The Mycenaeans and Homer

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The Mycenaeans and Homer Greek Settlements The
Land of Greece Athens Democracy The Persian
Wars Religion and the gods Temples The Olympic
Games Roman Home Greek Women Education Theater
and Actors Craftsmen Learning and Inventions
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The first Greeks were called the Mycenaeans. They
ruled southern Greece from 1600 to 1200 BC
Mycenae was their most important city. The
Mycenaeans were warriors who set out from their
fortified cities for the Mediterranean, looking
for metals such as copper, tin, and gold. Their
civilization collapsed around 1200 BC Their
adventures were told by the poet Homer in his
poems the Iliad and the Odyssey. (A) CITADEL
Mycenaean chiefs lived in fortified hilltop
citadels. Each chieftain controlled the land
around this, and traded its produce, pottery, and
weapons. The chieftains would join together to
carry out raids overseas. (B) PALACE Each
citadel had a brightly painted palace. Its
largest room was a central hall. Here the
chieftain met visitors and feasted with other
warriors. (C) THE LION GATE The Mycenaeans
were fine craftsmen of stone. The lion gate at
Mycenae still stands after more than 3,000 years.

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When the warriors returned home they hung their
shields on the walls of the chieftains hall.
The Mycenaeans spoke Greek. Their writing, called
Linear B, was in syllables instead of single
letters.
Homer wrote of the great palace of the Mycenaean
king, Nestor of Pylos. This is a reconstruction
of its throne room. It was burned by raiders in
about 1200 BC, but archaeologists uncovered its
remains.
This gold death mask of a warrior was one of the
most spectacular finds in the graves at Mycenae.
It dates from around 1550 BC.
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When the Mycenaean civilization collapsed, Greeks
scattered across the Aegean. By the 9th century
BC, Greeks had settled across mainland Greece and
in what is now southern Turkey and Cyprus. Greek
traders then began trading with rich
civilizations of the east. By 750 BC the Greeks
had also moved to the west coast of Italy in
search of iron, and later began settling there.
By the 6th century BC there were Greek
settlements throughout the Mediterranean and
Black Sea regions, and Greeks were mingling with
many native peoples - Celts, Etruscans in Italy,
and the wild Scythians of the Black Sea coast.
Each settlement had its own system of government.
In Egypt, Greek traders were given their own
trading post, Naucratis. They brought silver and
oil to exchange for corn. (A) ITALY The Greeks
settled in southern Italy and Sicily after 750 BC
These settlements became some of the richest
cities in the Greek world. (B) EUBOEA It was
sailors from Euboea who first traded with the
east and then made the first Greek settlements to
the west of Greece. (C) PHOENICIANS These
seafaring peoples also settled across the

Mediterranean. They became rivals of the Greeks.
Greek homeland 1100-750 BC The first colonies
750-700 BC New Greek settlements 700-580 BC The
Phoenicians - rivals of the Greeks
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There was constant trade between the Greek
settlements. Spare grain or vegetables could be
exchanged for goods such as metals, pottery, and
cloth.
The Mediterranean can be a stormy sea and
shipwrecks on its rocky coasts were common. Some
shipwrecks have been found by modern
archaeologists.
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Corinth was the most powerful Greek city of the
7th century BC. It had a fine position between
the east and west and was a major shipbuilding
centre. Its pottery, often painted with animals
and plants from the east, is found throughout the
Mediterranean.
Bronze cauldrons were given as dedications to the
gods. Over 500 have been found at Olympia, the
site of the Olympic games. Craftsmen decorated
them with exotic animals copied from the east.
These animals are griffins.
Kouroi were life-size male statues often standing
over a grave. Their design was influenced by the
east and Egypt.
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Greece is not a rich farming land. There are many
mountains and there is too little rain in the hot
summers. Farming had to take place on the plains
or on terraced hills. Barley was the main cereal
crop because it needed less water than wheat.
Olives and vines also grew well and often they
were sold abroad in return for more grain. Sheep
and goats grazed on the dry mountains.Farmers
plots were small. When a farmer died, his plot
would be divided among his sons. One result was
that the plots became even smaller and many
Greeks could not survive on the land. They were
forced to find new homes overseas.Greece had
very few metals, although there was iron. This
could be used for agricultural tools and
weapons.(A) PLOUGHINGThe soil was ploughed
often to help it hold the rain. Sowing took place
in December, with the harvest in May.(B)
VINEYARDSVines were grown on terraces cut into
the
hillsides.(C) OLIVE
GATHERINGOlive oil was one of the main exports
of
ancient Greece. The
olive trees grew well in

