MINOAN CIVILIZATION o Construction of the first large palaces

Aegean Civilizations which served as centers of communities

- Areas o Development of a bureaucracy
1. Minoan o Forging of a social hierarchy divided into
2. Mycenaean the following
3. Greece  Nobles
 Peasants
Minoan Civilization – refers to the culture of Crete  Slaves
during the time of King Minos (legendary king of o Peaceful and prosperous period due to
Knossos; built the famous Palace of Knossos) continuous trade with Egypt and Middle
- Located in the Island of Crete East
- Crete – largest of the islands in the Aegean o Destruction of palaces towards the end
Sea of the period due to earthquakes and
o 155 miles long, 36 miles wide invaders
- Important Cities (KiloMeter Per Hour) 3. Neo-palatial period
1. Knossos - 1700-1400 BCE
2. Mallia - Rebuilding of destroyed palaces on a
3. Phaistos spectacular scale
4. Hagia Triada o Knossos
- Economically self-sufficient; produces their own  The most famous of the Minoan
grain, olives and other fruits, cattle and sheep Cities
- Became a wealthy sea power  Dominant structure in Knossos:
1. Strategic location Palace of Knossos
2. Many safe harbors  Consists of buildings arranged
- Trade partners (AGE) around a large central courtyard
1. Greece  With fine facades of closely fitted
2. Egypt stone blocks with monumental
3. Anatolia (Turkey) entrances
 Design:
Minoan Cities o Aimed to maximize light and
- Features: air
o Located close to the coast o Aimed to define access and
o Thrived without the protective walls needed circulation
by other ancient societies to fend off  Daylight and fresh air entering
seafaring marauders through staggered levels, open
stairwells, and air shafts
Arthur Evans (1851-1941) – from Hertfordshire  With workshops, storage
(England); excavated the ruins of Knossos from magazines and sacred rooms
1900 to 1903  Columns – made of wood
- Minoan civilization built palace civilizations  Walls – made of rubble and mud
centered in cities bricks; painted with murals
- Divided Minoan Civilization into four periods:
 Rooms: King’s megaron (throne
1. Pre-palatial period
room), Queen’s megaron
- 2600-1900 BCE; Neolithic period
o Phaistos
- Traded with Egypt, Asia Minor (Turkey),
 Mid-southern part of the island of
Syria: copper, tin, ivory, gold
Crete
- Characteristics:
 Purpose: to control the whole of the
o Decentralized culture – no powerful
pertile plain of Messara
landlords; no centralized authority
o Malia
o Focused on palaces on communities
 Located at the mid-
o Construction of circular “tholos” tombs
northern/northeastern part of the
2. Proto-palatial period
island of Crete
- 1900-1700 BCE
 Palace of Malia
- Characteristics
4. Post-palatial period
o Establishment of a new political system
- 1400-1150 BCE; start of the decline of the
concentrated around a central figure
Minoan Civilization
 - Mycenae starts to spread its influence in
Crete
Minoan Religion
- Bull Worship – evidence of bull horn structures
o Bull – powerful symbol of fertility;
represents the male aspect of life
o Bull Sacrifice – collection of blood of bulls
in large vases called “rhytons”
o Libation Ceremony – blood of bulls is
poured over columns or into caves (to
release the bull’s energy)
o Legend of the Minotaur
 Minotaur – half-man, half-monster
creature who lived in the Labyrinth
under the palace of King Minos in
Knossos
 Sacrifice – 7 youths and 7 maidens
were to be sacrificed every year to the
Minotaur to satisfy his hunger
 Theseus – Greek youth who killed the
Minotaur
Minoan Festival
- Bull Leaping – shows 3 scantily clad youths
around a gigantic dappled bull which is
charging in the “flying gallop pose”
o Figure at the right prepares to catch the
figure at the center in the midst of his leap
o The figure at the left grasps the bull by its
horns in preparation to begin the same leap
o Performed in central courtyard
Minoan Fresco
- Fresco – oil painting made on a wall
- Depict scenes about religion, wildlife (monkey),
marine life (dolphin), human interaction (ladies,
boxing)
- Depict humans similar to those in Egypt and
Mesopotamia (with the full eyeview on one side
only)
Minoan Writing
- Called Linear A Script
o Made on tablets of soft, moist mud drawin
from the banks of the river or sea
o Preserved by firing in ovens
o Still undeciphered until the present time
o About 200 surviving texts
Minoan Sculpture
- Mainly small, finely executed works in wood,
ivory, precious metals, stone and faience
- “Snake Goddess” – female figure holding
serpents
o Usually associated with water, regenerative
power, and protection of the home
o Bare-breasted, arms extended, brandishing
a snake in each hand, a leopard or cat on
her crown
o Attributed to a female centered religion
Minoan Pottery
- Wide use of color
- Graceful, stylized painted decoration
- Called “Kamaresware” (named after the cave
of Kamares where it was first discovered)
o With motifs of rosettes, spirals, and hatching
vibrantly painted on a shiny black
background
- Made along the “marine style”; depicts sea life
o Octopus
o Sea urchins
o Seaweeds
- Minoan Stoneware Jars – for storage of
liquids
Minoan Jewelry
- Minoan Metalwork – creation of exquisite
luxury goods from imported gold using
techniques such as inlay, filigree, gilding, etc.
