Objective: To identify the location of the Minoans
Explain 5 facts about their culture based on our
Identified civilization themes. (1 per theme)
To complete the missing notes
Minoan civilization started around 2800 B.C.E.
on the island of ____in the Mediterranean
Sea.
They used their metalworking and
______skills to build ships. They
made their ships slimmer and faster.
The Minoans placed a large
wooden beam in the ___(front
of the ship) to sink enemy ships.
Crete was the world’s first _____nation – trading pottery, leather and
bronze armor, and metal jewelry.
The Minoans had bronze skin and
long dark hair. Men wore ______
and women wore full skirts. Both
wore jewelry.
The people of Crete loved sports.
Events were held in an open air _____.
Boxing and ____ _____were
held there.
Many experts believe bull leaping was a
_______ ceremony as well as a sport.
At the heart of each Minoan city stood a _____
rather than a temple. The Minoan cities did not
have walls around; they depended on the sea
and navy to protect them.
The palace at _____served as a
government building, temple, factory and
warehouse. The inside walls were
decorated with brightly colored_______.
Passageways and rooms formed a
labyrinth giving the palace the name –
“________________.”
Minoan houses were two stories high and
could be entered only by lowering a ladder
over the side of the roof. The windows were
made of oiled and tinted________.
The rulers of Crete were________.
They made the laws and represented the
gods on earth.
The Minoans had many gods. The main god
was the__________, _________.
Minoans built shrines in palaces, houses,
hilltops and caves to worship.
The Minoans believed the___, ______
and _____ were sacred.
Around 1400 B.C.E. control of the sea
passed from the Minoans to the
_____________
Legend explains the fall of the Minoans with the story of ___________
Minotaur.
Questions to Investigate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Where did Minoans live?
Who helped Theseus kill the Minotaur?
How did the Minoans show confidence in their navy?
What was the Palace of Knossus known as?
Give an example of Minoan engineering?
How do we know about the Minoan way of life?
What was linear A?]
What clothing accessory was worn by both men and women?
What animal did they worship?
Ancient Greece:
THES:\Team
Folders\Humanities\Video Clips for
greece\Video
Clips\Ancient_Crete__The_Minoans.
Objective: To identify the location of the Mycenaens
Explain 5 facts about their culture based on our
Identified cultural themes. To complete the missing notes.
The Mycenaeans came from the
grasslands of southern Russia and
settled in the lowlands of Greece. The
Mycenaean kings built ____________on
hilltops. The chief feature of the palace
was the _________.
Land was divided into estates that
were farmed either by enslaved
people or by _______. The
Mycenaeans relied on hunting to
get more meat.
Minoan traders visited Greece. The
Mycenaeans began to ______ many
Minoan customs. Most important of all,
they learned how to build ships and how
to navigate.
The Mycenaens began to grow ______,
and the sale of olive oil made them rich.
They found trading stations and
settlements on nearby islands.
Despite their success in trade, the
Mycenaeans were warriors at heart. By
about ________, they had replaced the
Minoans as the chief power of the
Aegean world.
Questions to investigate:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Who was the legendary founder of Mycenae?
What figures were carved atop the gate of the city walls?
Who was the most famous Mycenaean king?
What is the most famous book written about ancient Greece?
Mycenae
The Mycenaeans are famous for their
attack on Troy, a major trading city in
Asia Minor. About 500 years after the
Mycenaeans attacked Troy, a blind
Greek poet named Homer composed
the Iliad, a long poem about the event.
Homer also composed a poem called
the Odyssey, which tells about the
wanderings of Odysseus, a Mycenaean
hero of the Trojan War.
After 10 years of fighting, Odysseus
had the soldiers build a huge, hollow
wooden horse. The best soldiers hid
inside. The Trojans tied ropes to the
wooden horse and pulled it into the city
as a victory prize. At night, the hidden
Mycenaeans killed the king of Troy and
burned the city.
Legend vs Myth
1. What is a myth? Legend?
2. Why were they used?
The Mycenaeans did not return to
peaceful ways after crushing Troy. A
series of civil wars, or wars between
opposing groups of citizens, broke out. A
people called Dorians entered Greece
and conquered the Mycenaeans.
As a result of the civil wars and the
Dorian invasion, the Aegean world
entered a “Dark Age,” which lasted
until about 800 B.C. The people of
the Aegean region forgot how to write
and keep records.
The Aegean world was cut off from the Middle East, and the people had to
create a new civilization on their own with herding and farming as the main
ways of life.
Critical Thinking Questions
What effect did being an island civilization have on the
Minoans?
How well did the Minoans use their natural resources?
Explain your answer.
In what ways would the Mycenaean civilization have
been different if the people had not learned to build
and sail ships?
Imagine you are an archaeologist who has dug up
artifacts you believe are Mycenaean. Describe two
artifacts you have found and what each was used for.
What human actions and geographic factors made it
possible for the “Dark Age” of the Aegean world to last
for 300 years?