the dry soil and were often planted among

the barley.
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These painted figures of a pig and hare show the
pleasure Greeks took in animals.
The wooden ploughs cut a line through the soil.
The farmer then had to break up the soil by hand.
Oxen were prized possessions because they saved a
lot of back-breaking work.
This beautifully painted pot shows the god of
wine, Dionysus, at sea. The mast of his ship is
heavy with grapes. Around him dolphins play in
the water.
This picture is from a wall painting in a tomb.
It shows that Egyptians caught and prepared fish
to eat. Fresh fish was a welcome extra food. Here
a fishmonger cuts one up.
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From the 8th century BC Greeks began to build
cities. They were often built around a large rock
to make them easier to defend. Greeks were proud
of their cities, which had many fine buildings.
Athens was surrounded by the plains of Attica,
which provided food and silver mines and gave the
city wealth to trade and to build warships. By
480 BC, when the Persians invaded Greece, it was
the richest and most powerful Mediterranean city
and was able to lead the fight against the
Persians. (A) HOUSING Athenian houses were not
grand. The walls were of unbaked brick or timber,
roofed with clay tiles. Athenian women normally
stayed inside the home. (B) PARTHENON The
Parthenon was the largest building on

the Acropolis, which was a
rocky hill overlooking
the
city. It was built to honor Athena, the

goddess of Athens. (C) ENTRANCE
The Acropolis was the religious and ceremonial

centre of Athens and had a
fine marble

entrance.
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Athena
This stone, found in Athens, reads 'I am the
boundary stone of the Agora.'
The goddess Athena was the patron of Athens and
legend said that it was she who had introduced
the olive, the main crop of Athens, to Attica.
This is a copy of an enormous statue of her by
the sculptor Phidias. It was placed inside the
Parthenon.
The Agora was the marketplace. It was surrounded
by many fine buildings, including stoas - long,
open buildings with columns - where men discussed
their business and ideas.
Pericles
Pericles was the leading politician of Athens
from 460 to 430 BC He helped set up an Athenian
empire.
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One of the major achievements of Athens was to
involve its citizens in the running of its
affairs. This system of government is known as
democracy, or rule by the people. In Athens, in
fact, only men over 20 were classed as citizens
and could vote. There were no votes for women,
children, foreigners, or the many slaves in the
city. Every year, about 700 posts could be
filled by citizens. They ranged from generals and
treasurers to the keeper of the prison and street
cleaners. All except the generals were selected
for a year at a time by drawing lots from men
over 30. Citizens could become jurors in trials,
responsible for deciding whether an accused
person was guilty or innocent. (A) ASSEMBLY
The Assembly met on the Pnyx, a hill in Athens,
about 40 times a year. As many as 8,000 citizens
could attend. (B) A CITIZENS VIEW Meetings of
the Assembly began early in

the morning and
could continue until dark.

They were often
rowdy. Sometimes decisions

made in the heat of the debate
were

overturned the next day when emotions were

calmer. Votes
were taken by a show of hands. (C) DEBATES
Every month the Assembly discussed the

citys
defense and the state of its corn

reserves.
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Because most Greek cities were short of land and
food, they would often fight with each other.
Battles would take place at set times of the year
when men were not needed to work in the fields.
It was considered very unfair to attack at other
times. Soldiers had shields and spears. Battles
were fought by both sides pushing, shoving, and
jabbing at each other until one army gave up and
fled. Usually not many men were killed. In 490
BC when the Persians invaded Greece, the Athenian
army faced them on the plain of Marathon to the
north of the city. To every ones surprise, they
pushed the Persians back towards the sea. A story
says a runner raced back to Athens with the good
news. This inspired the Marathon race. (A)
PHALANX The soldiers fought linked together in
phalanxes (rows of men), probably about eight
deep. The soldiers had to be well trained to hold
a strong line together in the heat of the battle.
(B) WEAPONS The main fighting weapon was a
wooden spear tipped with iron. It was used to
prod an enemy until he was wounded, or until he
turned and ran.
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This plan shows the battlefield of Marathon. The
Athenians and their allies pushed the Persians
back toward their ships, killing more than 6,000
of them.
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The Greeks had always been good seamen and some
of the cities had their own navies with warships
called triremes. The trireme had three banks of
oars. It needed about 170 men to row it. It did
not carry artillery, and there were 30 armed men
on board at the most. In battle, the trireme
would crash head on into the weakest part of the
enemys ship - its side. The ships crew had to
make sure that the side of their ship was not
exposed to attack. One of the great Athenian
naval victories was at Salamis in 480 BC The
Persians had invaded Greece with a large navy.
The Athenians managed to lure the Persian ships
into narrow water and destroyed them. (A)
PERSIAN SHIPS The Persians had soldiers ready to
board the Greek ships but they were unable to get
close enough. (B) TRIREME The trireme was a
war machine with no

living space on board. It was usually
beached

at night.
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This map shows what might have happened at the
battle of Salamis. The Persians, with their
allies the Phoenicians, sailed between the island
of Salamis and the mainland and the Greeks
attacked from the side. The Persians had no room
to turn around or escape.
A trireme similar to those built by the Greeks
has been reconstructed and rowed. This has shown
us that it must have been difficult to hear
orders above the noise of the sea. A top speed of
10 miles an hour was possible.
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Pantheon
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Greek temples are found in two styles Doric
(left) on the mainland and in the Greek cities of
Italy, and Ionic (right) in the cities on the
coast of what is now Turkey. Notice the
difference in the decoration of the columns.
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Events
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Theories and Inventions