http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/myth4web/05troygold.jpg.

Minoans + Mycenaeans =
The Greeks

Origins of the Greeks: Minoans &

Mycenaeans 2800 B.C.E. - 1500 B.C.E.
 Minoans
(2800-1400 BCE)
• Lived on island of Crete
• Existed during Egypt’s Old Kingdom
• Government: Priest-kings
• Religion: Polytheists
• Cities NOT surrounded by walls
• Ship Builders & Traders
• Farming
• Fishing
• Overpowered by Mycenaeans by
1400 BCE

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/Myth3web/05atheseusmincan.jpg.
Minoan Art

Sculptures, Pottery, and

Frescoes
Minoans created and traded pottery, leather, bronze armor, and metal
jewelry. They also enjoyed sports such as boxing and bull leaping.

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/Myth3web/05atheseusmincan.jpg
 Minoan Fresco at the Palace of Knossos

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/myth.html.
Minoan fresco:
Prince of Knossos

http://www.graeco-roman.com/items/G4310.htm
Minoan Religion

Polytheists
Main god: Great Goddess, Mother
Earth)
Minoan Religion
• Built shrines on housetops, hilltops, and in
caves
– Why hilltops?
– Why caves?
• Offerings included:
– Human hair
– fruit
– flowers
– jewels
– gold

Mother Earth
The fall of Minoan civilization is described in the legendary
fight of Theseus, a young Greek prince and the Minotaur.

Relief Sculpture of Theseus and defeated Minotaur

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/Myth3web/05atheseusmincan.jpg
Mycenaeans
(2000 - 900 BCE)• Lower Greece (lowlands)
• Built fortress-palaces on hilltops
• Engaged in farming, herding, olive
growing.
• Traded: gold & bronze
• Learned from Minoans:
Shipbuilding, navigation, gold &
bronze work, fashions, art, writing.
• Better warriors than traders
(pirates)
• Became most powerful people in
Aegean world by 1400 BCE
• Trojan War (1200s BCE)
• Conquered by Dorians (late
1200’s)
 The “Dark Age” (1100 -800 BCE)
• Civil wars broke out
following Trojan War
• Dorians conquered
Mycenaeans
• Aegean world began
era of “wandering and
killing”
• Independent
communities
developed Layered view of nine major settlements of Troy
by Christopher Haussner based on archaelogical
excavation.

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/myth4web/05troygold.jpg
Greek City-States (700 - 338 BCE)
 Greek City-States

• The Hellenes, or Greeks emerge from the Dark Age

• The Polis, or city-state was the center of Greek life
• Polis structure:
– Acropolis (fortified hill)
– Agora (marketplace at foot of acropolis)
– Polis included homes, farming villages, fields, and
orchards http://www.indiana.edu/~kglowack/athens/acropolis.html
Greek Civics and Politics
• Civic and personal honor is one and the same
• The Polis (city-state) is above everything else

Greenblatt, Lemmo. Human Heritage. Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 1995 .

A New Government
• Solon created 1st
Constitution (594 BCE)
– Set of principles and
rules for governing
• Purpose: To end
oligarchy and to
prevent uprising
against government
by middle and lower
class
http://www.indiana.edu/~kglowack/athens/images/07.017.JPG
The First
Democratic Constitution
• Created by Cleisthenes in 508
BCE (lasted 300 yrs.)
• Limits power of rich & land
ownership
• All male landowners could vote
• All debts were erased
• All enslaved due to debt, were
freed
• All Athenians became citizens
and able to participate in
Representation of Cleisthenes
government
• Assembly created to make laws

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_2.shtml
 The Athenian Government Structure

P e r ic le s
C o m m a n d e r - in - C h ie f
S e le c t e d b y t h e e le c t e d t e n g e n e r a ls

A s s e m b ly T e n G e n e r a ls C o u c il o f F iv e H u n d r e d
E le c t e d b y A t h e n ia n m a le s E le c t e d b y A s s e m b ly S e rv e d 2 y e a rs
o v e r th e a g e o f 2 0 ; S e rv e d 1 y e a r R u n A rm y a n d N a v y C h o s e n b y lo t a m o n g c it iz e n s
M a d e la w s H a n d le d d a ily b u s in e s s o f A t h e n s

http://norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/project/pericles/Pericles.htm
 Greek Religion

The most popular priestess was a priestess in the temple of Delphi.

The Delphi was the center of the world for Greeks.
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/mythslides1/27delphiview.jpg
 Gods with human qualities
(anthropomorphism)

Poseiden The Courtship of Venus and Mars

http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/mythslides1/mythslides1.html
Aphrodite
 Greek Theater
• Began during festivals
honoring the god
Dionysus (600 BCE)
• Types of Plays
– Tragedies
• Aeschylus
• Sophocles
• Euripides
– Comedies
• Only men could act in
plays
• A civic responsibility
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~tjmoore/mythslides1/28feastofgods.jpg
The Great Greek Philosophers
• Socrates
• Plato
• Aristotle

http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/PHIL/cpshelle/Gallery/Greek/aristotle.jpg
 Socrates (469-399 BCE)
• Stonemason, spent
time arguing with
assembly
• Taught: Question
everything, use step-
by-step questioning to
final conclusion
(Socaratic Method)
Greenblatt, Lemmo. Human Heritage. Glencoe, McGraw-Hill 1995
• Executed for denying
gods, corrupting
youth, and trying to
overthrow gov.
http://www.btinternet.com/~socratic/
Plato (427-347 BCE)
• Pupil of Socrates
• Recorded speeches of
Socrates
• Father of Political
Science
• Founded The Academy
to train government
leaders
• Wrote The Republic &
The Dialogues http://plato.evansville.edu/
Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
• Pupil of Plato at The
Academy
• Trained in Medicine
• “Master of Them That
Know”
• First to classify plants
& animals
• Developed final steps
Plato Aristotle in scientific method
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html (Hypothesis and Test)