Bronze Age (Minoan Age) (2000-1100 BCE) - AP European History

The Palace at Pylos (sometimes called the Palace of Nestor) is the most extensive, and best preserved, archaeological site of a Mycenaean palace. The palace had many different rooms, serving different functions like storage, bathing, hosting, and sewage.

The Minoan palaces were sites of localized control and organization as is seen in the use of the palaces for storage of resources. It is safe to assume that someone organized and controlled this process. The Minoans were presumed to have been governed by the legendary King Minos, hence the name given to the civilization by historians. The leadership of King Minos has been passed down in oral history. The Minoans had an extensive system of writing and examples of their hieroglyphic and Linear A script on clay tablets have been found in archeological digs. Unfortunately, their writings have yet to be fully interpreted. The Minoans were not overrun by the Mycenaean civilization rather they were in and engaged in a cooperative seafaring trade with the Mycenaeans.

The land of ancient Greece was not suitable for framing. It was stony and lacked fresh water for irrigation. Only a quarter of Greece consisted of tiny, fertile valleys suitable for farming. Thus, the Greeks needed a source of natural resources such as timber for building, precious metals for adornment of their cities and sources of arable land and food. Sea trade with other Mediterranean empires enabled them to easily trade and transport goods. The ancient Greeks were not interested in conquering other lands, having adventures or seeing other lands and cultures.

The Sea-Peoples were a loosely organized, disparate group of bandits and migrants. They emerged out of some unknown catastrophe in Mycenaean Greece. The Sea-Peoples repeatedly invaded the Hittite Empire and the New Kingdom of Egypt in the twelfth and eleventh centuries and contributed to the decline of both.

The aggressors in the Trojan War were the Mycenaean Greeks, who sailed across the Aegean Sea to invade the wealthy city of Troy (which was located in modern-day Turkey). The Mycenaeans were most likely motivated by the desire for plunder and personal gain (contrary to the popular account).

Homer is best known in the modern world for The Iliad and The Odyssey, so he would be the best choice. Ovid was the epic poet responsible for the Metamorphoses, but he was Roman, so he would not be the best choice. Virgil was also an influential Roman poet and he did not write the works in question, so he would not be a good choice. Lastly, Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge were both famous poets, but they lived many thousands of years after the works in question were written, so they would not be good answers.

Linear B was the written script of the Mycenaean Greeks. It fell into disuse in the immediate aftermath of the decline of the Mycenaean civilization. Linear B was a complicated script and was probably known only by a few, privileged palatial scribes. This helps explain why it was so hastily lost to history during the Greek Dark Ages.

The Oracle of Apollo (sometimes called The Oracle at Delphi) was built in northern Greece sometime during the Dark or Archaic ages. It was a place of worship and ceremony for the ancient Greeks. It, along with other oracles, served a very important purpose in Greek religious life. Political and military leaders sought the advice of the holy men who worked and lived at Delphi to try and determine whether the Gods favored the actions they had taken or were considering. Greek rulers would consult the Oracle, for example, before declaring war.

Archilochus is a seventh century BCE lyric poet. Archilochus was one of the most widely esteemed and beloved poets in ancient Greek society. He has been frequently credited (although not definitively) with the invention of the elegy.

According to legend, the Olympic games were instituted to celebrate the funeral games of Pelops, the grandfather of Agamemnon. Pelops was renowned for sport in mythology. He won his wife, Hippodameia, during a chariot race at nearby Pisa. He then instituted regular athletic contests during his reign. More generally, athletic competitions were typically held at early Greek funerals.

The ancient Greek term “kleos” is best translated as “glorious reputation.” It means something like, “What others hear being said about you.” It was of vital importance to the ancient Greeks of the Archaic Era and carried a similar sort of meaning as the word “honor” or “chivalry” in medieval European society. “Kleos” was the reason for doing heroic deeds and the motivation behind many “glorious” deaths in battle.

After the Second Messenian War, most Messenians were enslaved as helots. helots were bound to a stretch of land and forced to till the soil. A large portion of the harvest was given to the Spartans. Without a need to farm the soil themselves, the Spartans devoted all of their time to training for war.

The Trojan War is wrapped in mystery and legend. The finding of a domed citadel by Schliemann, that could have been seen by Homer in his time, proved that Troy did exist and appeared to have been destroyed in battle. The Trojan War Epics written by ancient writers, including Homer, in the first century BCE are based on oral tradition and the heroics and escapades of the Greek gods and goddesses. Virgil wrote the Aeneid to give the Roman Empire a sense of dynasty through its hero Aeneas, a Trojan soldier, who led his soldiers to Carthage before arriving in Rome to establish the Roman Empire. Virgil’s poem has a very loose relationship to the Trojan War as it is a work meant to inspire Romans. But it has no bearing on the Greek civilizations.

Agamemnon is the fictional king of the Greeks in Homer’s The Iliad. He leads the ancient Greek forces across the Aegean Sea and attacks the city of Troy.

Agamemnon was the fictional king of the ancient Greeks in Homer’s The Iliad. He starts the Trojan War after Helen of Troy, the wife of his brother Menelaus, elopes with Paris, the son of the Trojan king. There is some historical evidence to suggest that Agamemnon may have been a real person, but general historical consensus is that he was a fictional creation of Homer’s, based on a semi-mythological figure who lived in the fourteenth century BCE.

Hercules performed the Ten Labors and famously wore the skin of the Nemean Lion, so he would be the best choice. Apollo was the god of music and medicine - not a hero at all - so he would not be a good choice. Perseus and Jason were both Greek heroes of great renown but they did not perform the Ten Labors, so they would not be good answers. Lastly, Paris of Troy played an important role in The Iliad but he did not perform the Ten Labors, so he would not be a good choice either.

The Homeric epics (The Iliad and The Odyssey) were written during the waning years of the Greek Dark Ages or at the beginning of the Archaic Era (depending on how you define these periods). The Homeric epics tell the tale of a war that took place during the Mycenaean Era, but they nonetheless reflect the social values that were present at the time of writing, during the Greek Dark Ages. This is why the Homeric epics feature such an emphasis on honor and noble behavior.

Aeschylus is most famous for his contributions to drama. He is one of the most famous tragedians in ancient Greek history and his plays are the earliest surviving examples of Greek tragedy. His most famous work is Oresteia.

Theognis of Megara is a well-known Greek poet from the Archaic Era. It is not known exactly when he lived, but general historical consensus seems to fall around the sixth century BCE. Theognis wrote extensively (and poetically) on the nature of class struggles and the formation of city-states during his time period.