- “Pendant of Gold Bees”
Minoan Daily Life
- Bare-breasted women: attributed to a
matriarchial society
Mycenaean Civilization
- Located in Peloponnese of Peloponnesus
Peninsula in Western Greece
- Topography: rocky mountainous terrain
- Palace of Mycenae
o Located on the highest part of the citadel
- Famous for the following: (CAS BMW)
o Architecture
 Constriction of megalithic strongholds
called citadels
 Citadel of Mycenae
o Walls: 25ft thick, 30ft high
o Lion’s gate – entrance to
Mycenae; shows two confronting
lions, their heads made from
different material
o Burial practice
 burial of the dead in magnificent tombs
 interior of Mycenaean tomb – round in
shape, crafted out of cut stone
o Metalwork
 Manufacture of various objects in gold,
copper and silver.
  Gold Lion Head
 Gold funerary mask (Mask of
Agamemnon)
 Dagger blade with lion hunt
 Gold cup
 Gold goblet
o Ceramic arts
 Highly refined workmanship
 Highly stylized decorations
 Motif: marine life (octopus)
 Warrior Vase
 Woman at the left bid farewell to a
group of helmeted men marching off
the right with lances and shields
o Sculpture
 Shows heavy influence from Crete
 Large breasts
 Large hips
o Writing
 Linear B script – can be deciphered
GREECE
- Cradled the civilization that fundamentally
shaped Western Civilization
- Nurtured a culture that eventually spread its
essence, concepts, and values throughout the
world
- The Greeks explored questions that continue to
concern people today; went beyond
mythmaking and religion; strove to understand
in logical, rational terms the universe and the
place of human beings in it
Geography
- Hellas – term used by the Greeks to refer to
their land
- Hellenes – term used by the Greeks to refer to
themselves; means “people of Hellas”
- Located in the southeastern portion of Europe,
southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula
- Boundaries
o North – Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria
o Aegean Sea
o South – Sea of Crete
o West – Ionian Sea
- Made up of several islands (CALCulate Mo Sis)
o Cythera
o Andros
o Lesbos
o Chios
o Melos
o Samos
- Island Clusters (CANDIeS)
o Ionian
o Argo-Saronic
o Cyclades
o North Aegean
o Sporades
o Dodecanese
- Made up of two dominant peninsulas
o Attica
o Peloponnesus
- Has the longest coastline along the
Mediterranean Sea
- General characteristic: mountainous
o 75% of Greece is covered by mountains
o Mount Olympus – most famous mountain
o Significance:
 Cut greece into many small pockets
 Isolated areas of habitation
 Made farming difficult
o Influence on Greek Political Life:
 Made the Greeks content to live in a
collection of small communities
 Led to formation of city-states
 Acted as a divisive force in Greek Life
 Made necessary the development of
independent political units
 Encouraged political fragmentation
 Discouraged the growth of great
empires
- Plains and Valleys – constituted only ¼ of the
land
o Principal Plains: (TMT)
 Thessaly
 Macedonia
 Thrace
o Influence on Greek Economic Life:
 Made fruits and vegetables grow in only
a few small places
 Prevented the development of large-
scale agriculture
 Made meat rare as there were few
grasslands for large herds of cattle or
sheep
o Influence on the Greek Daily Diet
 Made the Greek diet light and simple
 Made the Greeks subsist on grains,
grapes, olives
- Rivers – consisted of small streams
o Impact on Greek way of life
 Not suitable for large-scale irrigation or
control
- Aegean Sea – made the Greeks not just living
on land but living around a sea
o Importance to the Greek People:
 Served to unite the Greek People
 Made “water” serve as links between
most parts of Greece
 Made trade easier
  Enabled Greeks to acquire through
trade what they could not grow
- Mediterranean Climate – temperatures are
moderate, rain falls only in winter
o Impact on economic life
 Allowed limited farming of wheat,
grapes, and olives
o Impact on daily life
 Made the Greek way of life mostly an
outdoor life
Daily Life
