Foreword: Looking Backwards

Periods of Ancient Greek Civilization

  1. Mycenaean Period (1650-1200 BC)

First greek speaking peoples that have left records

ca. 1650: Mycenean are in control of mainland Greece

  1. Dark Age (1200-776)

Mycenaean civilization collapses

Period of rebuild

Ca.776: first. olympics

  1. Archaic Age (776-500)

Greek alphabet created

Homer

Restoration of Greek culture

  1. Classical Age (500-323)

499: Persian Wars (Greeks rebel against Persians

Greeks win after 20 years

323: Alexander the Great dies

  1. Hellenistic Age

Greece was called Hellas, Greek people were called Hellenes

Greece: Graecus, comes from Romans

When Alexander the Great dies, his kingdom is divided among his generals

Seleocus: Syria

Ptolemy: Egypt

Antigonus: Greece

31 BC: Battle of Actium

Naval battle between Octavian(Romans) & Egyptians

Romans win

30 BC:Octvian acquires Egypt

Implications of Ancient Greek Geography

Fragmented Land leads to:

Openness to foreign influence welcomed learning from other peoples

Resistance to political unity: autonomy of greek city states (polis)

Uneven distribution of wealth:good land vs. bad land

Need for local coopertionL rise of polis

Collonization: Black Sea, Italy, Sicily, France, Spain, North Africa

Import of some goods