Early Greece

Early Greece

Mysterious

Minoans

You step forward and grasp the horns of the huge panting bull. Its head twitches; your muscles

tighten in anticipation. Blocking out the cheers of the crowd, you spring over the bull’s back and land behind the enormous animal. In ancient Crete such deadly games as bull- leaping are your way of worship.

Mysterious

Minoans

• Historians trace the origins of Greek civilization to Crete, a mountainous island about 150 miles off the coast of mainland Greece. 

• The Minoans grew wealthy through trade across the Mediterranean.

Multiple Choice

What were some of the traits of the earliest civilization in ancient Greece?

• city-states

• great palaces

• engaged in agriculture and extensive trade

• practiced religion

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

What does the great palace at Knossos reveal about the Minoan civilization?

• highly skilled and wealthy civilization

• A lucky and lazy civilization

Mycenaean

Civilization

• After copying Minoan culture, the Mycenaeans conquered the Minoan people.

• Around 2000 b.c., a new group of people from farther east settled in mainland Greece

• at the height of its power the Mycenaean civilization came to a violent end. Suddenly most Mycenaean cities and towns were mysteriously destroyed.

Multiple Choice

How did the Mycenaeans become so powerful?

• grew wealthy through trade and wars.

• They were first to develop cars.

The Age

of Heroes

• The ancient Greeks created a strong storytelling tradition.

• The ancient Greeks believed in many

  gods, goddesses, monsters, and heroes.

• The setting for Homer’s epic poems was the Trojan War, which historians believe was fought between the Greeks and Troy.

Multiple Choice

What is the setting for Homer’s epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey?

• the Egyptian tombs.

• the Trojan War.

City- States

• Ancient Greek city-states established different ways of governing as they gained power.

• As population, trade, and wealth grew, the ancient Greeks began to build cities near coastlines for trade and on hilltops for defense.

• a city-state is an independent political unit in which a dominant city rules the surrounding

  area.

City- States

• Each city-state established its own way of governing its citizens.

• One form of governing was a monarchy , a government ruled by a single person, such as a king.

• Another form was an aristocracy , a government ruled by a small group of elite, landowning families.

• In order to take power from tyrants, merchants formed an oligarchy , or a government ruled by a few powerful citizens.

Multiple Choice

How were ancient Greek city- states alike and different?

• Alike because they shared the way each governed, and different because they had different languages, religion, and culture.

• Alike because they shared a common language, religion, and culture, and different because of the way each governed.

Colonization and Trade

• Ancient Greeks spread their culture around the Mediterranean and black seas.

• Growing city-states meant growing populations and new problems.

• Colonies served many purposes for the ancient Greeks.

Open Ended

Why did the ancient Greeks establish colonies in the Mediterranean region?