Review

How did geography affect the development of independent Greek

city-states?• Mountains – separated city states• Greece has over 2000 islands - separated

city states

Who were the Minoans?

• Earliest Greek civilization• Flower children of ancient Greece

Who are the Mycenaeans?

• Early Greeks who lived on mainland Greece

• A war-like people

Who was Arthur Evans and what did he discover?

• A British archeologist• A giant palace in Crete at Knosses

– 800 interconnecting rooms– Flush toilets– Running water

Who was Homer?

• Greek author• Wrote epic poems

– Iliad– Odyssey

What is an epic?

• A long poem that tells the story of a hero (Achilles in The Iliad)

Greek Legends

What is a legend?

• Stories relating to a people’s past.• Often telling of a great hero or historical

event.• Maybe partly fact or all fiction.

How are the Minoans and legends related?

• Two famous legends came to us from the Minoans.

• They are the legend of the Minotaur and the legend of Atlantis

Assignment

• Read “Perspectives on the Past” on page 135 and summarize the story of the minotaur in five sentences.

• King Minos angered the gods by not sacrificing a bull. As a punishment, his wife gave birth to a creature that was half human and half bull. The Minotaur ate humans and was kept in a maze.

• The eldest son of King Minos went to Athens where he was murdered. As a punishment, Athens had to send 7 men and women to Crete every year to be eaten by the Minotaur.

• Theseus, an Athenian, decided he would go to Crete and kill the Minotaur. Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, fell in love with Theseus and helped him.

• Theseus killed the Minotaur and pleased Minos so much that he freed the Athenians and let Ariadne and Theseus marry.