Transcript ch 5.1 cultures of mountains and seas - mrs

Greece
Cultures of the Mountains
and the Sea
Chapter 5 Section 1 page111
What did Greeks Value?
• “Our constitution is
called a democracy
because power is in
the hands not of a
minority but of the
whole people”
- Pericles, an
Athenian Statesman
• “For we are lovers of
the beautiful, yet
simple in our tastes”
-Thucydides, a
historian
Geography Shapes Greek Life
• Greece wasn’t a
united country,
instead a collection of
separate lands where
Greek speaking
people lived
• Like the Minoans who
lived on the Greek
island Crete
The land
• Greece mainly a mountainous peninsula
extending into Mediterranean Sea.
• Also includes 1,400 islands in the Aegean
and Ionian Seas
• Basically, a civilization on water
• Never traveled more than 85 miles
between coastlines
Geography
• Rugged mountains covered ¾ of ancient
Greece- only 20% of land suitable for farmingaccess to sea was important due to lack of
natural resources
• Because of mountains, couldn’t unite under a
single government
• Didn’t have roads- just dirt paths. To travel from
Sparta to Olympia (site of Olympic games) took
7 days to travel just 60 miles!
• Today, they have built
homes and buildings
on these steep
rugged mountains
• With so little fertile farmland or fresh water
for irrigation, Greece wasn’t able to
support a large population
• Greeks based diet on basic staple crops
like grains, grapes and olives
• Desire for more living space and farmland
were probably factors that motivated
Greeks to seek new sites for colonies
Perfect climate
• Had varied climate that averaged 48
degrees in winter and 80 degrees in
summer
• Weather allowed for an outdoor lifestyle
• Men spent time outdoors or at public
events discussing politics, news, or
engaging in sports
Mycenaean Civilization Develops
• Existed around 2000 B.C.
• Name came from city they settled in, Mycenae
(my-SEE-nee) on the mainland of Greece
Mycenaean's
• Ruled by militaristic
kings- these kings
dominated Greece
from 1600-1200 B.C.
• City surrounded by
protective walls 20
feet thick- could
withstand any attack
• Lived in huge
beautiful palaces
Mycenaean's
• Lived an extravagant life, drank from gold
and silver and cups
• When royal Mycenaean’s died, they were
buried with richest treasures
• Warrior kings became wealthy by
controlling local production and trade
• Wealthy kings used weapons made of
bronze while commoners used tools made
of wood and stone
Influenced by the Minoan’s
• Kings invaded Crete, and flourished on the
island for 600 years
• Preserved Minoan culture, especially using sea
for travel
• Adapted the Minoan writing system to the Greek
language and decorated vases with Minoan
designs
• Legacy survived in form of legends, eventually
forming core for Greek politics, religious
practice, art and literature.
• http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/u/22/Jz3
d5x-MUT4
Trojan War
• Legend: The Trojan War was a war waged,
against the city of Troy in Asia Minor following
the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta by a Trojan
youth
• The actual Trojan war was probably a
Mycenaean raid occurring around 1200 B.C.
against rival trading city Troy, and a fight to
control the Aegean Sea
• Many believed the legendary stories of the war
was fictional
• 1870, and excavation of the site revealed 9
layers of city life in NW Turkey, suggesting the
story of the Trojan war was based on real
stories, events and people
Truth of Troy: Trojan War Story
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_36-H0Vsps
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiQ4jD5o4o
The Dorians
• Shortly after Trojan war Mycenaean civilization
collapsed
• Economy and trade stopped existing
• 1200 B.C. sea raiders attacked and burned
palace after palace
• Another group moved to war-torn country side
called the Dorians
• Far less advanced than Mycenaean Greeks- no
written record for a 400 year period
• Hard to know about period of decline with no
written record
Epics of Homer
• With no writing, Greeks of this time
learned about Trojan War through spoken
word
• Greatest storyteller was Homer, a blind
man
• Composed epics- narrative poems
celebrating heroic deeds
• Trojan War backdrop for Homer’s 2 epic
poems, The Iliad and the Odyssey
The Iliad
• The heroes of the Iliad were the fierce Greek
Achilles, and courageous noble Hector of Troy.
• The story is an example of arête, meaning virtue
and excellence
• A Greek could display this ideal on the
battlefield, in combat, or athletic competitions
• Read A Voice From the Past on page 114. What is
Hector communicating to his wife?
The Odyssey
• Story is about Odysseus
and how he uses wit and
trickery to defeat the
Trojans
• Much of the epic is set
after the war, and is about
his 10 year adventure
home and the strange
lands he visits along the
way
• http://www.youtube.com/u
ser/historyteachers#p/u/1
8/pdTigtNMmDQ
Greeks Create Myths
• Greeks developed a rich set of mythstraditional stories- about their gods
• Tried to understand mysteries of human
nature and human passions through myths
• Attributed human qualities to their gods
like love, hate and jealousy
• The gods competed with each other
constantly , but could live forever unlike
humans
Greek Gods
• Zues- ruler of Gods lived on Mount
Olympus with wife Hera
• Hera jealous of Zeus’s relationships with
other women
• Athena, was Zeus’s favorite daughter, and
goddess of wisdom
• Hermes was the son of Zeus, and
messenger of gods
Gods and Goddesses
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP_Nei
rFIkM
A few other things the Greeks have
given us….
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKsb0o
7fb4M
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=8
7tXX0WxlS0
Assignment
• On the back side of your notesheet:
– Come up with 5 “ Gods of Worship” that would
be important to society today.
– What would their names be?
– Be prepared to share with the class
• Examples: “God of Sports”, money, etc..