Section 1 Mainland of Greece is a peninsula. Greece has many islands. Isolated communities because of difficult travel. Communities spoke the same language but saw themselves as different countries. South-Mediterranean Sea West-Ionian Sea

Cont… East-Aegean Sea Traveling around these seas, they found different sources of food and exchanged ideas with other cultures.

Minoans and Mycenaeans First two cultures in Greece-Minoans and Mycenaeans. Minoans built the first advanced society on the island of Crete. Mycenaeans built towns on the Greece mainland. These two civilizations shaped the culture in Greece.

Minoans Lived on an island so they spent most of their time at sea. Excellent shipbuilders. Traded wood, olive oil and pottery

Mycenaeans Minoans weren’t considered Greek because they didn’t speak Greek. The first people considered Greek were the Mycenaeans because they spoke Greek. While the Minoans were sailing around the Mycenaeans were building fortresses. The largest was called Mycenae.

Greeks Create City-States Greeks created individual city-states. Greek word for city state is polis. Greek city were built around a fortress. The fortress stood on top of the acropolis. The town around the acropolis was surrounded by walls for added protection. Life inside the city was focused on the agora or marketplace.

Cont…. The market served as a meeting place for political and religious assemblies. The market contained shops as well. The city-state became the foundation of Greek civilization. It gave them security and an identity.