The First European Civilization: The Greeks

LO1: The European Barbarians - Over three thousand years up to the time of the Persian Empire, civilization had spread from its Sumerian and Egyptian homelands right across southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa.

4000 BC - farming and village life spreads from Sumerian and Egyptian lands across SW and NE Africa, and the European continent.

3500 BC - some are organized enough to construct huge stone structures like Stonehenge.

Their lives centered around strength and courage, comradeship and loyalty, contests and battle.

This is how Europe came to be populated by speakers of Indo-European languages who were skilled in farming, metalworking, trade, and warfare.

The Earliest Europeans- Even before this historic encounter, the way of life of the peoples of Europe had undergone many changes.

BARBARIAN- a term used to describe the distinctive way of life based on farming and warfare.

MEGALITHS- massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs.

TRIBE- a social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together by common interest, traditions, and real or mythical ties of kingship.

The Greeks lived in tribes and were really into myths.

The Barbarian Way of Life- the early Europeans cannot have had any sense of a common identity.

The Greek homeland- the Greeks settled in mainland Greece from about 2000 B.C. onward, coming as migrants from somewhere farther north.

LO2: The Aegean Encounter- the sense of this encounter was a region stretching from mainland Greece across the Aegean sea.

Minoan Civilization- about 2200 B.C., a district civilization, known today as Minoan, arose on the Aegean island of Crete.

The Arrival of the Greeks: Mycenaean Civilization- At the time that Minoan civilization arose, great changes were taking place in the lands that stretched for thousands of miles to the north and east of Crete.

The "Dark Ages"- Mycenaean civilization lasted until shortly after 1200 B.C.., when it fell victim to the same regional crisis that involved the down fall of the Hittites and the attack of the Sea Peoples on Egypt.

Over three thousand yrs. up to the time of the Persian Empire, civilization had spread from its Sumerian and Egyptian homelands right across southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa.

Greeks settled in mainland Greece.

The Greeks had new ideas, incredible art forms, Democratic government with citizen participation, and innovators in warfare.