Chapter 5 The Greek City-States Between about 3000 BC and 1000 BC, civilizations developed along river valleys in Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. Some of the ideas and achievements from these early civilizations were passed on to the Greeks. In this chapter you will learn about early Greek history, the various forms of government that the ancient Greeks developed, daily life, and major achievements of the Greeks.

Chapter 5 Section 1 & 2 Early Greeks and the Rise of City-States The Story Continues: According to legend, primitive Greeks called Dorians moved into Asia Minor, Crete, and the Peloponnesus about 1100 B.C. Modern historians now believe the Dorians never really existed. They do know, however, that some invaders did arrive at about this time, and that they influenced the development of certain Greek city-states.

I. The Sea and the Land Mainland Greece lies on the Balkan peninsula at the northeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea

I. The Sea and the Land To the east is the Aegean Sea; the Ionian Sea lies to the west

I. The Sea and the Land All of Greece is close to the sea and many Greeks became fishermen, sailors, and traders

I. The Sea and the Land People from Egypt and the Fertile Crescent brought goods and ideas to Greece

I. The Sea and the Land Geography caused the development of separate city-states instead of a unified kingdom

II. Early Greek Peoples About 2000 BC, the Minoans built the first Greek civilization on the island of Crete

A. The Minoans The civilization was named after King Minos, who built his palace in Knossos The throne of King Minos, the earliest surviving throne of the western world

A. The Minoans Palaces and fine homes had running water and palace walls were covered with frescoes Fresco found at the Palace of Knossos, with a representation of the bull-leaping, a kind of contest, probably religious in character, in which both men and women took part Minoan palaces

A. The Minoans Many Minoans became sailors and traded for food because Crete’s soil was poor Fresco from the Minoan Culture on Thera Circa 1700 BCE

A. The Minoans In 1628 BC a volcanic eruption and tsunami destroyed settlements and weakened the Minoan civilization

B. The Mycenaeans Mycenaeans from the mainland controlled Greece from 1600 BC to 1200 BC, and conquered Crete about 1400 BC

B. The Mycenaeans The Mycenaeans grouped themselves into clans led by warriors and tribes headed by chiefs Mycenaean Warrior Krater 12th century BC

B. The Mycenaeans They built fort-like cities in the Peloponnesus and northern Greece and raided the eastern Mediterranean

B. The Mycenaeans By about 1200 BC earthquakes and war had destroyed most of their cities Ruins of the Mycenaean Acropolis

B. The Mycenaeans Their most important contribution to Greek civilization was the adopted Minoan writing called linear B, used to keep records

III. The City-States of Greece From the 800s to 700s BC the independent city-state, or polis, arose in Greece

III. The City-States of Greece A polis included a fort, the city around it, and the surrounding villages that supplied food Modern Athens

III. The City-States of Greece The polis had 3 key aspects: its geographic territory; the community that it represented; and political independence

III. The City-States of Greece The polis represented the center of Greek identity and its inhabitants were intensely loyal

III. The City-States of Greece City-states covered a small area of land, had fewer than 10,000 people, public buildings were built on an acropolis, and had an agora

III. The City-States of Greece Each city-state had its own government, laws, calendar, money, and system of weights and measures Relief showing Democracy placing a wreath on the head of the Athenian "Demos" (body of the citizens).

III. The City-States of Greece All Greeks spoke the same language and shared many religious, cultural, and social characteristics Greek Drama Greek Gods