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
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