Classical Greece Notes: Chapter 5
Chapter 5, Section 1 Notes



Greece not a united country
Minoans lived in Crete
Indo-Europeans migrated to mainland Greece
Geography Shapes Greek Life



Mountainous peninsula in the Mediterranean
1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas
Some lands on the western coast of Anatolia
The Sea


Greeks lived around a sea and the seas were important transportation routes for the Greeks
Greece was poor in natural resources, so it needed good connections with other civs to make up
for it
The Land






¾ of Greece was covered in mountains, which divided the land into different regions
It was difficult to unite the Greeks under one government because of these divisions
Instead, they developed small, independent communities
Land transportation difficult
Only a small fraction of the land was arable, so they could never support high population
Basic diet of grains, grapes, olives
The Climate



Varied climate
Moderate temperatures led to people spending a lot of time outdoors
Men met to discuss issues and take part in civic life
Mycenaean Civilization Develops



Indo-Europeans who settled on the Greek mainland around 2,000 BCE were called Mycenaeans
after their leading city Mycenae
Mycenae could withstand any attack because of the terrain and defensive walls
Warrior-king ruled
Culture and Trade



Nobles who lived within the city walls had a life of splendor
Warrior-kings won wealth by controlling local production and commercial trade
Most people were farmers

Warrior kings of Mycenae invaded Crete and absorbed a lot of Minoan culture
o Learned value of seaborne trade from Minoans
o Adopted Minoan system of writing to the Greek language and decorated vases with
Minoan designs
o Minoan legends form the basis of Greek religious practice
o Western civilization has its roots in these early Greek civilizations
The Trojan War



1200 BCE Mycenaen kings wage a 10-year war against Troy, an independent trading city in
Anatolia
The war was probably a struggle for control of a crucuial waterway in the Aegean Sea
Troy was probably the last campaign of the Mycenaeans
Greek Culture Declines Under the Dorians







Myceans collapse not long after the Trojan war
Sea raiders attacked and burned it
Dorians move into this territory
Dorians spoke a dialect of greek and were relatives of the Bronze age Greeks
Dorians less advanced than Mycenaen Greeks
Economy collapsed and trade ceased
1150-750 BCE – no written records
Epics of Homer


Greeks learned about the Trojan war through stories
Homer was the greatest storyteller
o 750-700 BCE he composed epics, narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
o The Illiad and The Odyssey were Homer’s two greatest epics and both were based on
the Trojan war
Greeks Create Myths






Greeks develop a rich set of myths about their gods in order to understand the mysteries of
nature and the power of human passion
Greeks attributed human qualities to their gods, which constantly fought with each other
Gods lived forever
Zeus, the ruler of the gods, lived on Mt. Olympus with his wife, Hera
Athena was the goddess of wisdom and Zeus’ favorite child
Greeks thought Athena was a protector of cities (hence- Athens)