Ancient Greece.PPT

Ancient Greece -Key Concepts- I. Prehistoric Beginnings The Myceneans and the Minoans Heinrich Schliemann’s Discoveries --Ancient Troy (1870) --Mycenae (1876) Arthur Evans Uncovers Knossos (1899) A. Minoan Civilization Society at its peak between 2000-1500 BCE Harmonious and peaceful society --first known flush toilet Minoan civilization closely interrelated to Mycenean civilization Minoan government A. Minoan Civilization (cont) Minoan Social Classes Treatment of Women Minoan Entertainment A Gift for Inventions and Engineering Minoan Religion Minoan Art B. Mycenaean Civilization Emergence of Mycenean Civilization Mycenean Conquest of the Minoans The Fall of Mycenean Civilization --Dorians Mycenean Culture and Government -- “wanax” A culture geared toward war Mycenean Art C. Influence and Significance of Early Greek Civilization Minor impact on later Greek life and culture Cultural slate “wiped clean” by Dark Ages (1200-750 BCE) Great wave of immigration during this era all over the Aegean and along western coast of Asia Minor Still, significant contributions: --earliest European civilizations --progressive Minoan art --Minoans: worldly and innovative II. The “Dark Ages” (1200-750 BCE) “Dark Ages” in the Near East were shorter, ending around 900 BCE Homer provides some glimpses Simple political patterns Emergence of an aristocracy exerting influence over society II. The “Dark Ages” (cont) Social Life during the “Dark Ages” Purpose of Early Greek Religion Anthropomorphic Greek gods Greek indifference to an afterlife The role of arete or “excellence” in early Greek thought III. Early Greek Literature and the Greek Alphabet Development of the Greek alphabet Benefits of the Greek alphabet Homer’s Iliad --Achilles and the Trojan Wars Homer’s Odyssey --Odysseus and Penelope III. Early Greek Literature (cont) Lessons of Homer’s Epics Women as well as men pursued excellence Homer’s depiction of the gods Arete and the Birth of the Olympic Games (776 BCE) C