3/10/15

Here are more notes on Ancient Greece:

Ionian Sea - South of the Adriatic Sea
Fertile valleys cover one quarter of the peninsula, only 20% arable
Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, and olives
Lack of resources most likely led to Greek colonization.
Temperatures usually ranged from mid 40s in winter to low 80s in summer.

Mycenaean
Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20ft brick wall.
Mycenae kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 BC
- controlled trade in the region
1400 BC - Mycenaean's invaded Crete  and absorbed Minoan culture and language.
1200 BCE- mysterious "sea people" invaded Mycenae and burnt many palaces (the sea people also invaded Egypt)

Dorian's

where far less advanced

the trade based economy collapsed

writing disappeared for 400 years

Homer

Greek oral tradition - stories past on by word of mouth

Homer lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages"

He composed stories of the Trojan War 750-700 BC

The lliad - probably one of the last conquest of the Mycenaeans ( the Trojan War) 
The Odyssey- Odysseus attempt to return home, being thwarted by the angry god of the sea, Poseidon (won a war, was trying to get home to his son and wife) 
The Odyssey is 12,110 lines of rhyme