ANCIENT GREECE part 1

Updated: Jan 15, 2019

Ancient GREECE is going to give the Western World:

Greek Mythology, Democracy, Sculpture, Architecture, Geometry, Philosophy, Drama, Poetry, Music, the beginnings of Western Literature the (Iliad & the Odyssey) , the first History Book, the Olympic Games, early Science (atoms) the Spartans, the Greek Alphabet, translations of many books, they will defeat the Persian Empire in 3 wars - and after the Clasical period of Greece Alexander the Great will conquer the known world to India...

Later the Romans will take much of Greek culture and make it their own, and the RENAISSANCE thinkers and artists will be inspired by, and revive this period in World History.

Background influences - how it all began ... This important time in history started not on the mainland of Greece but on the island of Crete.

THE MINOANS - from 3OOO BC to 11OO BC

A Bronze Age civilization based on the island of Crete

They had beautiful art

The MINOANS were an advanced civilisation for their time . They were excellent sea traders, their capital was Knossos, excavated by SIR ARTHUR EVANS in the late 19th century, he found the fabled city of the KING MINOS, the legend of the MONITOR and the LABYRINTH, ARIADNE and THESEUS. Statues found there sujest they worshiped female goddesses. They further developed the Phoencian alphabet representing sounds, but only consonants. This was superior to Egyptian uniform.

THE PHOENCIAN ALPHABET

PHOENICIAN TRADING ROUTES

Sea trade helped speed not just commodities but writen language.

THE MYCENEANS

Mycenaean culture grew from the mainland of Greece and may have conquered the Minoeans. They were Mediteranean sea traders like the Minoeans but were more warlike in nature. At this time Troy was also a power and told by myth led to the 1O year Trojan War.

This epic battle became the poet Homer's famous 2 books THE ILIAD and its epic aftermath the ODYSSEY.

It is the story of warriors and gods and began when Paris a Trojan prince abducted Helen the wife of Menelaus a Spartan King.

The Greeks sailed to make war with Troy in a 1OOO ships

from the movie TROY

They eventually won the war after a 1O year battle

one strategy they used to get into the walled city of Troy was the Trojan Horse tactic.

In the 18OO's an amateur but wealthy German Achaelogist HEINRICH SCHLIEMANN explored and excavated the possible site of Troy (In TURKEY)

Schliemann and his wife wearing gold jewelry found at the excavation site.

Between the 11OO's and 75O BC not long after the Trojan War ended Greece civilization entered a quieter age where the focus was on agriculture, and building a fortification structure usually on a hill it came to be called the ACROPOLIS meaning 'upper city'.

The city state of ATHENS would later have the most famous Acropolis. Vowels were introduced into the language.

Around 75O BC Athens was to emerge as the most powerful city state. Originally like in all city states in Greece it was run by powerful tyrants strong autocratic rulers but in 5OO BC a leader named SOLON reformed Athenian Laws. He allowed male citizens to debate Athenian law, eventually these reforms introduced a system of DEMOCRACY.

From the Greek δημοκρατία dēmokratía, literally Rule by 'People' Gradually a middle class of merchants, artisans and traders wanted a say in government matters.

Only males could become Athenian citizens, all male citizens had to have parents who were also citizens. Athenian society also had slaves.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY

IS COMPLICATED