More Greece

geography

• mountainous peninsula
• mountaisn cover 3/4 of greece
• 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas
• Location shaped its culture
• Skilled sailors
•  Poor natural resources
• Difficult to unite the ancient Greeks becuase of the terrain; developed small, independent communities
• about 20% of the land was suitable for farming
• Fertile valleys cover 1/4 of the peninsula
• Because of geography the Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives
• Lack of resources most likely to led to Greek colonization
• Temperatures range from 48 in the winter to 80 in the summer- which caused more action and exercise

Mycenaens

• Began around 2000 B.C
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20 ft. thick wall
• Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 B.C. - controlled trade in the region
• 1400 B.C. Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language
• Around 1200 B.C. 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 were 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 B.C)
• Trojan war was probably one of the last conquests of the Mycenaeans

Greek Concepts

• Arete-virtue and excellence
• Epics- narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
• Myths were created to explain creation- Zeus: leader of the gods-Hera: Zeus' Wife-Athena: goddess of wisdom
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