Geography of Ancient Greece Like many other areas, the history of ancient Greece was heavily influenced by the ____________ of the region.

Where in the World is Greece?

Eastern Hemisphere

Mediterranean

Greece

Map of Greece

Geography of Greece  Mainland Greece is a peninsula.  A peninsula is __________________ ______________________________  The southern part of the Greek peninsula is Peloponnesus. It is connected to mainland Greece by the Corinth Isthmus.  An isthmus is strip of land that connects two larger pieces of land. ______________________________ _____

Isthmus of Corinth

Geography  Surrounding the mainland are thousands of Greek islands.  An island is _____________________.  The mountains and seas around Greece made the early Greek communities very independent.  The largest Greek island is __________.

What can you tell me about the climate of Greece?

History of Greece Where did the ancient Greeks come from? The roots of ancient Greece lay with two earlier societies. The Minoans (2100 B.C.E) and Mycenaeans (1200 B.C.E).

Minoans Minoans (named by archeologists after King Minos) Minoan civilization developed on the Island of Crete, in the Aegean Sea. The Aegean Sea is between Greece and Turkey. The Island of Crete is on the south end of the Aegean Sea.

Minoan civilization flourished from about 2100 BC to about 1450 BC. Minoans built the Palace at Knossos. The palace was the seat of power, but it also served as the center of trade, housed work shops, government offices and courts houses. How is a palace different from a temple?

From the palace at Knossos, we know that the Minoans made their wealth from trading and may have been the first civilization to control the seas. Which seas?

The Minoans were also great artists. What is this a picture of, above?

The legend of the Minotaur came from the Minoan civilization. Half Man and Half Bull. He lived in the Labyrinth (literally means ‘Double Axe”) under the palace at Knossos. He ate humans who were sacrificed by King Minos. (This was just powerplay between the powerful Crete people and Athens) osearch.com/media/a ction/yt/watch?videoI d=n4FZDbu5- ao&name=Clash+of+ the+Gods%3A+Minot aur&uploadUsername =gt68100&hitCount= 30866

Where did the Minoans go?  Around 1450 BC, the Minoan civilization collapsed. Why?  No one really knows.  Possible theories are: 1. Tidal waves 2. Invaders called the Mycenaeans

Mycenaeans  The Mycenaean lived on the Greek mainland. Many people believe the Mycenaean were people originally from central Asia that had taken over the mainland.  They came to Greece around 1900 BC.

Mycenaean Cities  Mycenaean palaces were the center of the community. Estates, farms and markets spread out from the palace.  The people tanned leather, sewed clothes and made jars for olive oil and wine.  Taxes were collected in the form of wheat, livestock and honey which was all then stored in the palace.

Trade  Soon after the Mycenaean set up their capitals they were visited by Minoan traders.  The Mycenaean people learned much from the Minoans from their travels to trade. They copied bronze work and ways to build ships. They learned how to use the stars to navigate boats at night and copied the Minoan religion of worshipping Mother Earth.

Trade Around 1450 BC, they replaced the Minoans as the powerful group in this area. They traded widely, sailing to Egypt, Italy, and many believe they conquered Crete and surrounding islands. They became powerful traders, but they were most proud of their deeds in battle.

Reasons for the decline of the Mycenaean? The Mycenaean lost their power because: 1. Earthquakes destroyed their cities (primarily) 2. Fighting with groups like the Dorian destroyed their armies and forts Move on to page 120.