Early Greece
Greek History from the Minoans to
the Trojan War
Geography
Smaller area
Mountains and the
Sea
Isolation along the
Peninsula
Peloponnesus
Minoan Civilization
Bronze Age
civilization
Discovered by
Arthur Evans
Named after King
Minos
Minoan remains
Knossos
Remains revealed a rich
and prosperous culture.
Remains illustrated a
trading society with few
military fortifications.
Made contact with
Greek mainland and
Egypt. Egyptian
influence was heavy.
Height of Minoans
About 2000-1500 BCE
Wrote in an
undeciphered language
called Linear A.
Elaborate frescoes with
bright colors
demonstrating a love
nature.
Taxes paid to the king
in wine and oil
Fall of Minoans
Shrouded in mystery
Earthquake/Tsunami?
War with Mycenae?
Mycenaean Greeks
Name derived from
a fortified site
excavated by
Heinrich
Schliemann.
Center of their
civilization.
Part of IndoEuropean Groups
Mycenae
Fortified walls
Treasury
Society based on
war
Led by Warrior
aristocracy
Warrior Aristocracy
Based on Homeric
writings/stories?
Intercine warfare
Greek Ideal
Mycenaens tradition of War:
*Very evident in their art
*Inward then outward
*Heroic time in Ancient Greece
The Legendary Trojan War:
*One of our most enduring myths
*Combines brains/brawn
*Epitomizes Ancient Greece
How the war began?
*Cornerstone of Greek Mythology
*Oral traditions
The Horse: The Greatest Myth
of Ancient Greece
Trojan Horse
Image of Helen and Paris
Contributions of Homer?
*Illiad
*Odyssey
*artistic representation of Achilles
Players in the Trojan War?
•Achilles
•Hector
•Agamemmnon
•Ajax
•Menaleus
•Zeus
•Tithes
•Paris
•Helen
•Athena
•Aphrodite
•Hera
The Kidnap of Helen:
Departure of Hector:
Mycenaean decline
Unknown at the present
Likely attributed to intercine warfare
Also probable was invasion by “Dorian
Greeks” that wreaked havoc on their
citadels.
Collapsed by 1100 BCE
Greek Dark Ages
Farming and learning collapse
Greeks migrating throughout region
1100-750 B.C.E
Writings of Homer
Trojan War
Historical Homer and its pitfalls.
Iliad and Odyssey
Iliad a narrative on
Achilles and how his
wrath led to disaster.
Odyssey: epic
romance that
recounts the journey
home of Odysseus
after the fall of Troy.
Homer as parable
Does it deal with the heroes of the
Mycenaean Age or the tragic conditions of the
Dark Ages. Homer’s writing speaks of
agricultural woes during a time ruled by
ruthless aristocrats.
Greeks and the “ideal”
“my father was anxious to see me develop
into a good man and as a means he
compelled me to memorize Homer”.