Rise of Greek Civilization

Rise of Greek Civilization

The early Greeks developed important settlements, trade routes, and political ideas in the Mediterranean region.

It Matters Because

How does geography influence the way people live?

​Essential Question

Lesson Introduction

Terms to Know

• peninsula

• bard

• colony

• polis

• agora

• phalanx

​Greece was the first civilization to develop in Europe. People first settled in river valleys that had rich soil. If you flew over Greece today, you would see rugged landscapes and beautiful seas.

​​Mountains

​Greece is a peninsula. This means that it is surrounded by water on three sides. Among the many islands that make up Greece, ancient people traded. Many fished for a living. On the plains between the mountains, farmers raised crops and sheep and goats.

​​Seas

Open Ended

How did seas influence the way many ancient Greeks lived?

Many settled in farming communities, on narrow, fertile plains. In the area's mild climate, farmers grew crops, such as wheat, barley, olives, and grapes.

​​Farming Communities

​Even though may communities were near the sea, some lived far from the coast. These communities were separated by rugged mountains and deep valleys. As a result, many parts of Ancient Greece became fiercely independent.

Inland Communities

Another civilization called Crete developed off the coast of southern Greece. About 1900, a British archaeologist named Arthur Evans found items from this civilization on Knossos.

• The palace has many rooms that stored food.

• Other rooms were workshops where people made jewelry and vases.

• An ancient people called the Minoans built the palace.

​Trade was very important economically for the Minoans. They traded pottery and vases for ivory and metals in Egypt and Syria. Sometime around 1450 B.C., the Minoan civilization ended. Historians hypothesize that people from the mainland, known as Mycenaeans, invaded Crete.

​Island Civilization

Open Ended

How did the civilization of the Minoans develop?

The Mycenaeans lived in Greece from about 2000 B.C. to 1100 B.C in a place called Mycenae.

In this civilization, each king lived in a palace built on a hill. Nobles lived outside the walls on large farms called estates. Enslaved people and other workers lived in villages on the estates. The palaces were centers of government. Workshops were housed there too. People made clothes and jars for wine and olive oil. Other workers made metal swords.

Government officials recorded the wealth of residents. They also collected wheat, livestock, and honey as taxes.

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Mainland Civilization

Mycenaean Kingdom

Multiple Choice

Why were the Mycenaean palaces important palaces?

• They were symbols of wealth and power

• They were places of religious worship

• They were centers of government

• They were built to protect the people

Minoan traders from Crete visited the Greek mainland. This led to the Mycenaeans adopting many features of Minoan culture.

• building ships

• working with bronze

• using the sun and stars to navigate the sea

• worshipping the Earth Mother as chief god

By the mid-1400s B.C., the Mycenaeans had conquered the Minoans and ruled the Aegean Sea. This brought them much new welath that they used to strengthen their military.

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Mainland Civilization

Traders and Warriors

Multiple Select

What two things did the Mycenaeans learn from the Minoans?

• Bronze-working

• Worshipping Zeus

• Building schools

• Use of astronomy

By 750 B.C., many descendants of the people who ran away returned to the Greek mainland. They brought back new ideas, crafts, skills. These people called themselves Hellenes, or Greeks. Greeks traded surplus food with the Egyptians and Phoenicians. As trade increased, a new need for writing developed.

The Hellenes

Internal conflict and earthquakes destroyed the fortresses of Mycenaean palaces and led to the decline of their kingdoms. A group known as the Dorians then invaded the land. For 300 years, trade slowed down, artisans produced less valuables, and most were very poor. Many people fled the land.

A Dark Age

Mainland Civilization

The Greek alphabet had 24 letters that represented different sounds. It greatly simplified reading and writing in the Greek language. Record keeping became easier. Soon, people wrote down tales that had previously been told by bards, or storytellers.

​Alphabet

Written Language

The population increased in Greece when the Dark Age ended and by 700 B.C., farmers could not grow enough food for everyone. As a result, Greek communities started to send people away to form colonies on the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts.

The colonies shipped grains, metals, timber, and enslaved people to "parent" cities in Greece. In return, the cities shipped wine, olive oil, and pottery to the colonies.

Greeks started to make coins from metals to make trading easier. A coin is small and can be traded for many different types of goods. This made it convenient to carry and use. Trade increased and made the colonies wealthier.

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Colonies and Trade

The polis, or city-state, was the basic political unit in early Greece. At the center of each polis was a fort built on a hilltop. This fort was called an acropolis. The open area outside of the acropolis was called the agora. This space was used as a marketplace and people gathered to debate issues, pass laws, and choose officials.

Each polis was governed by its own citizens. The Greeks developed the modern idea of citizenship. Only men born in the polis were considered citizens. As a result, only they could vote, hold public office, and defend themselves in court.

The Greek City-State

Citizens fought to defend their city-state. These citizen soldier were called hoplites. They fought on foot. Each was armed with a round shield, a short sword, and a spear. They would march shoulder to shoulder in battle. This formation was called a phalanx.

The polis gave Greek citizens a sense of belonging. However, strong loyalty to their individual city-states also divided Greece. This lack of unity weakened Greece.

Open Ended

What were the rights and responsibilities of Greek citizens?

Lesson Review

Identifying Complete the sentences below with the correct word.

1. Settlements in a new territory that have close ties to their homeland are called __________.

2. ___________ increased with the development of colonies.

3. Colonies __________ Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean area.

4. Greeks began to make coins from __________.

5. Trade was __________ by the development of coinage.

Lesson Review

Assessing Read each of the following statements and decide whether it is true or false

1. As the Dark Age ended, land-owning nobles overthrew the kings of Greece. T   F

2. Because of the rugged landscape, each city-state was like a small independent country. T   F

3. Mountains and seas brought the Greek city-states together. T   F

4. Citizens of city-states put the needs of the city-states above their own. T   F

5. A citizen’s strong loyalty to his city-state enabled Greeks to unify. T   F

6. The lack of unity among Greek city-states made Greece easier to conquer.