Lesson 9: Greek Civilization

• The Minoan civilization flourished in the island of Crete which is located in the southernmost part of the Aegean Sea.
• The Minoan Civilization had many great palace complexes, greatest among these palace complexes is the Palace of Knossos which covered an area of about 20,000 square meters and housed almost 12,000 people.
• The Palace of Knossos was renowned for its rich wall paintings. Most famous of these was the Bull Leaping Frescoe
• Minoan agricultural products consisted of olive oil, wine, and grain.
• Three distinctive writing systems developed throughout the history of the Minoan civilization. The earliest was a hieroglyphic script, and the most recent, called the Linear B Script, was the only Minoan script to be deciphered.
• Historians believe that the Minoans were expert seafarers, and exported wool, oil, timber, and pottery.
• In 1700 BCE, an earthquake damaged several palace complexes of Minoan civilization.
• At around 1600 BCE, a volcanic eruption in the nearby island of Thera led to the abandonment of several palace complexes, except the Palace of Knossos.
•  Mycenaean Greece was a period of warring states which built great fortress-like palaces on hills and cliffs.
• The ancient Mycenaeans were also known for their impressive tombs called shaft graves, which yielded gold artifacts including crowns, diadems, masks, and jewelry, and bronze weapons such as swords, daggers, spearheads, knives, axes, arrowheads, and shields.
• The citadel of Mycenae was a prime example of the skill of the ancient Greek builders, particularly the monumental structure called the Lion Gate.
• The central feature of the citadel, unlike the Palace of Knossos, was not an open court, but rather a great hall or megaron, which served as a meeting place where the ruler conducted his business and held audiences.
• Mycenaean society was divided into several social groups. The Mycenaean elite consisted of the king, court officials, priests, and landowners. Ordinary citizens engaged in commerce, trade, and crafts, and were often called to serve in the armies. Slavery was also practiced.
• Mycenaean societies were known for their high-quality pottery which featured painted decorations.
•  By 1230 BCE, the great Mycenaean centers experienced a period of decline, with many of the palaces destroyed by war or invasion.
• The fall of the Mycenaean kingdoms and the destruction of their great citadels gave way to the Dark Ages (1100 BCE to 800 BCE) in ancient Greek history.
• The Dark Ages in ancient Greek history was a period of general economic and cultural decline. The destruction of the Mycenaean communities greatly affected the ancient Greek communities and many urban and trade centers were abandoned.
• The arrival of foreign peoples from the north, called the Dorians, resulted in the further displacement of the native Greeks.
• The Archaic Period signaled a renewed rivalry among the Greek kingdoms. An important achievement in military tactics was the development of the phalanx formation, which utilized heavily armed soldiers (hoplites) standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a compact formation.
• The Greek polis was composed of the city and its surrounding countryside. Among the most well-known of the ancient Greek poleis were Athens, Corinth, Thebes, and Sparta.
• The development of the polis coincided with a highly important Greek

  innovation of democracy. Unlike the ancient civilizations of the Near ast and the earlier Mycenaean kingdoms-where aristocrats and kings occupied positions of authority-the Greek city-states developed a system of government which greatly emphasized the role of the citizens and the community.
•  The earliest version of Greek democracies featured citizen assemblies (ekklesia) where ordinary citizens could participate in discussing important matters of the state, and decide on these matters with a vote.
• Only male adults were given the right to attend the assemblies and cast their vote.
• These ancient assemblies were among the first instances of direct democracy, where citizens became direct participants in almost all aspects of government.
• In 594 BCE, Solon instituted reforms which curbed the influence of the aristocrats and established the importance of citizenship in governance.
• In 508 BCE, Cleisthenes further improved the Athenian government by establishing local units called demes, which became the basis of selecting citizens to occupy political and religious offices in the Athenian government.
• The practice of ostracism was also introduced during his time. Ostracism involved the assembly voting to exile a prominent member of Athenian society who was considered to be too influential or too powerful-and thus was a threat to democracy.
• In 462 BCE, Ephialtes removed the last remnants of aristocratic influence in Athenian politics by reforming the Areopagus, the highest tribunal composed of aristocrats.
• Despite these limitations and challenges, democracy was the overwhelming cultural force that united the highly diverse and fiercely independent city- states of Greece.
• Apart from the development and consolidation of the democratic institution, the Archaic Period laid the foundation of Greek culture that reached great heights during the Classical Period.
• Religion became a catalyst for cultural advancement, particularly in art and architecture.
• The athletic games held in the city of Olympia, in honor of the principal Greek god Zeus, gained special prominence. The Olympic Games, first held in 776 BCE, became an important event which was attended by almost all Greek city- states.
• Among these important sites were the Acropolis in Athens, which housed the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena; and the temple of Apollo in Delphi, which housed the Oracle, a priestess of Apollo renowned for her gift of prophecy.
• Around 800 BCE the Greeks began to refer to themselves as Hellenes, and their homeland as Hellas.
• At around 800 BCE, Corinth was a leading manufacturing and trading center, producing high-quality pottery noted for its "black-figure" design.
• The Corinthians were expert sailors, and their invention of the trireme, a swift and versatile warship which was widely used throughout the Mediterranean, gave their city control over the trade and communication routes in the Aegean and Mediterranean for several centuries.
• Sparta was considered the most prominent city-state in the Peloponnesus, and was renowned for its military strength
• The city was predominantly agricultural and was not as culturally advanced as the other city- states, relying on the labor provided by slaves called helots.
• A notable aspect of the Spartan government was that it was ruled by two kings, both co-equal in power and authority.
• The city of Athens is located in the fertile plains of the region of Attica and was a major trading, manufacturing, and agricultural center.