- Spent at the “agora” (central square) for
leisure, informal gathering
- Spent at the gymnasium (sports)
- Spent at the theater (entertainment)
- Spent at the temple (worship and healing)
- Outdoor Life
o Impact on Greek People
 Made most people in the city-stet know
one another
 Encouraged citizens to meet often to
discuss public issues and to exchange
news
 Made an active part in civic life a duty
and a virtue
Politics and Government
- Ancient Greece divided into city states (DACS)
o Athens
o Sparta
o Corinth
o Delphi
- Also called Polis
o an autonomous region having a city as its
political, economic, religious and cultural
center
o Significance: constituted the unit of
governance in ancient Greece
o Parts
 City - compact group of houses
where the people lived
 Parts: Acropolis and Agora
o Acropolis – hill or elevated
area in the polis; initially, served
as place of refuge of the
people; Later, served as place
for temples, altars, public
monuments and other
dedications to the gods of the
polis
o Agora – Initially, served as a
place of assembly of the
warriors; Later, served as the
political, economic and social
center of the polis (where
porticoes, shops, market, public
buildings and courts were
located)
 Surrounding land - Constituted the
unsettled territory of the polis
 Where people planted crops like
grain
 Where the people tended sheep
and goats
o Parts
 Farmland
 Pastureland\
 Where the people quarried stone
 Where the people mined precious
metals
o Significance of Polis:
 Individually independent
 Decided its own form of
government
 Secured its own economic support
 Managed its own domestic and
foreign affairs
 The smallness of the polis enabled the
Greeks to see how the individual fitted
into the over-all system – how the
human parts made up the social whole
 Power depended on the manufacturing
and commercial skills of the people
 The intimacy of the polis enabled the
Greeks to know their leaders
 Large Empires
 Significance
 People spend their entire
lives without seeing their
emperors
o Han Dynasty of China
o Mauryan Empire of India
 The smallness of the polis resulted in
the absence in Greek politics of the
following (DIS)
 Divine emperor
 Imperial bureaucracy
 Standing army
Athens and Sparta
- government in the Polis
o Monarchy – rule of one man according to
law and respecting the rights of citizens
o Aristocracy – rule by those of noble blood
o Oligarchy – rule by a small group of
wealthy citizens
o Democracy – rule of the citizens
o Tyranny – rule by one who seized power
by extra-legal means
Sparta  Initiated legislation
- Mythology:  Exercised supreme administrative and
o Home of Menelaus and Helen judicial functions
- Located at the Peloponnesus peninsula o Popular assembly:
- Society:  Composed of Spartiates over 30 years
o Divided into three social classes: of age
1. Spartiates  Approved all measures proposed by
- Descended from Dorian invaders the council of the old
- Privileged ruling class - Livelihood
- Less than 1/10 of the population o Manufacture of various goods: (WIP)
2. Perioeci  Iron goods
- Descended from the native  Pottery
population before the dorian  Wooden articles
invasion - Trade
- Consisted of small landholders, o Trading partners: (GAP)
traders, and artisans  Greek city-states
- Enjoyed rights of citizenship  Asia minor
- Subject to military service  Persia
3. Helots
- Consisted of the conquered people Athens
- Held the status of serfs - Mythology: dedicated to the goddess Athena
- Compelled to till the land - Located at the Peninsula of Attica
- Obligated to give a share of - Society:
produce to the Spartiates o Made up of 5 social classes:
- Mandated to provide auxiliary 1. Nobility
military service 2. Merchants
- Could acquire freedom (thru 3. Artisans
bravery in war) 4. Peasants
- Emphasis on military education: Infants 5. Slaves
were assessed whether fit to undergo military 6. Foreigners
training; unfit infants were killed - Significance:
