SS Chapter 25 Reading Notes

Minoans

the first people to develop a civilization in the area living on the island of Crete

raid

to attack suddenly; a suprise attack

Why did the Greeks start colonies?

Greek communities started colonies because they needed more farmland to feed their people.

List three crops that Greek farmers grew and three animals that they raised.

Greek farmers grew: - wheat - barley - vegetables - fruits, and nuts. They also grew crops that needed less land, like grapes and olives. They raised sheep and goats, some oxen, mules, pigs, chickens and donkeys.

Why did Greek settlements often fight one another?

Greek settlements often fought with each other because there was a shortage of land.

Why was the sea important to ancient Greece?

- Ancient Greece used the sea (liquid highways) to go to other people from other lands to trade goods. - The Greek used the sea to establish colonies, too.

Describe the steps the Greeks followed when they started new colonies.

- First, they consulted an oracle to see if their trip would be successful. - Next, the colonists gathered food and supplies. They brought the town's sacred fire so they could start a sacred fire in their new home. - Next they start their journey trying to find a safe place to live and start the colony. - After they found a safe place with good farmland and harbors, they established their community and make the colony survive.

What are some dangers of travel?

Dangers of traveling on land were: - bandit attacks, - roads were unpaved with rocks which could shatter wagon wooden wheels while traveling across - and attack by bandits. Dangers of traveling by sea were: - pirate attacks, - sailor robbers, - and storms that could cause shipwrecked.

Mycenaeans

The Greek civilization came after the Minoan. About 2000 B.C., people from the north moved southward into the peninsula of Greece. These people- the Achaeans built walled cities in the southern part of Greece. Their most important city was Mycenae. Because of this city, historians call the Achaeans by a second name- Mycenaeans. These warlike people sailed to other cities on the Aegean Sea and raided them; their most famous raid Troy around 1200 B.C. The Tojan War became a symbol of heroic actions.

Why did some Greek settlements trade?

The Greek settlements traded to get goods they needed.

Trojan War

The Trojan War was written about 500 years after the Trojan War in two long poems- the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer. According to Homer, the Mycenaeans fought the Trojans because of a beautiful women named Helen. She was the wife of an Achaean king. Paris, a son of the king of Troy, took her back to Troy. The Achaeans fought the Trojan War to win Helen back. After ten years of war, the Mycenaeans tricked the Trojans to win the war. They pretended to sail away and left a victory gift- a wooden horse. The Trojans brought it into Troy, only to find out that it was filled with Mycenaean warriors who took the city.

Why were ancient Greek communities isolated from one another?

The ancient Greek communities were isolated because of the high mountains, which made travel and communication difficult.

What are the mountains in Greece like?

The mountains were steep and rocky. They made flat surfaces on the mountains to plant crops.

What products from the Greek mainland were traded? What products did the Greeks get in exchange?

They traded olive oil, pottery, and wine from the Greek mainland. In exchange, the Greeks got grain, timber, and metal.

century

a period of a hundred years

heroic

brave and bold