Ch9 Beginnings

9-2 The Mycenaean's

1. Mycenaeans -grasslands of southern Russia-kings built fortress-palaces on hilltops

-chief feature of palace was megaron-land divided into estates

-slaves-tenants

-large herds of cattle & hunting provided meat -first they were warriors

2. trading -imitated Minoan gold & bronze work-learned how to build ships & navigate-grew olives & sold olive oil

-rich-trading stations & settlements on nearby islands

-rather war than trade-fought one another

-civil war-1400BC replaced Minoans as chief power of the Aegean

 

3. Trojan War -attacked major trading city of Troy in Asia Minor(broke control of trading route)

-middle 1200BC-500 yrs. After the attack, Homer writes Iliad

-blind Greek poet (bard)-may have come from Ionia-war fought over women

-Helen of Troy-fought for 10yrs

-archaeologists proved many of his stories true-Odysseus had soldiers build wooden horse, best soldiers stayed inside, soldiers killed king &burned city

-Homer wrote Odyssey-about Odysseus hero of Trojan War

4. Dark Ages -civil wars & Dorian invaders led to the Dark Age-over seas trade stopped-artistic skills disappeared-no record were written-Aegean cut off from Middle East-people had to create new civilizations on their own-herding & farming main way of life

-local leaders chiefs/kings ruled small communities-people began calling themselves Hellenes or Greeks-rebuilding of the Aegean fell to the Greeks