Early People of the Aegean

Around 1750 B.C., the Minoans built the first Greek civilization on the island of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Minoans were sea traders who traveled to Egypt and Mesopotamia. Through trade, they learned new ideas and technology. The Minoans adapted these new ideas to their own culture.

 

The Mycenaeans conquered Crete around 1400 B.C. and built a new civilization. The Mycenaeans were also sea traders. They traded with Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The Mycenaeans learned many skills, including writing, from the Minoans. They also learned from the Egyptians and Mesopotamians. They passed on these influences to the Greeks.

 

The Mycenaeans are best remembered for the Trojan War, which took place around 1250 B. C. In this war, the Mycenaeans defeated the trading city of Troy. Much of what we know about this period comes from reading the epic poems of Homer. An epic is a long poem that tells the story of a hero or heroes. The Iliad and the Odyssey gives us clues about the lives of the ancient Greeks. the poems have influenced writers and artists for almost 3,000 years.

 

Around 1200 B.C. sea raiders attacked the Mycenaeans. For the next 300 years, Greek civilization slowly declined.

 

Terms-

 

Epic- Long serious poem that tells story of a hero.

 

Civilization- Highly developed and organized society. It has cities, government, written language, arts, social class structure, etc..

 

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