1. Early People of the Aegean
World History
Mr. Markos

2. The Minoans
The Minoans were a civilization that arose on the island of Crete from approximately 2700 – 1450 BC
British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans rediscovered the civilization in the early 1900s
The rulers of this trading empire lived at the Palace of Knossos
Around 1400 BC the Minoan civilization vanished

3. The Mycenaean's A Greek civilization from 1600 BC to 1100 BC
The Mycenaeans dominated the Aegean sea trade from 1400 – 1200 BC
Through trade they absorbed Egyptian and Mesopotamian culture, and learned many skills, including the art of writing
The Mycenaeans are best known for their role in the Trojan War

4. The Dorians
The Dorians are best known for their invasion of mainland Greece, which led to the Greek Dark Ages
They were primitive compared to the more modernized Mycenaeans
The Dorians settled many areas of the Aegean and ruled by merging with the indigenous people
They contributed to Greek culture in the arts and politics.

5. The Greek Dark Ages During the Dark Ages Before the Dark Ages
Many different tribes of early people lived on the Greek peninsula.
They did not have a common language
They did not have a common history
They did not have modernized weapons
The Greeks developed a common spoken language, a common history, and the ability to make tools and weapons out of metal
Separate Greek tribes united
The Greek people began to organize themselves into city-states
Dorian rule came to an end

6. The Age of Homer
From 1100 to 800 BC Greek civilization began to regress and people forgot many skills, including the art of writing
We know about life during this period from two great epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by the poet Homer.
Iliad = the chief source of information about the Trojan War
Odyssey = tells the struggles of the Greek hero Odysseus to return home to his faithful wife after the fall of Troy
Both works reveal much about the values of the ancient Greeks