The Trojan War

1. The Trojan War

2. Geographical factors of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean? • Surrounded by water. • Easily accessible for travel and trade. • Could be exposed to other cultures. • Made up of countless islands. • Defined by a series of Mountains. • Many deep bays and natural harbours along the coastline.

3. Political and Social Organization of the Mycenaean civilization • Started out as with a village community organization: King (Wanax) Lawagetous(Army leader) Religious Leaders Landowners/the wealthy Rest of the community.

4. City-states were instigated, bigger towns with a monarchial form of government. • This helped trade and culture. • Two of Greece’s more famous city-states are Athens and Sparta. • Sparta was run like a dictatorship and fought many battles whilst Athens were able to develop a prosperous trade and urban culture. • Many Athenians struggled and fell into the debt. • The Reforms of Solon helped solve some of the issues. • Greece reached democracy in 461 B.C

5. Main features of Persian civilization • Complex network of roads. • Multi-state empire. • Strong Armies. • Developed navy. • First postal system.

6. Greek Values Revealed in Myths • Greeks valued loyalty, glory, intelligence, humility and hospitality. • Many morals originated from Greek mythology. • The Olympic Games had their own set of morals they expected athletes to follow. • The Oracle at Delphi was highly respected and played a big role in political and social affairs of the Greeks.

7. The Minoan Civilization • Discovered by Arthur Evans, and English archeologist. • The Palace of Knossos discovered on Crete revealed their rich culture and empire based on trade. • They were great traders, sailors, craftsmen and had advanced technologies. • Suffered a sudden collapse around 1450 B.C. • Theories include a tidal wave triggered by a volcanic eruption on a northern island and invasion from mainland Greece.

8. The Mycenaean Civilization • Lived on the mainland of Greece and later the island Crete. • Lived from 1600-1100 B.C • Built many fortresses and palaces in hilltops surrounded by a stone walls. • Rest of the population lived outside the walls. • Learned many things from the Minoans and were great farmers and craftspeople. • Strong warriors who liked to battle. • Powerful civilization. • Civilization collapsed in 1100 B.C because of civil wars, earthquakes and invaders.

10. Heinrich Schliemann • German businessman and archeologist. • Excavated Mycenaean sites and discovered the site of Troy. • He strongly believed the ideas perceived in stories like the Iliad and Aeneid reflected real life historical events.

11. What were the Iliad and the Odyssey • Epic Poems both written by Homer. • An epic poem are ling poems that illustrate the deeds of a great hero. • The Iliad takes place during the last year of the siege on Troy. Achilles is the main hero in the poem. • Odyssey is presumed to be the Iliad's sequel. It focuses on the hero Odysseus after the fall of Troy. • They were used to educate and teach important values. • These stories are questionable because they’re not first hand accounts.

12. Greek Mythology Characters relating to the Trojan War • Agamemnon-Son of King Aterus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus. Commanded the Greek forces in the Trojan War. • Menelaus-Brother of Agamemnon and was the only king of Sparta. Also married the most beautiful woman in Greece, Helen of Troy. • Paris-Son of King Priam and Hecuba of Troy. Most famous for his elopement with Helen of Troy which supposedly caused the Trojan war

13. Odysseus-Famous Greek war hero who fought in the Trojan War for 10 years. • Achilles-Great warrior and Greek hero. Came to Troy leading ships of Myrmidons. Withdrew his troops after Agamemnon stole his captive princess but returned to the battle after his friend was murdered. • Hector-Trojan prince and their greatest fighter, he was the heir to his fathers throne. He acts as leader for the Trojans and also kills Patroclus, Achilles best friend for which he is consequently killed for.

14. Greek Mythology • Greek mythology are myths, legends and stories believed by the Greeks. They don’t have archaeological or written evidence of really existing. • Examples of Greek mythology: • Zeus-God of the sky and ruler of Mount Olympus. He was the rain god and wielded the thunderbolt he is known as the protector of the weak and punisher of the wicked. • Other Greek mythical characters include the Cyclopes, Aphrodite, Hades, Atlas, the minotaur and many more. • In reality, these Gods could have just been people who did good deeds. Many of the Myth’s are thought to have some truth to them, but the truth may have been stretched as the stories were being told for many years.

15. The Trojan Horse • Here is an example of a common myth: • The most famous story surrounding the Trojans is the myth of the Trojan horse. The Greeks and Trojans had been fighting, and the Greek warriors burnt their tents and sailed away. But still remaining was a wooden horse, and it was filled with Greek warriors. The Trojans were curious about the horse and pulled it into their territory. The Greek warriors burst out of the horse and attacked during the night.

16. The Dark Age • The Dark Age was when the Mycenaean civilization collapsed sending Greece into a difficult period. • Its referred to as the “Dark Ages” because there is not much written record about this time period. • Occurred from 1100-750 B.C • Greeks dispersed to other islands and Asia minor. • Iron replaced bronze in weaponry and in farming tools. • Two groups of Greeks emerged and settled in different parts at this time, the Aeolian Greeks and the Dorians.

17. The city of Troy • Archeologists have uncovered many artifacts from the city of Troy, and they have learned a lot about it. • Schliemann uncovered many things from the site and he used the Odyssey and Iliad as his guides • Many pots, vases, and gold ornaments were found. • It was discovered that Troy had 9 layers to the city • Troy was supposed to be a large great city, and they are uncovering more and more. • A Citadel has been uncovered, and at first was thought to be the entire city. It is now estimated that Troy covers about 75 acres of land

18. Layers of the City of Troy: It is believed that the city was built again and again on top of itself. It could have been destroyed by a huge war, which could have been the Trojan war.

19. Dardanelles Strait and Bosporus • This was the only passageway from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. • Important for trade and strategy, whatever country in control of this strait could determine many things. • Dardanelles is considered one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. • Troy was located near the western entrance so was an important asset in war.

20. Did the Trojan War Actually Occur?

21. What do Greek myths say about the Trojan War and what really may have happened • Started when Paris married Helen of Troy. • During the first 9 years of the war Troy battled with neighbouring regions so Greece sent defences against Troy but they could not break down the walls. • They built the Trojan Horse, a large, hollow, wooden horse filled with Greek soldiers and used it to trick and then kill all of Troy. • What most likely happened was that there was tension between Troy and other city-states for control of the striates through the Black Sea that could’ve sparked a war.

22. Quiz (complete on loose-leaf) • True or False? The Minoans and Mycenaean's were the earliest known Greeks. • What country was archeologist Heinrich Schliemann from? • Who were the main characters in the Iliad and the Odyssey? • Which Greek mythical character was the prince of Troy? • Who was Zeus? • What replaced bronze during the Dark Age? • What was the main significance of the Dardanelles Strait and Bosporus strait? • Give one piece of information that leads people to believe the Trojan War actually happened. • According to the myth, what started the Trojan War? • How many layers are there in the city of Troy? • Who is Homer? • What myth is commonly thought of when you think of the Trojan war? • Name one of the characters associated with the Trojan war.