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Chapter 5.1 Reading Quiz: Cultures of the
Mountains and the Sea
1. Who was Homer? (Time Period, Location, Key
Achievements)
 According to legend, Homer was a blind
storyteller, who recorded two famous epics, the
Iliad and the Odyssey, sometime between 750
to 700BCE.
 He is credited with the epics which form the
foundation of Ancient Greek civilization, and
Western Civilization
 Gave the Greeks a common heritage
2. List at least 4 characteristics of the
Mycenaeans Indo-Europeans, settled on Greek mainland
around 2000 BCE
 Capital city was Mycenae
 Rule by warrior-king
 Disparity of wealth
 Advanced weaponry
 Trade and commerce important
 Invaded Crete and the Minoans
 Fought in Trojan War against Troy
3. Who were Zeus, Hera, and Athena? (specific
attributes for each)3 of the 12 Greek Gods that were believed to
reside on Mt. Olympus
Zeus: King of the Gods, not faithful to his wife
Hera: Wife of Zeus…gets jealous of Zeus’ other
relationships
Athena: Goddess of wisdom…daughter of Zeus
that emerged from his head…
Chapter 5.1 Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea In ancient times, Greece was not a united
country…collection of separate lands where
Greek-speaking people lived
 By 2000BCE- Minoans lived on the large Greek
island of Crete…Minoans established a trading
culture…Indo-Europeans migrated from the
plains along the Black Sea and Anatolia and
settled in mainland Greece
 Seaborne commercial networks spread ideas as
well as resources throughout the eastern
Mediterranean (cultural diffusion)
I. Geography Shapes Greek Life Ancient Greece consisted of a mountainous
peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean
Sea…1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian
Seas…also lands on western coast of Anatolia
A.
The Sea
 The Greeks lived around a sea…rarely traveled
more than 85 miles to reach a coastline
 Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and Black Sea were
important transportation routes…”liquid
highways”
 Greece was poor in natural resources, so sea
travel and trade were important
 Greece lacked timber, precious metals, and
usable farmland.
B.The Land Rugged mountains covered about ¾ of Ancient
Greece
 Difficult to unite the Greeks under a single
government…small, independent communities
instead…with intense local loyalties
 Uneven terrains also make land transportation
difficult
 Only about 20% of land was arable (suitable for
farming)
 Tiny, but fertile valleys covered about ¼ of
Greece
 Therefore, Greece was never able to support a
large population
o Probably no more than a few million people
in Greece at any one time
 Greeks based their diet on basic staple crops
such as grains, grapes, and olives
 Motivations for Colonization: desire for more
living space, grassland for raising livestock, and
adequate farmland
C. The Climate Climate was the 3rd important environmental
influence on Greek civilization
 General temperature range of 48-80 degrees
Fahrenheit
o Moderate temperature supported an
outdoor life
o Lots of public outdoor events, especially for
men
II. Mycenaean Civilization Develops
 One group of Indo-European migrators were
the Mycenaeans…settled on the Greek
mainland around 2000BCE
o Leading city= Mycenae
 Mycenae was located on a rocky ridge with a
protective wall…highly fortified
 Rule by warrior-king…dominated Greece from
about 1600 to 1200 BCE
A.
Culture and Trade Nobles within the fortresses lived in splendor
 When royal Mycenaeans died, buried with rich
treasures
 Warrior-Kings won their wealth by controlling
local production and commercial trade…also led
armies in search of plunder
 Great disparity between the royals and
everybody else
 Ex: Bronze Age (2000 to 1100BCE)- WarriorKings had bronze weapons and gold
cups…common people had stone and wood
tools and most were farmers, but some
specialization of labor
 Warrior-kings of Mycenae also invaded
Crete…Minoan civilization had flourished for
600 years, and ended abruptly in
1400BCE…Mycenaeans prevented the Minoans
from rebuilding, but also adopted many of their
customs
o Value of seaborne trade
o Adapted the Minoan writing system to the
Greek language
o Decorated vases with Minoan designs
o Also many legends had their basis in
Minoan culture (ex: King Minos and the
Minotaur)
B.The Trojan War
 Around 1200BCE- Mycenaean kings fought a 10
year war against Troy, an independent trading
city in Anatolia
o Legend stated that the war was started
when a Trojan youth had kidnapped Helen,
the beautiful wife of a Greek king…”The
face that launched a thousand ships…”
 Around 1870, German archaeologists, Heinrich
Schliemann, excavated in northwestern Turkey,
and found the remains of 9 layers of city
life…one which could have been during this
time period
 Believe now that the stories of the Trojan War
may have been based on real cities, people, and
events
 The attack on Troy was one of the last
campaigns of the Mycenaeans
III. Greek Culture Declines Under the Dorians Mycenaean civilization collapsed around 1200
BCE…sea raiders attacked and burned palace
after palace
 Dorians moved into the war-torn
countryside…spoke a dialect of Greek, and were
distant relative of the Bronze Age Greeks
 Dorians were far less advanced than the
Mycenaean Greeks…centralized economy
collapsed…trade came to a standstill
 Dorian Age, sometimes referred to as the Dark
Age of Ancient Greece…no written records exist
from the 400 year time period between 1150
and 750BCE…therefore, little is known about
this time period
A.
Epics of Homer
 Lacking writing, knowledge was passed on
through spoken word
 Greatest storyteller, was a blind poet named
Homer…little is known
o Epics of Iliad and Odyssey, attributed to
Homer, were recorded between 750 and
700BCE
o The Trojan War forms the backdrop for
Homer’s 2 great epic poems, the Iliad and
the Odyssey
o Iliad: heroes are warriors: fierce Greek,
Achilles and noble Hector of Troy
o Greek heroic ideal of ARETE: virtue and
excellence…battlefield, combat, or athletic
contests
o Odyssey: adventures of Odysseus…used his
wits and trickery to defeat the Trojans…but
then spends 10 years trying to return home
to his wife, Penelope
B.Greeks Create Myths
 Greeks developed a rich set of myths, or
traditional stories about their gods
 Try to understand the mysteries of nature and
the power of human passions
 Greeks attributed human qualities, such as love,
hate, and jealousy, to their gods
 Gods quarreled and competed with each other
constantly
 Unlike humans, gods lived forever
 Zeus: Ruler of the gods, lived on Mount
Olympus
 Hera: wife of Zeus
 Athena: goddess of wisdom, Zeus’ favorite
child…guardian of cities, especially Athens