Geography of Ancient Greece

Transcription

1 Geography of Ancient Greece Essential Question: Why do people live and move where they do? What will I be able to do?: You will be able to identify various locations and physical features (like mountains, bodies of water) on a map of ancient Greece. You will also be able to describe how geography affected settlement in ancient Greece. What idea, topic, or subject is important for me to learn and understand so that I can do this?: You will learn about the locations and physical features of ancient Greece affected the history and culture of the ancient Greeks. What I will do to to show that I know this?: You will show what you know by labeling a map of ancient Greece and answering the critical thinking questions that go along with the video. Mapping Activity Work cooperatively Label the following places on the Map of Ancient Greece using the resources located within your textbook: Bodies of Water: Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Gulf of Corinth Ionian Sea Mediterranean Sea Battle Sites: Straits of Salamis Thermopylae Ancient Cities: Athens Ithaca Knossos Marathon Mycenae Sparta Thebes Troy Kingdom: Macedonia Physical Features: Asia Minor Island of Crete Mount Olympus Peloponnesian Penninsula

2 Name: Period: Closure: In summary format, respond to the following question: How did the geography of Ancient Greece contribute to the development of Ancient Greece?

3 The Roots of Greek Civilization Crete is an island of 3,189 square miles located in the Mediterranean Sea, halfway between mainland Greece and Asia Minor (AKA Anatolia or modern-day Turkey). According to legend, Crete is the birthplace of Zeus, the King of the Greek Gods. Mycenae (pronounced my-see-nee) is a city in the northeast of the Peloponnesian Peninsula on the Greek mainland. Legend states that Mycenae was founded by the Greek hero Perseus after he killed the monster Medusa. Minoan culture developed on the island of Crete in approximately 3,000 B.C.E. Minoan palace murals and painted pottery show us a bountiful maritime culture, fueled by fishing, farming, and local arts. The Minoans were master seafarers and set up long-distance trade routes with Spain, Egypt, Canaan, and Asia Minor. Socially, the Minoans were an egalitarian culture, with both men and women holding respected positions in the fields of religion, agriculture, and craftwork. Recreation enjoyed by the Minoans included dancing to music and song, "bullleaping" - a boxing, complete with boxing gloves and mouth guards. The remarkable peace-loving character of the Minoan civilization is suggested by the lack of fortresses, war equipment, and painted battle scenes among the remains of their settlements. The Minoan civilization is historically important to Greece because it was the cultural model of the Myceneaean (pronounced my-sih-nee-in) civilization - considered the earliest developed culture on mainland Greece.

4 Minoan Society Mycenae was settled in 2,700 B.C.E. Most of the myths about ancient Greek heroes and their famous battles come to us from the Mycenaeans. Later Greek poets such as Homer used these tales in their writings. The Mycenaeans spoke an early form of the Greek language, and developed an agricultural economy based on grains, grapes, and olives. Like the Minoans, they traded by sea with Egypt and Asia Minor. Unlike the Minoans, the Mycenaeans devoted most of their energies to developing a strong military. The circular royal tombs of Mycenae reveal collections of decorated uniforms, elaborate helmets, chariots, daggers, and axes. Horses were also extremely important to the Mycenaeans, as they were the vehicles of war. Mycenaean documents suggest that their society was hierarchical, with kings and soldiers in positions of power, and prisoners of war enslaved to serve them. Apart from artwork depicting religious festivals and musical performances, very few indications of recreational entertainment were left by the Mycenaeans.

