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Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea. Mr. Morris World History. Key Terms. Mycenaean Trojan War Dorian Homer Epic Myth. Geography Shapes Greek Life. Mountainous peninsula Bordered by Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas. The Sea.
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Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea Mr. Morris World History
Key Terms • Mycenaean • Trojan War • Dorian • Homer • Epic • Myth
Geography Shapes Greek Life • Mountainous peninsula • Bordered by Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas
The Sea • Most Greeks rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach the sea • Sea was an important transportation route for Greeks • Greeks became skilled sailors, connecting Greece with other societies • Very helpful • Why would this be such a good thing?
The Land • Mountain ranges covered 75% of Ancient Greece • Divided the land into many different regions • Independent communities in valleys and surrounding mountains • Loyalty lie to these small communities
The Land • Land transportation very difficult • Virtually no roads • Took days to complete trips that would be only hours today • Not enough suitable land for growing crops, irrigating, or raising livestock
The Climate • Average temperatures ranged from 48-80 degrees • What would you do if temperatures were like that here? • Greeks spent lots of time outside at public events • Met often at these for many different purposes
Mycenaeans • Settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C. • Named after Mycenae, their main city • Mycenae was fortified with walls over 20 feet thick • Ruled by warrior-kings from 1600-1000 B.C.
Contact with Minoans • After 1500 B.C., the Mycenaeans and the Minoans came into contact with one another • Realized the value of seafaring trade • Mycenaeans began to sail the Mediterranean and trade with many other civilizations • Adopted Minoan writing system • These two cultures were the basis of Greek religion, art, politics, and literature • Western civilization rooted in these civilizations
The Trojan War • Mycenaeans fought against Troy in the 1200s B.C. • Troy – independent trading city • War began after a Trojan prince kidnapped Helen, the wife of a Greek king • This war was thought to be fictional until the 1870s, but an archaeological find supported the story
The Dorians • Around 1200 B.C., the Mycenaean civilization collapsed • Cities attacked and burned by sea raiders • Dorians moved into the area after the war • Far less advanced • Economy collapsed, trade completely stopped • Writing was lost • What does this mean?
Homer • Greatest storyteller of the time • No writing, history had to be spoken • Blind man, composed many poems speaking of heroic deeds such as the Trojan War, which was the basis for The Iliad, one of Homer’s greatest epics
Homer’s The Iliad • The heroes in The Iliad are Achilles the Greek and Hector of Troy • Hector displays arete– honor and excellence – a Greek heroic characteristic that could be displayed in athletics and war
Greeks Create Myths • Greeks had a rich set of myths about their gods • Homer and Hesiod each had epics describing mysteries of nature and human passions • Changing of the seasons • Greeks attributed human qualities to their gods such as love, hate, and jealousy • Zeus lived on Mount Olympus and was the ruler of the gods