GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS OF THE AEGEAN
AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN?
Surrounded by water.
Easily accessible for travel and trade.
Could be exposed to other cultures.
 Made up of countless islands.
Defined by a series of Mountains.
Many deep bays and natural harbours
along the coastline .
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF
THE MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION
 Started out as with a village community organization:
King (Wanax)
Lawagetous(Army
leader)
Religious Leaders
Landowners/the
wealthy
Rest of the
community.
 City-states were instigated, bigger towns with a
monarchial form of government.
 This helped trade and culture.
 Two of Greece’s more famous city -states are Athens
and Sparta.
 Sparta was run like a dictatorship and fought many
battles whilst Athens were able to develop a
prosperous trade and urban culture.
 Many Athenians struggled and fell into the debt.
 The Reforms of Solon helped solve some of the
issues.
 Greece reached democracy in 461 B.C
MAIN FEATURES OF PERSIAN CIVILIZATION
Complex network of roads.
Multi-state empire.
Strong Armies.
Developed navy.
First postal system.
GREEK VALUES REVEALED IN MY THS
Greeks valued loyalty, glory, intelligence,
humility and hospitality.
Many morals originated from Greek
mythology.
The Olympic Games had their own set of
morals they expected athletes to follow.
The Oracle at Delphi was highly
respected and played a big role in
political and social affairs of the Greeks.
THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
 Discovered by Arthur Evans, and English
archeologist.
 The Palace of Knossos discovered on Crete
revealed their rich culture and empire based on
trade.
 They were great traders, sailors, craftsmen and
had advanced technologies.
 Suffered a sudden collapse around 1450 B.C.
 Theories include a tidal wave triggered by a
volcanic eruption on a northern island and
invasion from mainland Greece.
THE MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION
 Lived on the mainland of Greece and later the
island Crete.
 Lived from 1600-1100 B.C
 Built many fortresses and palaces in hilltops
surrounded by a stone walls.
 Rest of the population lived outside the walls.
 Learned many things from the Minoans and were
great farmers and craftspeople.
 Strong warriors who liked to battle.
 Powerful civilization.
 Civilization collapsed in 1100 B.C because of civil
wars, earthquakes and invaders.
HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN
German businessman and archeologist.
Excavated Mycenaean sites and discovered
the site of Troy.
He strongly believed the ideas perceived in
stories like the Iliad and Aeneid reflected real
life historical events.
WHAT WERE THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY
 Epic Poems both written by Homer.
 An epic poem are ling poems that illustrate the deeds of a
great hero.
 The Iliad takes place during the last year of the siege on Troy.
Achilles is the main hero in the poem.
 Odyssey is presumed to be the Iliad's sequel. It focuses on the
hero Odysseus after the fall of Troy.
 They were used to educate and teach important values.
 These stories are questionable because they’re not first hand
accounts.
GREEK MY THOLOGY CHARACTERS RELATING
TO THE TROJAN WAR
 Agamemnon-Son of King Aterus and Queen Aerope of
Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus. Commanded the Greek
forces in the Trojan War.
 Menelaus-Brother of Agamemnon and was the only king of
Sparta. Also married the most beautiful woman in Greece,
Helen of Troy.
 Paris-Son of King Priam and Hecuba of Troy. Most famous for
his elopement with Helen of Troy which supposedly caused the
Trojan war
 Odysseus-Famous Greek war hero who
fought in the Trojan War for 10 years.
 Achilles-Great warrior and Greek hero.
Came to Troy leading ships of
Myrmidons. Withdrew his troops after
Agamemnon stole his captive princess
but returned to the battle after his
friend was murdered.
 Hector-Trojan prince and their greatest
fighter, he was the heir to his fathers
throne. He acts as leader for the Trojans
and also kills Patroclus, Achilles best
friend for which he is consequently
killed for.
GREEK MY THOLOGY
 Greek mythology are myths, legends and stories believed by
the Greeks. They don’t have archaeological or written
evidence of really existing.
 Examples of Greek mythology:
 Zeus-God of the sky and ruler of Mount Olympus. He was the
rain god and wielded the thunderbolt he is known as the
protector of the weak and punisher of the wicked.
 Other Greek mythical characters include the Cyclopes,
Aphrodite, Hades, Atlas, the minotaur and many more.
 In reality, these Gods could have just been people who did
good deeds. Many of the Myth’s are thought to have some
truth to them, but the truth may have been stretched as the
stories were being told for many years.
