Early People of the Aegean

Theseus and the Minotaur

Mycenaean Civilizations

Minoan Civilization

• Crete • Birthplace of

Zeus• “First

Europeans”

Minoan Civilization1750-1500 BC

• Named after Minos the legendary king

• Palace at Knossos

• Maritime culture• Traded with

Spain, Egypt, Canaan Asia Minor

• Fishing• Farming• Art

Is this King Minos’ Throne?

Minoan Culture

• Egalitarian• Men and Women held

respected positions in religion, agriculture and craftwork

• Music and song• Bull-leaping• Boxing• Lack of fortresses, war

equipment, battle scenes

Minoan Metalwork

• Worked with both bronze and gold

• Decorative and functional

Prince with the Lillies

Palace at Knossos

Minoan Fisherman & Dolphin

Minoan Fleet

Minoan Women

Minoan Bull Leaping

Minoan Civilization Disappears 1400 BC

• Vanished• Volcanic

eruption• Earthquake• Tidal wave• Invaders• Atlantis?

Minoan Artifact: Pendant of Bees

• Metalworkers used both bronze and gold

• Jewelry• Tools

Minoan Palaces

• Government• Community• Multistoried• Interior and exterior

staircases• Light wells• Massive columns• courtyards• Weapons storage

Minoan Artifact : Palace

• Centers of the community

• No locks, bolts, or protective outside walls

• Large rambling collections of rooms

• Workshops

Minoan Pottery

• Made by hand or on a wheel

• Red & white glazes yellow, green

Minoan Religion

• Peaceful Mother Goddess

• Carried figurines in processions

• Sacred symbols; lion, bull, snake

Minoan Water Management

•bathtubs decorated with colorful tiles

•Primitive showers

•Flush toilets

•Fountains in bedrooms for cooling

Samples of Minoan Linear pictograms and script

The Phoenicians Spread Trade and Civilization

• Wealthy city-state in eastern Mediterranean

• Skilled shipbuilders, seafarers; sailed around continent of Africa

• Set up colonies• Famous for red-

purple dye from Murex snail

Tyrian Purple

• purple-red dye• made from

mucus of Murex shell

• used as a fabric dye

• very expensive• color became

associated with power & wealth

What was the Great Legacy of the Phoenicians?

• Developed system of writing to record trade deals

• developed into western alphabet

Ancient Trade Routes

• Phoenicians wanted metals

• traded finished manufacture items for Iberian silver

Mycenae 2700 BCE

• Ancient Greek Myths originated here

• Homer used them in his writings

• Spoke early form of Greek

• Agriculture based on grains, grapes, olives

• Traded with Egypt Asia Minor

Mycenaean Culture• Strong military culture• Circular royal tombs• Decorated uniforms, elaborate

helmets• Chariots, • Daggers• Axes• Horses• Vehicles of war• Society was hierarchical• Kings and soldiers at the top• Prisoners of war were slaves• No recreation/entertainment• Only religious festival

Mycenaean Soldiers on a Vase

Mycenaean weapons

• Bronze smiths worked only with bronze

• Goldsmiths worked only with gold

• Weapons• Buried gold objects

with kings and nobles in tombs

Mycenae palace

• Centers of government & defense

• Surrounded by high walls

• Orderly rows of various rooms

Mycenaean Pottery

• Created pottery by hand

• Functional• Goblet was

used for celebrations and religious rituals

Mycenaean Religion

• Worshipped an Earth Goddess who protected warriors

• Bathed and prayed in palace sanctuaries

Mycenaean Water Management

• Bathtubs set into the walls and fixed to the floor

• Bathrooms had tilted floors to drain excess water

Mycenaean Palace• Highly

structured• Orderly

rows of rooms

• High stone walls for defense

Mycenae Written Language

•Linear B has been deciphered.

•made up of characters, which resemble letters, and ideograms, which represent ideas.