Aim: How much did geography influence the early civilizations of the Mediterranean?

Do Now: What do you know about Greece? What would you like to know?

NY State Learning Standards 2, 3Common Core RS 1, 2, 7, WS 2

I The PhoeniciansA) The Phoenicians were a Semitic people (related to Jews and Arabs). B) They were skilled seafarers who founded colonies all across the Mediterranean. C) They were famous for their purple dyed textiles (fabric) made from the murex snail. Purple was expensive so it became the color of royalty.D) The Phoenicians created the first known alphabet!

Phoenicians Continued…

According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the Phoenicians had sailed around all of Africa in 600 BCE, over 2000 years before European explorers like Columbus! In August 2009

the Phoenician Ship Expedition Project launched a replica Phoenician ship from Syria, with the goal to sail completely around Africa by way of the Red Sea. In Oct 2010, the ship had made it!

Phoenician AlphabetThe Phoenician alphabet was based on Egyptian hieroglyphics! As traders, the Phoenicians needed a simpler writing system to do business. Unlike hieroglyphics, the symbols of the alphabet only represent sounds.

II Geography of GreeceA) Modern day Greece is part of the Balkan PeninsulaB) Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleysC) The southernmost part of mainland Greece is called the Peloponnesus

How do you think Greece’s rugged mountains affected their civilization?

Greece Geography Continued…D) There are many archipelagos in the Mediterranean SeaE) Crete is the largest island in GreeceF) Only 20% of land in ancient Greece was suitable for farming. Farmers grew olives (for eating and oil), grapes (for eating and wine) and figs. Greeks also herded sheep (for meat and wool). Fish was and is a main natural resource.

Greek Geography Continued…

A traditional olive oil press

III The Minoan 1750 – 1500 BCEA) The Minoans created a civilization on the island of Crete. Its name is derived from “Minos”, from the myth of the minotaur.

The wife of King Minos of Crete fell in love with a bull and gave birth to the minotaur, a monster that ate children. King Minos had Daedalus build a labyrinth to house the monster, which was fed on child slaves from Athens. Theseus, a young Athenian, was sent to Crete to be the Minotaur’s lunch. However, the daughter of King Minos fell in love with him, and gave him string so he could find his way out of the labyrinth, after killing the minotaur. Theseus did kill the minotaur, and became a hero.

Minoan civilization continued…B) Developed bronze tools and weaponsC) The Palace at Knossos was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans. It had plumbing and toilets!D) The Minoans were the first Greek civilization to become skilled seafarers.

The Minoan Palace at Knossos, Crete

The Minoans Continued…

A room inside the Palace at Knossos with a painted mural of dolphins.

Underneath these Minoan toilets is a sewer system

to flush out waste.

The Minoans Continued…

E) The Minoans were polytheistic. They worshipped a snake goddess, as well as bulls.

What do you think the man on the bull is doing? For what purpose?

The Minoans Continued…F) The Minoans developed a written language known as Linear A. It has not yet been deciphered.G) By 1450 BCE the Minoan civilization was mostly destroyed, possibly due to a tsunami.

Linear A

IV The Mycenaeans 1600 – 1200 BCEA) The Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans and mainland Greece, with their capital at Mycenae.B) Developed Linear B, the first form of the Greek language.C) Most of what we know about the Mycenaeans comes from Homer’s epic poem The Iliad and Odyssey about the Trojan War, between the Mycenaeans and Troy, a city in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).

Linear B

Troy Continued…

Heinrich Schliemann

“In the Greek poem The Iliad, Prince Paris of Troy steals the gorgeous Helen, of Greece, from her husband, King Menelaus. The act brings the two nations to war, and eventually Greeks led by the warrior Achilles lay siege to Troy. The poet Homer probably wrote the epic in the eighth or ninth century, B.C., several hundred years after the war is supposed to have taken place. Much of it is no doubt fantasy. There is, for example, no evidence that Achilles or even Helen existed. But most scholars agree that Troy itself was a real city, and that the Trojan War indeed happened… Eager to find the legendary treasures of Troy, Schliemann blasted his way down… [most likely destroying the actual Troy of the story!]… Stefan Lovgren National Geographic 2004

Mycenaean Death MasksThese masks were made of gold and were placed on the

faces of deceased royals.

V The Dark Age of GreeceA) By 1100 BCE Greece entered a “Dark Age”. This may be due to the invasion of the Dorians (the ancestors of the Spartans) from the north, who settled in the Peloponnesus. The population of Greece decreased, people abandoned the cities, and almost no written records exist for this time. B) By 950 BCE the Greeks relearned how to write once again, but this time instead of using the Linear B script used by the Mycenaeans, they adopted the Phoenician alphabet.C) Despite the harsh life of the Greek Dark Age, the first Olympics were held in 776 BCE, and Homer wrote The Iliad and the Odyssey.D) People began to settle by a high hill (acropolis) for protection, and as Greek emerged from its Dark Age, city-states such as Athens and Sparta rose to power.

Summary Questions1. How did geography affect the ancient civilizations of the

Mediterranean?2. What were the main achievements of the Phoenicians, Minoans,

and Mycenaeans?3. What led to the Greek Dark Age? What was its impact on Greek

civilization?

Key Vocabulary