Thursday, January 7, 2015 Have your maps out on your desk to be checked. Please get out your planner and something to write with. Make sure to copy your agenda for the day!

Chapter 7: The Ancient Greeks Lesson 1 – Rise of Greek Civilization

Mountains and Seas o Greek civilization began in an area dominated by mountains and seas. o The Greek mainland is on the southern part of Europe’s Balkan Penisula. o A penisula is a body of land with water on three sides. o Between these two lands are the waters of the Agean Sea. o The Greeks came to think of their communities as small separate countries.

An Island Civilization o Greek myths describe an early civilization that developed on Crete, an island southeast of the Greek mainland. o Trade was an important economic activity for the Minoans.

An Island Civilization o Sometime around 1450 B.C. the Minoan civilization collapsed. o Historians believe either earthquakes destroyed the Minoan cities or people from the Greek mainland, known as Mycenaeans, invaded Crete.

A Mainland Civilization o About 2000 B.C., the Mycenaeans left their homeland in central Asia and moved into mainland Greece. Mycenaen Kingdom o Mycenaean palaces were centers of government.

Traders and Warriors Minoan traders from Crete visited the Greek mainland and the Mycenaeans adopted features of Minoan Culture. o By the mid-1400s B.C., the Mycenaeans had conquered the Minoans and controlled the Aegean Sea.

A Dark Age o Over time, the Mycenaean culture declined due to fighting and earthquakes. o By 1100 B.C., the Mycenaean culture had crumbled.

A Dark Age o A Greek speaking group known as the Dorians invaded the Greek mainland and took control of most of the region. o The next 300 years in Greek history are known as the Dark Age. o Dorian warriors introduced iron weapons and skill of iron making.

The Hellenes o By 750 B.C., many descendents of the people who ran away returned to the Greek mainland. o Small independent communities developed under local leaders who became kings. o These people called themselves Hellenes, or Greeks. o Farmers grew more food, traded the surpluses, and developed a writing system that had 24 letters.

Colonies and Trade o Greek communities began to send people outside the Aegean area to establish colonies due to a shortage of food. o Most of the colonies were along the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. o Colonies traded with their "parent" cities causing trade to increase and adding to a colony’s wealth.

The Greek City-State o Greek communities became fiercely independent and nobles ruled many city-states. o Each city-state or polis was like an independent country.

What Did a Polis Look Like? o The polis was the basic political unit of Greek civilization. o At the center of each polis was a fort built on a hilltop that had a fort called an acropolis. o Outside the acropolis was an open area called an agora, which was used as a marketplace. o City-states were surrounded by mountains and sea, they were usually small.

Parthenon

What Did Citizenship Mean to the Greeks? o In most city-states, only free, land-owning men born in the polis could be citizens. o Women and children might qualify for citizenship, but they had none of the rights that went with it. o We owe many of our ideas about citizenship to the ancient Greeks. o In Greece, male citizens had the right to vote, hold public office, own property, and defend themselves in court. o Citizens had the responsibility to serve in government and fight for their polis.

Citizen Soldiers In Greece, wars were fought by wealthy nobles riding horses and driving chariots. o By 700 B.C., citizens called hoplites made up the armies. o Citizens put the needs of the polis above their own, but were not unified as a whole country which made Greece easy to conquer.