Midterm 1 Flashcards
What was life in Greece like prior to the Agricultural Revolution?
Prior to agricultural revolution: People lived their lives as nomads - hunters/gatherers. As population in Greece increased, people begun to adapt to their environment leading up to the domestication of plants and animals as a way to feed and survive. Ultimately what happens in Greece is that the population increases again, and people are forced to pursue new ways of survival. This is the birth of the agricultural revolution.
What occurred in the Agricultural Revolution?
Agricultural Revolution: You see, people could no longer dwell on hunting, or gathering seeds or even domestication to obtain food. Rather, what many people did was to turn to the fertile soil found in certain areas of Greece. It was in these areas that the idea of having an agricultural lifestyle was seen. People began to farm which produced more fertile crescent in Greece and allowed individuals to produce their own food. This caused two things to occur: trade and population growth.
Effects of Agricultural Revolution?
Effects of Agricultural Revolution: As a result of the surplus, world trade routes were developed to allow for the importation and exportation of food from Greece to Europe, Asia, and North Africa and vice versa. The new surplus also caused population growth in Greece to increase leading to an increase in new settlements/civilizations, a period According to historians, the first civilization occurred in the Mesopotamia Area at around 7000-3000BCE. The first cities were Sesklo and Dimini (introduced the use of bronze metal).
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age (c. 3000 - 1100) consists of 2 periods: Helladic I, and Helladic II. It was a period characterized by the introduction, invention, and use of bronze (introduced by people of Dimini from Neolithic Age), burial systems, languages (Linear A and B), and wealth. This era gave birth to three great civilizations: Aegean, Minoan, Mycenaean. Major East cities impacted by Bronze age were: Memphis, Uruk, Babylon.
Bronze Age: Aegean Civilization
Aegean Civilization included the Cycladic islands. Cyclades was an important trade between Europe and Asia.
Bronze Age: Minoan Civilization (Helladic I)
Who are they:
Minoan civilization was located on the island of Crete, south of Greece. Often times, people mistake Minoans as Greek civilization, however, they are not. Depended on navy (sea) and trade (with Levant, Egypt).
King: King Minos
Hieroglyphic Script: Linear A
Linear A was a script used by the Minoans for writing down/taking account. This script consisted of pictographs and syllabic. Restricted to Phastos and Males.
Palaces: Cnossus (1700-1375, aka Labyrinth), Phaestos, Zakros, Malia
Economy: Redistributive
The palaces were the centers of distribution. Palaces collected island’s surplus wealth as taxes and redistributed it to support various activities including arts, crafts, trade, and government.
Religion and Women: Had an a goddess. Depicted women as free beings that participated in dangerous stunts prepared for men. The palace of Cnossus had a central court where rituals were performed (human sacrifices). Also had a court for bull fighting.
Social Stratification:
royal household > countryside elite > farmer/workers > slaves
End of Minoan Civilization:
Volcanic eruption in late 17th century. Destroyed part of an island named Thera, Aktotiri. Destroyed part of Crete. Had 3 main effects: shock wave (leveled Crete cities), tidal waves (destroyed Minoan navy), volcanic ashes (destroyed crops). Paved the way for Mycenaean civilization.
Bronze Age: Mycenaean Civilization (Helladic II)
Who are they:
Greeks from the mainland who engaged in trade and piracy from Italy to Troy to the Black Sea (1600-1150 BCE).
Hieroglyphic Script: Linear B
Mycenaean society:
- Divided into city states, polis, : Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns, and Athens
- More warlike than Minoans
- Upper class rich from piracy and trade. Had gold funeral masks, jewelry, bronze weapons, tripods, and massive storerooms.
* It was claimed that the head of Agamemnon was found.
End of Mycenaean Civilization:
1. Internal Warfare
City-states experienced grain shortages which led to decrease in revenue. Reduced revenue from trade caused increase in warfare between city states over small resources left. Collapse of trade economy (systematic collapse).
- Invasion
Mycenaean towns were destroyed by the “Sea peoples”, seafaring raiders. Sea people drove Mycenaeans across the sea. Mycenaeans were also fighting the Trojan War at this time.
This feedback of problems paved the way for new Greeks, Dorians to move in.
Linear B
Linear B is a development of the Former Linear A. Discovered in southern island of Crete. This script was a restricted, administrative script. Function: to record economic transactions for the political benefit of the palace’s rulers. Designed on clay for temporary use. Also scratched/painted on pottery vessels for economic purposes.
Trojan War
War between Greeks and Troy. The Greek army was led by Agamemnon and the Troy army by King Priam.
What started the war:
Capture of Helen by Trojan prince Paris for deeming Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess. Menelaus, King of Sparta and husband of Helen, is distressed and calls for help from his brother, Agamemnon (King of Mycenae).
Main Greek cities involved:
Athens, Cyclades, Mycenae, Rhodes, Crete, Argos, Corinth
Main Trojan Allies involved:
Phrygia, Thracian, Mysia, Lyssa
Greek individuals involved:
Agamemnon, Menelaus, Achilles, Odysseus, Diomedes, Ajax, Patroclus (close friend of Achilles)
Trojans involved:
Hector (son of Priam, killed Patroclus and killed by Achilles), Aeneas, Glaukos, etc
Greek gods:
Poseidon, Athena, Hera, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Thetis
Trojan War:
Greeks build a large horse, burn down their own camp, and hide in the horse. Troy takes the horse in to their camp. Greeks exit out of horse, attack, and capture Troy (1250 BCE).
Dark Age
The dark ages (1100-800 BCE) began with the collapse of the palaces of Mycenae. With the palaces went the redistributive economy, Linear B. In this period, there are fewer inhabited sites, smaller populations, less wealth of material possessions (used in life or deposited in graves). The Linear B script has disappeared and not been replaced, and contact with the outside world was cut off.
Places that survived dark Age:
- Cyprus: emigration of Mycenaeans, used a descendant of the Linear B script .
- Lefkandi: used metal-working and had overseas contact .
- Attica & Crete: had some form of continuous occupation.
Laconia, home of King Menelaus remained in darkness.
Effects:
Migrations to new worlds
Homer
Author of the Odyssey and the Illiad (c. 700). Lived in Ionia. Operated with a genealogical model to account for the present distribution of people and power in his Greek world. Homeric epics (c. 750-700) played a role in affirming a common Greek cultural identity. Homer’s Greek was compounded of words and forms from Ionian dialect, as well as Aeolic dialect and a few traces of Arcado-Cypriot (historical dialect of Greek spoken on Cyprus).
Hesiod
Poet of Theogeny. Purported to relate the Greeks to the origins of the universe. “Works and Days” (c. 700-600). Stressed the importance of animal husbandry. Poems played a role in affirming a common Greek cultural identity.
Homeric Greece
- basileus = regional chief
- demos = the people, community (cf. democracy)
- boule = council of elders
- agora = marketplace, popular assembly (agoraphoba)
- Oikos = household (economy), people (family members & slave), farmland and property attached to the oikos,
- Patrilinear = descent through the father, patriachal (father is supreme)
- Political & social unification = synoikoismos
- polis = city-state (autonomous political & social unit, comprising citizens & territory)
Polis
Translates into city-state. Enabled Greeks to identify as citizens not of a country but of rudimentary political communities.
Oikos
Translates to household, both property and human members.
In Athens, oikos (individual households) belonged to tribes (phylai) that formed brotherhood (phratry).
