Today’s Vocab

1. Today’s Vocab • Mycenaeans- Dominated early Greece from around 1600-1200 BC and fought in the Trojan War. • Trojan War- 10 Year War fought between the Trojans and Greeks. According to legend it was fought over the kidnapped wife Helen. • Homer- One of the most famous Greek storytellers and historians. • Illiad- Homer’s epic tale of the Trojan War. • Odyssey- Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan War. • Grab a textbook and complete the map activity when finished.

2. Warm Up? • What effect can geography have on a way of life?

3. Ancient Greece

4. Greek Geography • Ancient Greece was not a unified country! • It is broken up into separate lands with separate motives and goals. • The Geography of Greece • What bodies of water surround Greece? • Mediterranean Sea to the south, Aegean Sea to the east, Ionian Sea to the west and Black Sea to the north • What present day countries surround Greece? • Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Turkey • What is the land like in Greece? • ¾ of Greece is Mountains!

7. What potential problems do you see from the mountains? • Difficult to move from place to place • Not able to unite all Greeks together • Unable to from a single government • Greeks had small independent communities within their own governments • Poor Roads • Rocky soil made for poor farming and food production • Not able to have a large population

8. Why could only a small number of people live in Ancient Greece? • Only about a few million people lived in Ancient Greece. • Probably due to the fact that they could not produce enough food for more people! • What was the climate like? • It varied. Average 48 in winter and 80 in summer.

9. Reflection • Why was Greece not a unified country? • What were some of the problems caused by geography? • What could be positives caused by geography?

10. Mycenaeans • Dominated Greece from about 1600-1200 BC • They lived in Mainland Greece • They most likely invaded the island of Crete and took over the Minoans. But, they didn’t destroy all of their ideas, they incorporated them into their lives! (They wanted to constantly learn!!) • The Mycenaean’s learned how important sea trading was from the Minoans. They traveled to Syria, Egypt, Italy, Crete, and islands in the Aegean. • Mycenaean’s also adopted Minoan writing systems and art.

11. Mycenaean Government • Mycenaean society was monarchial • The monarch was called a wanax • Unlike the Minoans, though, Mycenaean kings accumulated vast wealth, the rest of society did not share in the prosperity as did the Minoans. • Their cities were like fortresses with massive perimeter walls. • Although the walls were for protection they also actively went looking for trouble. • The Mycenaean’s conquered Crete, other Aegean civilizations and fought against Troy!

12. Trojan War • 10 Year War • Between the Trojans (from Anatolia-Turkey) and the Mycenaeans • Legend says that they fought over the kidnapped wife of Helen. • Most likely fought for control of shipping in the area. • Ended with the infamous “Trojan Horse”

13. Dorians • Who was responsible for the downfall of the Mycenaeans? • The Dorians were responsible for the downfall of the Mycenaean’s around 1200 BC • What were these people like? • They weren’t very advanced at all. There are actually no written records kept from this period of time.

14. Homer • Homer was one of the most well known storytellers of Greek History. • He was a blind poet who wrote poems around 750-700 BC • His two most famous poems are the Illiad and the Odyssey.

15. Illiad • Heroes of the Illiad are warriors • Achilles – Greek (Fierce) • Hector of Troy – (Noble) • Odyssey • Odysseus uses his wits to defeat the Trojans • Behind the idea of the Trojan horse • Much of the story takes place after the war • 10 year journey home and the strange lands Odysseus visits along the way

16. Closing? • What are some of the differences between the Mycenaeans and the Dorians? • Why might the Dorians not be considered a civilization? • Who was Homer? What two epic plays did he write?