Geography of Greece

• Peninsula• Hundreds of islands• Fishermen, sailors,

traders• Farming: wheat,

barley, olives, grapes• Mountains• Raised sheep and

goats

Minoans

• First civilization in Greece on island of Crete

• Wealthy from trade• Shipbuilders• 1450 BC civilization

collapsed from undersea earthquakes or invaders

Mycenaeans

• Lived in Greece around 1900 BC

• Leaders- the first Greek kings

• Center of kingdom was palace on hill

• Farms/estates lay beyond palace

What Mycenaeans Learned from Minoans

• Learned from trading

• shipbuilding and bronze works

• how to use sun and stars to guide ships

• Copied religion

Dark Ages

• 1100-750 B.C.• Mycenaeans destroyed

by earthquakes and fighting

• Trade slowed/poverty • Forgot written language

and how to make things• Many Greeks left

mainland for islands• Dorians moved south and

brought iron weapons• Iron-stronger and

cheaper than bronze

End of Dark Ages

• Began to farm and produce surplus food

• New way of writing learned from Phoenicians

• 24 letters that stood for different sounds

Colonies

• 750-550 B.C.

• Greeks set up colonies in Italy, France, Spain, North Africa, and western Asia

• Spread Greek culture

• Colonies were used for trade

Polis

• Polis-Greek city-state• Ran like a tiny country• Main gathering place

was hill• Acropolis-fortified area on

the hill, also had temples and altars

• Agora-open area used as a market and meeting place for debates

Greek citizenship

• Citizens-free native born men who owned land

• Could gather in agora, choose officials, pass laws

• vote, hold office, own property

• Had duty to serve in gov’t and be soldiers

Citizens as soldiers

• Army made of citizens called hoplites

• Fought on foot• Carried shield, short

sword, and 9 ft spear• Marched in rows

shoulder to shoulder• Used shields to form

a protective wall