Beginnings of Ancient Greece - The Minoans and Mycenaens

1. Unit 4 The Greeks
Chapter 9
Beginnings
2800 B.C. – 750 B.C.

2. Introduction

3. Section 1 – The Minoans
• Minoan Civilization rose by 2800 B.C. on Crete
• Island in Mediterranean Sea
• Forests on Crete provided wood to build ships
• Minoans worked w metal
• Used metalworking & carpentry skills to build ships
• Earn living from SEA TRADE instead of FARMING
• Built ships better, faster to avoid PIRATES

4. The Minoan People
• Small people, bronze skin, long, dark hair
• Farmed, fished, raised cattle, sheep,
goats
• Loved sports. Built world’s first arena
• Held Boxing Matches, Bull Leaping – a
form of bullfighting

5. ;
Rulers & Religion
• Bull Leaping
• Rulers of Crete – Priest-Kings
• Made laws/represented Gods on
Earth
• Polytheistic – main God: the Great
Goddess Mother Earth
– Built shrines to honor her—sacred
– places to worship in palaces,
– hill tops, caves

6. • Bull leaping

7. Fall of the Minoans
• Believed certain things were sacred – the
lily (sacred flower)
• Around 1400s B.C.
• Control of Sea & Crete
• Passed to the Mycenaeans
• No one certain why Minoan civilization
ended

8. Ch. 9 Beginnings 2800 B.C.—750 B.C.
Section 2 The Mycenaens

9. Mycenaens
• Mycenaens came from Grasslands of
Southern Russia
• Around 2000 B.C. small groups moved
west into Europe & then Greece
• EMPIRE BASED ON SEA TRADE
• Megaron – square room w/ fireplace on
hilltop that protected villagers in times of
attack
• King held council meetings & entertained
there
• Land divided into Farming Estates
– Slaves or tenant worked them
• Land owners gave king goods like horses,
chariots, weapons, farm animals in
exchange for protection
– Mycenaens traded gold & bronze w/ Minoans
– Borrowed Minoan language, fashion, ship-
building

10. The Trojan War
• GREAT WARRIORS
• High shields protected them,
swords/spears
•
• The city-state of Troy controlled trade
routes thru narrow strait leading to
the Black Sea
• In order to sail thru, ships had to pay a
tax to Troy
• Greeks did not like this and event to
war over it

11. A “Dark” Age
• The Trojan War served as inspiration
for the legendary stories of the Trojan
War as told in Homer’s Epic Poem the
Illiad
• Material for Illiad
• came from
• Legends/Word of
• Mouth
• Aegean world entered a “Dark” Age
lasting until 800 B.C. due to civil wars
& northern Dorian Invasion
– Time of wandering & killing
– Trade stopped, Forgot to write/record
• New People called Hellenes
redeveloped Greek culture 700-336
B.C.

13. Questions/Activity
• Compare/Contrast
• Why did the Ancient
Greeks fall into a Dark
Age when the Dorians
took over?