Thursday, January 7, 2015
• Have your maps out on your desk to be
checked.
• Please get out your planner and something
to write with.
• Make sure to copy your agenda for the day!
Chapter 7: The Ancient Greeks
Lesson 1 – Rise of Greek Civilization
Mountains and Seas
oGreek civilization began in an
area dominated by mountains and
seas.
oThe Greek mainland is on the
southern part of Europe’s
Balkan Penisula.
oA penisula is a body of land
with water on three sides.
oBetween these two lands are the
waters of the Agean Sea.
oThe Greeks came to think of
their communities as small
separate countries.
An Island Civilization
oGreek myths describe
an early civilization
that developed on Crete,
an island southeast of
the Greek mainland.
oTrade was an important
economic activity for
the Minoans.
An Island Civilization
oSometime around 1450
B.C. the Minoan
civilization collapsed.
oHistorians believe
either earthquakes
destroyed the Minoan
cities or people from
the Greek mainland,
known as Mycenaeans,
invaded Crete.
A Mainland Civilization
oAbout 2000 B.C., the
Mycenaeans left their
homeland in central Asia
and moved into mainland
Greece.
Mycenaen Kingdom
oMycenaean palaces were
centers of government.
Traders and Warriors
Minoan traders from Crete
visited the Greek mainland
and the Mycenaeans adopted
features of Minoan Culture.
oBy the mid-1400s B.C., the
Mycenaeans had conquered the
Minoans and controlled the
Aegean Sea.
A Dark Age
oOver time, the
Mycenaean culture
declined due to
fighting and
earthquakes.
oBy 1100 B.C., the
Mycenaean culture
had crumbled.
A Dark Age
oA Greek speaking group known
as the Dorians invaded the
Greek mainland and took control
of most of the region.
oThe next 300 years in Greek
history are known as the Dark
Age.
oDorian warriors introduced
iron weapons and skill of iron
making.
The Hellenes
oBy 750 B.C., many descendents
of the people who ran away
returned to the Greek mainland.
oSmall independent communities
developed under local leaders
who became kings.
oThese people called themselves
Hellenes, or Greeks.
oFarmers grew more food, traded the
surpluses, and developed a writing
system that had 24 letters.
Colonies and Trade
oGreek communities began to send
people outside the Aegean area to
establish colonies due to a
shortage of food.
oMost of the colonies were along
the Mediterranean Sea and the
Black Sea.
oColonies traded with their
"parent" cities causing trade to
increase and adding to a
colony’s wealth.
The Greek City-State
oGreek communities became
fiercely independent and
nobles ruled many citystates.
oEach city-state or polis
was like an independent
country.
What Did a Polis Look Like?
oThe polis was the basic political unit
of Greek civilization.
oAt the center of each polis was a fort
built on a hilltop that had a fort
called an acropolis.
oOutside the acropolis was an open area
called an agora, which was used as a
marketplace.
oCity-states were surrounded by mountains
and sea, they were usually small.
Parthenon
What Did Citizenship Mean to the Greeks?
oWe owe many of our ideas about citizenship
to the ancient Greeks.
oIn Greece, male citizens had the right to
vote, hold public office, own property, and
defend themselves in court.
oCitizens had the responsibility to serve in
government and fight for their polis.
oIn most city-states, only free, land-owning
men born in the polis could be citizens.
oWomen and children might qualify for
citizenship, but they had none of the rights
that went with it.
Citizen Soldiers
In Greece, wars were fought by
wealthy nobles riding horses
and driving chariots.
oBy 700 B.C., citizens called
hoplites made up the armies.
oCitizens put the needs of the
polis above their own, but were
not unified as a whole country
which made Greece easy to
conquer.