriously disappeared! • No one still knows how the Minoan civilization went extinct, although historians have theories, including: – Undersea earthquakes caused giant tidal waves – Cities were destroyed by Greek on the mainland of Greece called the Mycenaeans

The First Greek Kingdoms • Mycenaeans – First Greeks on the mainland of Greece – Their leaders became the first Greek kings • Mycenaean Kingdoms and Palaces: – Discovered in late 1880 s – A palace on a hill was at the center of every kingdom – Artisans worked in the palaces – Palaces were also used as storehouses and a safe place in times of danger

The First Greek Kingdoms • Power from Trade and War – The Mycenaeans traded with the Minoans – The Mycenaeans learned a lot from the Minoans by trading with them • The way they worked with bronze • How they built ships • How they used the sun and the stars to find their way at sea • Their religious practices and gods

The First Greek Kingdoms • In 1400 BC, the Mycenaeans replaced the Minoans as the major power on the Mediterranean – Could this have anything to do with the disappearance of the Minoans? • Wealthy from trade • Most proud of their success in battle – Most famous battle was the victory in the Trojan War

The First Greek Kingdoms • The Dark Age: – Mycenaeans started to really struggle • Earthquakes • War • Mycenaean civilization collapsed – Trade slowed – Farmers only grew enough for their own families – People stopped teaching others how to write – The Greeks eventually forgot their written language

The First Greek Kingdoms • The Dark Ages brought positive results too – It forced the Greeks to move out to find a way to survive – They spread all over, expanding Greek culture – A group in the northern mainland called the Dorians moved south, bringing iron weapons and stronger, cheaper farm tools

The First Greek Kingdoms • After the Dark Age… – People began to farm in surplus again – Trade revived – A new way of writing came about because of trade with the Phoenicians – The Greeks started writing down their history to pass down to future generations

A Move to Colonize • Because the Greek population grew so quickly, farmers weren’t able to keep up and grow enough food to feed everyone • As a result, cities started sending people outside Greece to start colonies • This furthered the spread of Greek culture • Colonies traded with their “parent cities” on the mainland of Greece • Colony: a settlement in a new territory that keeps close ties to its homeland

The Polis • Many nobles overthrew Greek kings after the Dark Age • They created city-states • Each city-state was known as a polis (like a tiny independent country) • Acropolis: fortified area on top of a hill in each polis; used as a safe place and sometimes as a religious center • Agora: open area below the acropolis; served as a market and as a meeting place (town meetings) • Each polis varied in population—Athens was the largest with nearly 300, 000 people

The Polis • Greek citizenship: – Citizens: members of a political community who treat each other as equals and who have rights and responsibilities – Very different from ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia – Greeks were the first people to develop the idea of citizenship – The idea of citizenship was different then than it is today though

The Polis • Requirements to be a citizen: – – Must be a man Must be free (not a slave) Must be native-born (born in Greece) Must own land • Eventually many city-states dropped the land-owning requirement • Also, women and children began qualifying for citizenship, except they didn’t get any of the rights – Was there even a point? !?

The Polis • Rights of Greek citizens: – They could gather in the agora to choose officials and pass laws – Vote – Hold office – Own property – Defend themselves in court • In turn, citizens had a duty to serve in government and to fight for their polis as citizen soldiers

The Polis • In early Greece, wars were fought by nobles on horses, but citizenship changed everything • City-states began to develop armies of ordinary citizens • Hoplites: ordinary citizens who served in the army • Hoplites fought on foot and went to battle heavily armed • They marched shoulder to shoulder, creating a protective wall, giving few openings for defeat • Hoplites made good soldiers because they genuinely cared about their “hometown” and took pride in fighting for it • Hometown loyalties also divided the Greeks and caused them to distrust one another, furthering the lack of unity that already existed among Greek city-states