o Military training started at the age of 7 o Development of democracy
(slept on reed mats, underwent rugged  That a large group of people could
physical training) efficiently run the affairs of the state
o Re-enforced when boys became adults  Every citizen had a right to vote and to
o Older men became models of endurance, serve
frugality and sturdiness to younger men  That the people constituted the
- Military training government
o Purpose  That the state exists for the good of the
 Defense of Sparta citizen
 Instill among the citizens the civic  That the citizen had the duty to serve
virtues of dedication to the state and a the state well
code of moral conduct  Solon – elected as Chief
- Battle ethics: Spartans were expected to Magistrate in 594 BCE; Given
stand and die rather than retreat broad powers to reform the
o Spartans must come back after a battle: government
 Carrying his shield (alive) o Reforms:
 Carried on his shield (dead)  Freed those who had been
- Government enslaved by debt
o Monarchy: governed by two kings  Recalled the exiles
belonging to two different ancient royal  Canceled debts for land
houses:  Banned enslavement for
1. Chosen by lot debtors
2. Served as priest and as general of the  Allowed all citizens to join
army the aristocratic assembly
o Council of the old: that elected leaders
  Cleisthenes – elected as chief
magistrate in 508 BCE; Completed
the process of creating Athenian
democracy
o Reforms:
 Created the deme, a local
unit, to serve as the basis of
the political system
o Idea of democracy:
Functioned on the idea that all
demos (full citizens) were
sovereign but not all citizens
can take time from work to
participate in government;
Therefore, they delegated their
power to other citizens by
creating other offices to run the
democracy
o Boule (council of 500):
Supervised the various
committees of government;
proposed bills
o Ecclesia: Assembly of all
citizens (males, 18yrs and
above); accepted, amended
and rejected bills; every
member could express an
opinion on any subject on the
agenda; a simple majority vote
was needed to pass or reject a
bill
Persian War
- 490-479 BCE
- Series of wars between the Achaemenid
Empire of Persia and the Greek city-states
- Origins: Conquest by Cyrus the Great of
Persia of the Greek city-states in Ionia
o Impact: growth of Persian empire in Asia
Minor and islands in Aegean sea (Persian
Conquest of Ionia)
 Persian Empire
 Extent: Stretched from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Indus
River Valley
 Impact: Persian conquest of Greek
cities in Ionia (western part of
turkey)
 Reaction: Fear of Persian
expansion
 Impact: Possible Persian expansion
into Central Greece and the Danube
region
- Start: 492 BCE; Revolt of Ionian cities under
Persian rule
o City-state of Miletus - leads the revolt of
the Greek city-states in Ionia
 Result: Greek cities in Ionia are
defeated by the Persians
- Failure of Greek revolt
o 490 BCE: Persians send envoys to Athens
and other Greek cities and demand their
surrender; Greeks refuse the demand and
kill the Persian envoys
 Athens
 Reaction:
o Supports the Ionian cities in
their revolt against the Persian
empire
o Greatly alarmed by Persian
expansion
o Sends an army to burn Sardis
(regional capital of the Persian
empire)
 Darius – King of Persia
o 491 BCE: sends an army to
occupy Thrace and defeat
Macedonia
o 490 BCE: sends a navy to
attack Greece
o Purpose: Expansion of
Persian Empire in Central
Greece and the Danube region
o 492 BCE: Assembles a huge
army and navy against Greece
 Prepares for war: sends Miltiades
to fight the Persians
 Greece
 492 BCE: Under Miltiades fights
the Persian army in Marathon
o Battle of Marathon – Naval battle
between Athenians and Persians
o Miltiades : 490 BCE – defeats the
Persians in Marathon
- “Marathon”
o Greeks send Pheidippides to Athens (26
miles away) to bring news of victory; upon
reaching Athens he cried “nike” then died
of exhaustion
o Darius - dies in 486 BCE
o Xerxes - son of Darius; Continues the war
