Geography & the Early Greeks

1. Geography & the Early Greeks

2. Geography Shapes Greek Civilization • Greece is a peninsula= body of land surrounded by water on 3 sides • Made up of mainland Greece, islands, & peninsula • Most of Greece is mountainous w/ few flat land for farming

3. A. Mountains & Settlements • Mountainous landscape  ppl settling in few flat areas in valleys • Towns/villages separated by mountains & seas • Mountains=traveled diff. so communities became isolated • Ppl created their own gov’t & cultures • Saw themselves as residents of a city rather than Greek

4. B. Seas & Ships • Since travel in rugged terrain was diff. they turned to the seas • Mediterranean sea (S), Ioanian(W), Aegean (E) • Sea = source of food & travel • Became skilled sailors & ship builders • Traded products & IDEAS with other cultures Q= What is the term used for the exchanging of ideas between cultures?

5. II Trading Cultures Develop • 2 earliest cultures= Minoans & Mycenaean’s

6. A. The Minoans • Lived on island of Crete • Traded oil, pottery, & wood with other regions • Volcano exploded north of Crete & flooded island • Explosion may have led to the end of Minoan civ. • Not considered Greek because they didn’t speak Greek language

7. B. The Mycenaean's • 1stppl to speak Greek  1stppl to be considered Greek • Built fortresses on mainland • Mycenae= largest fortress & namesake • Took over Crete after Minoan civ. Declined • Major traders in Mediterranean • Were not peaceful traders. • Possible they attacked Troy • Declined when European invaders attacked • As Mycenaean culture declined, Greece slipped into a Dark Age= A period of warfare & disorder

8. III Greeks Create City-States • Greeks began to join together in small groups for protection & stability • Groups began to develop into separate polis’= city-state • Beginning of city-states marks beginning of Greece’s Classical Age= period of great achievements

9. A. Life in a City State • Polis built around fortress atop an Acropolis • Acropolis= high hill • Ppl gathered inside walls during wartime • Walls= protection • City life revolved around an Agora • Agora= marketplace • Agora served as meeting place for pol 7 rel. assemblies • Polis protected ppl & gave them identity • Spartan, Athenian • Ppl expected to participate in polis affairs (vote)

10. B. City-States & Colonization Istanbul, Turkey • As Greek life became settled ppls attention shifted from defense to other things • City-states established colonies • Colonies= territory under control of another state (polis) • Colonies expanded and created colonies of their own in turn making them a polis • Istanbul Turkey, Naples Italy, Marseille France Napoli, Italy