Greek 3/14

Greece- located in the Mediterainean sea.
Geography of Greece

• mountainous peninsula. Mountains cover 3/4 
• approximately 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas 
• location shaped its culture
• skilled sailors
• poor natural resources 
• difficult to unite the ancient Greeks because  of the terrain; developed small, independent communities 
• approximately 20% suitable for farming
• fertile valleys cover 1/4 of peninsula 
• Because of geography the Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives 
• lack of resources most likely led to Greek colonization 
• temperatures range from 48 in the winter to 80 in the summer

Mycenaeans

• began around 2000 BC
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20 ft thick wall
• Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 BC
• controlled trade in the region
• 1400 BC Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language

Culture and Decline

• around 1200 BC sea people began to invade Mycenae and burnt palace after palace 
• the Dorians moved into the war-torn region
• far less advanced 
• economy collapsed 
• writing disappeared for 400 years 

Homer and Myths

• only stories wer kept and passed on by word of mouth 
• homer lived at the end of the Greek Dark Ages
• Recorded stories of the Trojan War in the lliad and The Odyssey (written 750-700 BC)
• Trojan War was probably one of the last conquest of the Mycenaeans