A Quick History of Greece Slides PDF

Geography and History of Greece, in brief Textbook page 52-53 (11th and 12th editions) GREEK HISTORY IN 90 SECONDS History of the world, I guess. EARLIEST HABITATION Neolithic Period 6k to 3k BC. Type sites of Sesklo and Dimini in Thessaly “Noteworthy that evidence of religion seems appare...

Geography and History of Greece, in brief Textbook page 52-53 (11th and 12th editions) GREEK HISTORY IN 90 SECONDS History of the world, I guess. EARLIEST HABITATION Neolithic Period 6k to 3k BC. Type sites of Sesklo and Dimini in Thessaly “Noteworthy that evidence of religion seems apparently” Understatement of the year DIMINI The Late and Final Neolithic period (4300-3000 BCE) The secondary Products Revolution: Cheese, milk etc. reflected in the pottery produced: strainers Mediterranean Triad: cultivation of cereals, olives and vines in place by 3000 BCE Dimini, Thessaly ‘Fortified settlement’ with monumental Building in the centre (Megaron). Increased social stratification? MARIJA GIMBUTAS Increasing populations brought with them new forms of social and political organization Social organization Formerly believed to be egalitarian, increasing data changing view Religion Early mother goddess cult? Neolithic figurines as signs of a matriarchic society. Idea developed and popularized by Marija Gimbutas She developed theories while excavating at Achilleion in Thessaly James Mellaart – faked evidence for mother goddess worship 5 THE BRONZE AGE Regions: Mainland Greece – Hellas and Mycenae Crete: Minoan Cyclades: Cycladic Anatolia: Troy BRONZE AGE Named after material that becomes in use – allow of copper and tin. 90/10 Anatolia Early Bronze Age 3000-2100 BCE Middle Bronze Age 2100-1600 BCE Late Bronze Age 1600-1150 BCE Mainland Greece: Early and Middle Bronze Age = Helladic cultures Late Bronze Age = Mycenaean cultures Crete Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age = Minoan Cultures Cycladic Islands Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age: Cycladic Cultures BRONZE AGE 3000 – 1100 BC Minoans of Crete – 1600 – 1400 BC Mainland Late Bronze Age – 1400 – 1100 BC Myceneans Linear B First appearance of Olympic gods Po-se-da-o-ne Poseidon A-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja Lady Athena Crete = Minoan Islands = Cycladic Mainland = Helladic MINOAN PALACE TYPICAL ELEMENTS Four entrances West court: adorned with altars Labyrinth-like entrance Corridors Central court Pillar crypt Throne room Tripartite shrine Grand staircase So-called Kings Hall -So-called Queens’s megaron Storage spaces: magazines “Lustral basins” Not fortified Surrounding settlement and other buildings: The ‘little palace’: a large mansion A large settlement Phaistos (left); Malia (right) MYCENAEAN PALACES Largest known are at Tiryns, Pylos, and Mycenae Large, but not maze like Can think of them as a series of rings separated by courtyards Levels of access, with “court” at the centre – megaron Palace plans spread in popularity in manner similar to tholos tombs Tiryns sees evolution of monumentalization as early as LHI – formal megaron Pylos – open-air in the earlier period Grey = LH IIIA; Black LH IIIB, or development from 1300-1200 BC. TIRYNS Similar growth in LH III 1400 – 1125 BC MYCENAE GROWTH Expanded over time 1500 – 1200 BC Three major building phases in the LH III (see right) Defense walls added In LHIII A, Grave Circle A incorporated into the city proper. Why the change? Growing threats throughout the Aegean? Remember – at time of shaft graves and tholos tombs, Mycenae wasn’t fortified yet! BUILT OUT FORM EARLY IRON AGE 1100 – 700 BC Previously referred to as the “Dark Ages” Difficult period to study – little evidence other than tombs Growing body of evidence suggests everyday life continued through the Bronze Age collapse Connections to the Bronze Age and *not* a hard reset ARCHAIC 700 – 480 BC The establishment of social systems that would become the Greek world Beginning of the polis Hesiod – Boeotian poet, early archaic Homer – earlier oral tales crystalize and are written down in this period COLONIZATION: 8TH – 6TH CENTURIES BC 2 1. Black Sea Coast 2. Crimea 3. West Anatolia/Ionia 9 10 1 8 7 4. Egypt 5. Libyan Coast 3 6 6. Sicily 7. Southern Italy 8. Sardinia and Corscia 9. South France (Marseilles) 10. East Spain (Emporion) 5 4 CLASSICAL 480 – 323 BC The “golden age” of Greece Playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides HELLENISTIC 323 BC – 31 BC Note the closing date can vary. 31 BC is the Battle of Actium where Octavian crushes the fleet of Antony and Cleopatra Period of experimental art, new interpretations of form and portrayals of gods and mythical figures ROME Greece falls under political control of Rome 146BC Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit "Captive Greece captured her rude conqueror“ Vergil – connect Rome (and Augustus!) to the Trojan cycle via Aeneas Ovid – Metamorphoses, the ‘usual’ form of many myths in today’s memory Livy – Roman foundation myths THE WORLD IN THE EYES OF THE GREEKS Source: www.livius.org Designer: Jona Lendering Strabo writes that Anaximander and Hecataeus of Miletus were the first geographers after Homer. Hecataeus’ work does not survive, but over 300 fragments exist. Herodotus describes his map: “Thus far have I spoken of the Hyperboreans, and let it suffice; for I do not tell the story of that Abaris, alleged to be a Hyperborean, who carried the arrow over the whole world, fasting the while. But if there be men beyond the north wind, then there are others beyond the south. And I laugh to see how many have ere now drawn maps of the world, not one of them showing the matter reasonably; for they draw the world as round as if fashioned by compasses, encircled by the river of Ocean, and Asia and Europe of a like bigness. For myself, I will in a few words show the extent of the two, and how each should be drawn.” (4.36) HERODOTUS’ MAP Source: www.livius.org Creator: Jona Lendering THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN 1 2 1. Chersonesos (Crimea) 2. Danube 9 3. Troy 4. Smyrna, Ephesos 5. Aegean Sea/Islands 6. Mainland Greece 7. Peloponnese 8. Ionian Sea 9. Adriatic Sea 10. Cyprus 11. Phoenicia 12. Palestine 6 8 7 3 5 4 10 11 12 GREECE AND THE AEGEAN 1. Macedon 2. Thessaly 3. Euboea 4. Phocis and Boeotia 5. Achaia, Arkadia, Messenia 6. Cycladic Islands 7. Crete 8. Rhodes 9. Lydia and Sardis 1 2 9 14 4 3 5 12 10 13 15 11 10. Athens 8 11. Sparta 12. Corinth 13. Olympia 14. Delphi 15. Argolid, Mycenae 6 7 1 3 5 MOUNTAINS! 6 1. Pindus Range 4 2. Taygetos Range 3. Mt. Olympus 4. Mt. Parnassos 5. Mt. Pelion 6. Othrys Range 7. Not on map – Mt. Ida, Crete 2 VIEW AT THERMOPYLAE WEEK 1.2 Theory!