Ancient Greece: Info

Today  we took notes and learned more about Greece. Peloponnesia, the southern peninsula of Greece; dominated by Sparta until the 4th century BC. Mountains cover 3/4 of Greece, which is why the cities are seperated from each other. Theres 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas. There were many skilled sailors, and it was a lot easier to travel by boats. Greece's location shaped its culture. Only about 20% of Greece is suitable for farming. Because of geography the Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives. Lack of resources most likely  led to Greek colonization and the temperature ranges from 48 in the winter to 80 in the summer. The Mycenaean's began around 2000 BC. Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge, is very well protected by a 20 ft. thick wall. Mycenaean kings dominated greece from 1600-1200 BC. They controlled trade in the region. In 1400 BC Mycenaean's invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language. Around 1200 BC sea people began to invade Mycenae and burnt palace after palace. The Dorian's moved into the war-torn region. The Dorian's were far less advanced. In Greece only stories were kept and passed on by word of mouth. Homer, a blind man, lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages", he recorded stories of the Trojan War in The Iliad and the Odssey.The Trojan war was probably one of the last conquests of the Mycenaean's. Some Greek Concepts are: Arête, which means virtue of excellence. Epics, which means narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds. Myths were created to explain creation. Zeus was the leader of the gods. Hera was Zeus' wife. Athena was the goddess of wisdom. 

THE END!