against Greece
 480 BCE: Leads a persian invasion
force against Greece
 Battle of Thermopylae
o Persian army attack a small
force of Spartans in
Thermopylae
o Spartan army led by Leonidas
bravely defend Thermopylae
 o Spartan army is defeated when
a Greek traitor showed the
Persians a way to surround the
Spartans
o Significance: Persian army
under Xerxes defeats a
combined army of Spartans
(300), Thespians (700) and
Thebans (400)
 Athens – organized a powerful navy to
fight the Persians in Salamis
 Battle of Salamis
o Significance: the Greeks
defeated the Persians
 479 BCE: Orders the Persian army and
navy to retreat
 478 BCE: Persian war ends
Greek Victory
- Significance:
o Greece halts the advance of the Persian
empire into Europe
o Persians came three times and fought
three huge battles – Marathon,
Thermopylae, Salamis – but the Greeks
drove them away
Persian war
- Significance:
o Greeks bravely defended their city-states
o Athens: navy with small ships that were
easy to maneuver
o Sparta: army of great warriors
ROME
Etruscan Rule
o Period: 753-509 BCE
o Significance: Founded Rome
o Etruscans
 Origins: Central Asia
 Settled in Asia Minor (Kingdom of
Lydia)
 Entered northern Italy between 1200
and 800 BCE
 Etruria
 Significance: region of northern
Italy where Etruscans settled
 Now known as Tuscany
 Well-endowed with natural
resources:
1. Iron and copper
2. Fertile soil
3. Rich forests
 Originally a war-like people
 Traded with Phoenicians,
Carthaginians, and Greeks along the
Mediterranean sea
o Etruscan civilization
 Sculpture: In the form of figurative art
made of cast bronze
 Statuette of a Haruspex (4th-3rd
BCE) and Helmet
 Bronze chimera (a lion with a goat’s
head and a serpent for a tail)
 Mural: Depicting servants and
musicians (first half of the fifth century
BCE)
 Tombs: decorated with colorful wall
paintings
 Script: (end of the third century bce)
 Pottery: Vase painting (ca. 500 bce)
City Growth
- Palatine hill and Capitoline hill – center of
ancient roman settlement
- Forum Romanum – rectangular space in the
small valley between the Palatine hill and the
Capitoline hills
o Forum - latin word which means a public
square on a roman “municipium” (latin
word for town or city)
o Originally served as a marketplace; Later
became surrounded by important
government buildings
o Became the center of roman public life
Government
- Monarchy: Rome was governed by kings
o Roman kings
 Romulus 753-715 b.c.
 Numa Pompilius 715-673 B.C.
 Tullus Hostilus 672-641 B.C.
 Ancus Marcius 640-617 B.C.
 Lucius Tarquinius 616-579 B.C.
 Servius Tullius 578-535 B.C.
 Lucius Tarquinus Superbus 534-510
B.C.
Social classes
- Made up of three (3) social classes: (PEP)
o Patricians
 Wealthy
 Land-owning
o Equestrians
 Warriors
 Horse riders
o Plebeians
 Farmers
 Traders
 Workers
 Slaves
  Captives from war

Values
- Typical roman
o Believed in Agrarian-based values:
 Conservative
 Hard-working
 Frugal
 Self-reliant
o Gave importance to “virtus” (physical and
moral courage of a “vir” (man)
o Honored “fides” (good faith)
o Placed a high premium on “pietas”
(loyalty to family authority and to the gods)
- Paterfamilias (father) - exercised power over
the wife, children, slaves
- Typical Roman Family
o Parents were closely involved with the
children’s education
o Boys joined fathers in public meetings
o Sons delivered the eulogy in the father’s
funeral
o Gens – refers to the family inner spirit
 Passed from generation to generation
 Bound ancestors and descendants
into one single continuous community
- Family practices
o Mothers provided strong moral guidance to
children
o Daughters enjoyed equal inheritance rights
with sons
- Purpose of marriage – to produce children
o All legitimate offspring belong to the
father’s family
o Marrying age
 Girls married between 14-17 years of
age; Boys married at their mid 20’s
o Marriage practices
 Girls and boys were free to marry the
person of their choice
 Divorce was allowed but rare