Early Greek Civilizations
Dardanelles
Sea of Marmara
Persian Empire
Why Greek Colonization?
●Only 20% of Greek land was Arable – could support farming
●Needed food to support growing populations
Why Greek Colonization?
Spreads Greek Culture
Early Greek Civilizations
●1.Minoans●2.Mycenaeans●3.Dorians
The Minoans
●•Great trading powers ●•Often compared to
Phoenicians●•Located on Crete●•Traded:
o– swords
o–pottery
o– figurines
o–precious metals
Minoans
Minoans
●•Knossos = Minoan capital city
●•Named for most famous ruler, King Minos
Minoans
●•Legend says Minos kept a Minotaur (half-
human, half-bull) inside labyrinth of palace.
Theseus v. the Minotaur
Minoans
●•Athletic people who enjoyed sports, colorfully painted walls, & beautiful pottery.
Bull-leaping
Frescoes
End of Minoan Civilization
●•Earthquakes & volcanic eruptions
●•1470 BCE – earthquake/possible tsunami devastate city
●•Invaders take advantage of weakened condition
●•Ends around 1200 BCE
Mycenaeans
●Indo-Europeans settle on Peloponnesus Peninsula
●Main city = Mycenae
●Ruled by warrior kings
●Invade Minoans & adopt culture = preserve Minoan ideas
Mycenaeans & the Trojan War
●10 year battle
● Troy vs. Greek city-states including Mycenae
●Helen wife of Sparta’s king Menelauso–‘kidnapped’ by Paris, a prince
of Troy
●Sparta & her allies won
●The Iliad & The Odyssey
Real Cause? Still Disputed
The End of the Mycenaeans
●Collapses not long after Trojan War
●Sea raiders enter city, destroy palace
The Dorians – The Dark Age
●1150-750 BCE●Far less advanced ●No written records -
illiterate society●‘Dark Ages’ of Greek
civilization●Dorians meld into
other Greek city-states
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