Transcript Early People of the Aegean - Doral Academy Preparatory

Early People of the
Aegean
World History
Mr. Markos
The
Minoans
• The Minoans were a
civilization that arose on
the island of Crete from
approximately 2700 –
1450 BC
– British archaeologist Sir
Arthur Evans rediscovered
the civilization in the early
1900s
• The rulers of this trading
empire lived at the
Palace of Knossos
• Around 1400 BC the
Minoan civilization
vanished
The
Mycenaean's
• A Greek civilization from
1600 BC to 1100 BC
• The Mycenaeans
dominated the Aegean
sea trade from 1400 –
1200 BC
– Through trade they
absorbed Egyptian and
Mesopotamian culture, and
learned many skills,
including the art of writing
• The Mycenaeans are best
known for their role in the
Trojan War
The Dorians
• The Dorians are best
known for their invasion
of mainland Greece,
which led to the Greek
Dark Ages
• They were primitive
compared to the more
modernized Mycenaeans
• The Dorians settled many
areas of the Aegean and
ruled by merging with the
indigenous people
• They contributed to
Greek culture in the arts
and politics.
The Greek Dark Ages
Before the Dark Ages
• Many different tribes of
early people lived on the
Greek peninsula.
• They did not have a
common language
• They did not have a
common history
• They did not have
modernized weapons
During the Dark Ages
• The Greeks developed a
common spoken
language, a common
history, and the ability to
make tools and weapons
out of metal
• Separate Greek tribes
united
• The Greek people began
to organize themselves
into city-states
• Dorian rule came to an
end
The Age of Homer
• From 1100 to 800 BC Greek civilization
began to regress and people forgot many
skills, including the art of writing
• We know about life during this period from
two great epic poems, the Iliad and the
Odyssey, both written by the poet Homer.
– Iliad = the chief source of information about the
Trojan War
– Odyssey = tells the struggles of the Greek hero
Odysseus to return home to his faithful wife after
the fall of Troy
• Both works reveal much about the values of
the ancient Greeks