5

6

7 Mycenaean Society

8

9

10

11

12 The End of Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations The Minoan civilizations of ancient Crete flourished for approximately 600 years, between 2000 and 1400 B.C.E. Cretan palaces and their surrounding villages were almost destroyed in 1700 B.C.E., when a series of severe earthquakes rocked the island. However, the Minoans rebuilt their cities and renewed production of their trade goods in a relatively short time. Within the next hundred years, the Minoans established settlements - for trade rather than imperialistic purposes - on neighboring islands of Thera, Kythera, Melos, and Rhodes. Minoan and neighboring island cultures were mutually tolerant and supportive, and the Minoans benefited from trade, and continued to create glorious artwork and architecture. Mycenaean invaders from the Greek mainland disrupted this placid existence. It is unclear to scholars why the Mycenaeans began launching invasive expeditions in the mid fifteenth century B.C.E. It is possible that they wished to replenish supplies of copper and other ores - which Mycenaean mines had stopped yielding - needed for their production of weaponry. It is also possible that violent land-ownership disputes and trade-route conflicts caused a massive Mycenaean exodus to Asia Minor, leaving the Mycenaean economy in a weakened state. A third possibility is that the Mycenaeans could no longer fend off hostility from encroaching cultures on mainland Greece, and sought safer settlements on Crete. Whatever the case, Linear B documents recovered from Mycenae record an invasion of Crete in 1450 B.C.E., and the peaceable Minoan civilization soon came to an end. Captive Minoan architects and artists were sent to Mycenae to serve the Mycenaean kings. Meanwhile, the Cretan palace of Knossos was occupied by militaristic Mycenaean rulers. They introduced weapons, chariots, and battles into Cretan mural painting, and added the burial of weapons alongside military dead to Cretan funeral customs. Approximately 350 years later, in 1100 B.C.E., the Dorian Greeks - united tribes from northwestern Greece and Asia Minor - invaded the settlements in the Peloponnesus, the southern Aegean islands, and Crete. Their successful campaigns ended Mycenaean rule. However, through the Dorians, elements of Minoan and Mycenaean cultures were incorporated into the art, architecture, and literature of Classical Greece. Closure: Respond to the following questions 1. What did the Minoan and the Mycenaean civilizations have in common? 2. In what ways were the Minoan and the Mycenaean civilizations different? 3. Why do you think so many aspects of Minoan civilization are found at Mycenae? 4. What other geographical areas, besides Mycenae, might Minoan civilization have influenced? 5. What aspects of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations would you expect to have survived in later periods of Greek history?

13 Tracing the Development of Democracy in Ancient Greece

14

15

16

17 Name: Period: Closure Complete the Development of Democracy Chart Definition Origins or Etymology Etymology - The roots or history for a word. Example: Democracy - demos (meaning "people" in Greek) + kratos (meaning "power" in Greek - kratos evolves to "cracy")

18 The Persian War Learning Stations Use your split note-taking literacy skills Station 1

19

20 Station 2

21

22 Station 3

23 Station4

24

25 Station 5

26 Greece After the Persian Wars: "Golden Age" of Greece The Persian Wars were immensely important in the history of ancient Greece. Working together to defeat a common foe reminded the Greek city-states that they shared a common language, culture, and religion. After the wars ended, Spartans, Athenians, and residents of other Greek city-states referred to themselves collectively as "Greeks" more than they had in the past. Additionally, victory over the mighty Persian Empire filled the Greeks with a new level of confidence. At times, this confidence expressed itself as sheer arrogance. For example, in Herodotus's history of the Persian Wars, he repeatedly referred to the Persians as "barbarians." However, this newfound confidence led to the development of stunning cultural achievements, especially in the city-state of Athens. The Athenians were determined to rebuild their city and make it one of the most spectacular in the ancient world. During the 40 years following the Persian Wars, the achievements of the Athenians - in theater, philosophy, sculpture, architecture, and government - were so numerous that many have referred to the period as the "Golden Age" of Athens.

27 Name: Period: The Persian War Assessment Choose one of the following summarizing assignments Circle your choice and attach this sheet to your response 1. Pretend you were a news reporter for a Greek or Persian newspaper during the time of the Persian Wars. Write a word news update for the Greek or Persian people back home about each of the 5 events. Remember your audience!!!! 2. Draw a cartoon history of each of the 5 events summarizing visually and with captions. 3. Other? (Think of another way to summarize these events in a creative way and approve it with your teacher.)