THE TROJAN HORSE
 Here is an example of a common myth:
 The most famous story surrounding the Trojans is the myth of
the Trojan horse. The Greeks and Trojans had been fighting,
and the Greek warriors burnt their tents and sailed away. But
still remaining was a wooden horse, and it was filled with
Greek warriors. The Trojans were curious about the horse and
pulled it into their territory. The Greek warriors burst out of
the horse and attacked during the night.
THE DARK AGE
 The Dark Age was when the Mycenaean civilization
collapsed sending Greece into a difficult period.
 Its referred to as the “Dark Ages” because there is
not much written record about this time period.
 Occurred from 1100-750 B.C
 Greeks dispersed to other islands and Asia minor.
 Iron replaced bronze in weaponry and in farming
tools.
 Two groups of Greeks emerged and settled in
different parts at this time, the Aeolian Greeks and
the Dorians.
THE CIT Y OF TROY
 Archeologists have uncovered many artifacts from the city of
Troy, and they have learned a lot about it.
 Schliemann uncovered many things from the site and he used
the Odyssey and Iliad as his guides
 Many pots, vases, and gold ornaments were found.
 It was discovered that Troy had 9 layers to the city
 Troy was supposed to be a large great city, and they are
uncovering more and more.
 A Citadel has been uncovered, and at first was thought to be
the entire city. It is now estimated that Troy covers about 75
acres of land
Layers of the City
of Troy:
It is believed that
the city was built
again and again
on top of itself. It
could have been
destroyed by a
huge war, which
could have been
the Trojan war.
DARDANELLES STRAIT AND BOSPORUS
 This was the only passageway from the Mediterranean to the
Black Sea.
 Important for trade and strategy, whatever country in control
of this strait could determine many things.
 Dardanelles is considered one of the most dangerous
waterways in the world.
 Troy was located near the western entrance so was an
important asset in war.
DID THE TROJAN WAR ACTUALLY OCCUR?
Why it could be true:
Why it could be untrue:








There were excavations at the city of Troy, and there
is definite damage there that could have been a
result of war.
27 centuries ago, Greek people believed that their
ancestors took part in the Trojan War, and many
generations after that believed it as well.
There were some objects found in Troy that are
known to have been traded with the Mycenaean’s.
Archaeologists have found that there are many
destruction levels at Troy.
Troy appears to have been destroyed around
1180BCE, and this was most likely due to the fact
there was a war that the city lost.
Troy was most likely important to control because it
had some authority over the access from the
Mediterranean to the Black Sea and from Asia Minor
to Southeast Europe.
When Homer wrote the stories about the Trojan
War, it is possible the Citadel and the lower city
could have existed, leading to the setting of Homer’s
tales.


Much of the information comes from
The Iliad, a story written by Homer many
years after the war would have
happened.
There are many different myths about
the motivating incident that led to the
Trojan War. Myth’s like the one we
presented earlier. None of these are
proven to be true.
In stories Troy was known as an
insignificant town by many and would
not have been worth fighting for.
WHAT DO GREEK MY THS SAY ABOUT THE
TROJAN WAR AND WHAT REALLY MAY HAVE
HAPPENED
 Started when Paris married Helen of Troy.
 During the first 9 years of the war Troy battled with
neighbouring regions so Greece sent defences
against Troy but they could not break down the walls.
 They built the Trojan Horse, a large, hollow, wooden
horse filled with Greek soldiers and used it to trick
and then kill all of Troy.
 What most likely happened was that there was
tension between Troy and other city -states for control
of the striates through the Black Sea that could’ve
sparked a war.
QUIZ (COMPLETE ON LOOSE-LEAF)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
True or False? The Minoans and Mycenaean's were the earliest known
Greeks.
What countr y was archeologist Heinrich Schliemann from?
Who were the main characters in the Iliad and the Odyssey?
Which Greek mythical character was the prince of Troy?
Who was Zeus?
What replaced bronze during the Dark A ge?
What was the main significance of the Dardanelles Strait and
Bosporus strait?
Give one piece of information that leads people to believe the Trojan
War actually happened.
According to the myth, what star ted the Trojan War?
How many layers are there in the city of Troy?
Who is Homer?
What myth is commonly thought of when you think of the Trojan war?
Name one of the characters associated with the Trojan war.