Classical Greece

1. Classical Greece 2000 BC – 300 BC Ch 5

2. Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea

3. Ancient Greece consisted mainly of a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea It also included about 2,000 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas Geography Shapes Greek Life

5. The Sea • The sea shaped Greek civilization just as the rivers shaped ancient civilizations such as Egypt • Greeks rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach a sea • Linked Greece to itself and other cultures • The sea was important to Greece for transportation and trade because they lacked natural resources such as lumber, precious metals, and farmland

6. The Land • Rugged mountains cover about ¾ of ancient Greece • Important because the mountains divide the land into a number of regions • The mountains of Greece prevented them from forming one single government, instead many independent communities arose

7. The Land • Much of the land itself was stony and not arable, suitable for farming • Small streams throughout Greece were not suitable for irrigation or travel • Because Greece did not have much arable land it was never able to support a large population

8. Physical Map

9. The Climate • Varied climate • 48 in the winter 80 in the summer • Supported an active outdoor life for many Greeks

21. Mycenaean Civilization • Mycenaeans- Indo-European people who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 BC • Named after their leading city Mycenae • Ruled by warrior-kings that dominated Greece from 1600-1100 BC

23. Mycenae

31. Contact with Minoans • Either through war or trade the Mycenaeans came into contact with the Minoans- seafaring people who lived on the island of Crete • Dominated trade in the Mediterranean from 2000-1400 BC • Peaceful people who enjoyed sports, nature

32. King Minos- king of the Minoans who owned the minotaur King Minos

33. Minotaur

34. Minoan Influence • Importance of seaborne trade • Adapted Minoan writing system to the Greek language • Minoan art • Minoan influenced Mycenae formed the core of Greek religion, art, politics, and literature • Greek culture is the root of Western civilization

35. Trojan War • Trojan War- 10 year war between the Mycenaens and the independent trading city of Troy • Thought to be fictional until the 1870s

37. Greek Culture Declines • After the Trojan War, Mycenaean civilization collapsed and the Dorians moved into Greece • Not as advanced as the Mycenaeans • Little is known about Greece during their rule from 1150-750 BC because the art of writing was lost • Known as the Dark Ages of Greece because writing was lost

38. Homer- storyteller who composed epics between 750 and 700 BC Epics- narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds Iliad and Odyssey Epics of Homer

39. Greek Myths • The Greeks composed many myths- traditional stories, about their gods • Sought to explain the mysteries of nature and the power of human passions

40. Zeus- ruler of the gods Zeus

41. Hera- Zeus’s wife Hera

42. Athena- Zeus’s daughter, goddess of wisdom Guardian of cities Athena

43. Aphrodite- goddess of love, beauty Aphrodite

44. Apollo- god of music, light, and health Apollo

45. Ares- god of war Ares

46. Hades- god of the underworld Hades

47. Dionysus- god of wine, parties, and madness Dionysus

48. Warring City-States Sec 2

49. Rule and Order in City-States • The city-state, or polis, was the fundamental political unit in ancient Greece • Made up of the city and the surrounding countryside • Usually 50-500 square miles • Often home to fewer than 10,000 residents

50. Political Structures • Many different forms of government • Monarchy- rule by one person, king • Aristocracy- rule by a small group of the noble, landowning families • Oligarchy- rule by a few powerful people • Tyrants- individuals who seized control of the government by appealing to the common people • Not necessarily cruel or harsh