The slide is related to the course The European Historical Experience.

1. Evolution and Features of Greek Culture
The European Historical Experience
Lecture 2

2. 1. Destruction of Cretan Civilization
o Evolved as a culture and civilization around 1200 B.C.
o 2300 years earlier of Greek Culture, in 3500 B.C. Cretan
civilization was built in Crete in the Aegean Island.
o The culture was also known as Aegean, Minoan, Mycenaen.
oIt spread far in the mainland of Greece and even Asia Minor.
o One of the cities of Troy in Asia Minor was built by the
Cretans which was destroyed by the Greeks.
o Homer’s epic Iliad and the Odyssey throw light on the Greeks
overthrowing Aegean cities in trying to wipe their culture.

3. 2. Occupation of Greece
o People we know as Greeks were foreigners
o Probably came from central Asia, the original homeland of
Indo-European people.
o From this same land, other people like Indo-Aryans, Medes
and Persian came to Europe.
o Cousin of Indo-Aryans came to Greece around 2000 B.C.
o They were tall, broad-shouldered, fair but barbarians
compared to the Cretans.
o They owned flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.
o Didn’t know art and craft and had no written language.

4. o They didn’t occupy all of Greece at the same time.
o came in several large batches (groups) known as Achaeans,
Aeolians, Ionians, Illyrians, Boetians and Dorians.
o The Achaean Hellenes came in Greece in 2000 B.C. After
them, came Ionians.
o Then came Illyrians through Thessaly around 1300 B.C.
o They displaced Achaeans and Ionians and compelled them
to disperse into the distant parts of Greece and go to Asia
Minor.
o Around 200 years of Illyrian invasion, Dorian invasion took
place in 1104 B.C.
o This invasion further dispersed the Achaeans and Ionians.

5. 3. Profound Cretan and Phoenician Influence
o While evolving as a culture and civilization, the
Greeks were highly influenced from the Aegean people.
o Likewise, they were follower of Phoenician culture
from whom they took alphabet, writing equipment like
papyrus, pen and ink.
o Also their styles of dress, decorative art and practical
method of craftsmanship developed following
Phoenician culture.

6. 4. Influence of Geography on Greek History
o Civilization was shaped to a great extent by the geographical
features.
o Hellas: 25,000 square miles.
o A mountainous country with fast flowing rivers located at the
southern extremity of Balkan Peninsula between the Adriatic
Sea and the Aegean Sea.
o Highly indented coastline has many gulfs and bays.
o The soil is poor and large plains are absent.
o Most of the Greeks are good sailors because of poor soil,
proximity to the sea and several fine ports
o Quarries of stone and marble encouraged the growth of fine
sculpture and architecture.
o To the north of Athens, huge stock of pure white marble were
available on Mount Pentelieus.

7. o The climate of Greece is pleasant. It strikes between the
cold north and tropical south.
o The temperature is mild but because of varying altitude,
it is not the same everywhere.
o The favorable climate helped to the development of rich
civilization.

9. 5. Bonds of Unity
o Although the city states had mutual rivalries and
bickering, in the evolution process of making one Greek
culture certain common bonds fostered a sense of national
oneness.
 A Common Religion:
 Attempt of creating one religion instead of various
religions of the various city states created a bond of unity.
 The creation of Delphic Amphictyonic League for religious
purpose served the cause of promoting unity of the
member states.
 Like League of nations and UNO, it tried to settle disputes
amicably.

10.  National Games:
 The Olympic Games: Played in honour of zeus at Olympia
in Elis.
 The Pythian Games: Played in honour of Apollo at Delphi.
 The Isthmian Games: Played at Corinth.
 The Nimian Games: Played at Argolis.
 Common Language and Homeric Poems:
 Some would refer Homeric poems as bible of Greece.

11. Hellenic Kinship:
 As descendent of their ancestor Hellen.
Dislike for Others:
 Only they were civilized and others (Egyptians,
Babylonians, Indians, Chinese, Persians … were all
barbarians)
 Strong dislike for barbarians was common to all
Greeks.
 This also strengthened a national feeling of oneness.

12. Political Life
 Tribal Organization:
 Council and Assembly:
 King:
 City States:
 A City State was a well-knit organization
 Political Experiments

13. Social Life
o Tribal Leader or King > nobles > free men > slaves
o women : no high status in society. No citizenship and
political rights
o Family: Patriarchal like Aryans in India.
o Father : full control holder in family. Had the power of
life and death over children.
o Men worked in the filed while women prepared food,
spun and wove for the family.

14. Economic Life
o was not rich. As the soil was poor, it was hard for farmers
to grow crops.
o They grew grains like barley and wheat, vegetables like
peas and lentils, and fruits like olives, grapes and figs.
o The nobles had large farms and were very wealthy.
o They lent money at high rates of interest.
o They enslaved those who could not repay the loans.

15. Religion
o Greek Gods and Goddesses: anthromorphic.
o The Greeks believed that human life is nothing but
puppet show in which Gods hold the strings.
o That is why before each meal, food and wine were offered
to the Gods.
 No Faith in Heaven
 Oracles
 Intolerance
 Homage to Gods through Olympic Games