Ancient Greece Objective; understand the cultural and political contributions of Ancient Greece

Minoans The Minoans were not Greek, but they were the first to live on the Greek island of Crete. The Minoans were a wealthy society. The earned their wealth through trade. They built ships and traded with Egypt and Syria. The Minoans had a place at Knossos with many rooms; workshops for vases, jewelry and ivory figurines They had a sudden collapse around 1450 BCE- some think tidal wave others believe in a mainland Greek invasion

The Labyrinth of Knossos – the Myth of the Minotaur

The first Greek state Mycenae The Mycenaean came from Asia to invade the Greek mainland. Those leaders became the first Greek kings. Mycenaean kingdoms had a central palace on a hill where the king lived. Other important wealthy people lived just outside of the palace. Slaves and farmers lived on the their land. The kingdom was surrounded by stone walls to protect it from invaders.

Geography of Greece High mountains isolated the Greeks from one another. A number of inlets and bays will provided harbors, this will encourage the to become seafarers and lead the Mediterranean in trade.

After a period in Greece called the Dark Ages, cities began sending people outside of Greece to set up colonies. They went to Italy, Spain, North Africa, and western Asian order to spread Greek culture. The colonies traded grain, metals, fish, timber and slaves with Greece. The growth in trade led to the exchanging goods for money rather than more goods. As industry grew, people became craftsmen based on what products their region supplied.

Becoming a Citizen Greek city-states were known as a polis. The acropolis was the main gathering place. It also served as a religious center where temples and alters were built to honor their many gods and goddesses. Most city-states were small, but Athens had as many as 300,000 people. The polis was run by its citizens. Citizenship meant: you were a member of a political community you were a native born man you owned land Citizens were allowed to: gather in the agora choose leaders and pass laws vote hold office own property

The agora served as a market place and a meeting place.

What was it like to live as a Spartan? Spartans valued their military strength above all else. They invaded neighboring lands and controlled them by force. The fear of their helots rebelling against them also drove their desire for military strength

Spartan boys were taken at age 7 to begin training They went into full military service at 20 and served for 10 years They lived away from home in barracks for their entire service They were expected to win or die in battle but never surrender Spartan girls were trained in sports. They learned to wrestle, run, and throw the javelin. They were trained to be healthy and fit mothers to Spartan children The Spartan government was an oligarchy. 2 kings led the council - 28 citizens over the age of 60 made up the council The council presented laws to the assembly, made up of men over 30 5 men were elected each year to enforce the laws and manage tax collection

Government of the Athenian Empire While Spartans valued military strength, Athenians placed a higher value on education and culture. Their main goal was building a democracy. Athenians believed that the only way to build a strong democracy was to create well informed citizens. Boys were educated. They learned reading, writing, and math They learned to sing and play instruments At 18 years old, they became citizens Girls were not educated. They stayed at home and were taught household duties They had little personal freedom They were expected to have children

Athenian Government Athenian government began as an oligarchy. A rebellion against the nobles by unhappy farmers resulted in a democracy. They wanted a say in government. Cleisthenes 508 BC: He came to power and is credited with turning Athens government into a democracy. He reorganized the assembly, making all males citizens- not just the wealthy All citizens could vote on laws All citizens could debate issues All citizens could hear court cases All citizens could appoint army generals