Geography and The Early Greeks

1. Geography and The Early Greeks Section 1, Chapter 9

2. Geography Shapes Greek Civilization • Greece is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides • Many islands • Very mountainous

3. Peninsulas of Greece Attica Peloponnesus

5. Mountains and Settlements Communities were isolated from one another due to mountains Though they spoke the same language, Greek communities saw themselves as separate countries

6. Seas and Ships Mediterranean to the south Ionian to the west Aegean to the east As a result, the Greeks became expert shipbuilders

7. Ionian Sea Aegean Sea Mediterranean Sea

8. Trading Cultures Develop By 2000 BC the Minoans were established on Crete Later, the Mycenaeans built towns on the Greek mainland They influenced the entire Aegean region

10. The Minoans They were great shipbuilders They traded wood, olive oil and pottery… …for copper, gold, silver, jewels A volcano in the 1600’s BC ended the Minoan civilization

11. Knossos

12. The Mycenaeans The first people to be considered Greeks They built fortresses on the mainland; Mycenae was largest They took over Crete after the Minoans declined

13. They set up colonies in the north of Greece and in Italy They didn’t think trade had to be conducted peacefully They may have even attacked Troy They fall apart in the 1200s BC, leading to the “Dark Age”

14. The Famous "Trojan Horse"

15. Greek City-States About 900 BC, Greeks started to join together in small groups They eventually became independent city-states; polis The creation of city-states marks the beginning of the “classical age”

16. Life in a City-State • Cities were built around a fortress on a hill: acropolis • Walls added for protection • Farmers lived outside the city • Marketplace was known as the “agora”

17. Ancient Greek City-State

18. City life centered around the agora Political and religious assemblies were held there City-states were the foundation of Greek civilization Citizenship was very important

19. City-States and Colonization Security and growth lead to the need to expand They needed to establish colonies Each colony became a new polis

20. Istanbul Marseille Naples Greek City-States and Colonies

21. Patterns of Trade Colonies traded with city-states in Greece They traded metals for wine, olive oil and other items By 550 BC the Greeks were the greatest trading power in the Aegean region