Geography of Greece:
Mountainous peninsula
- mountains cover 3/4
approximately 1400 islands in aegan and ionian seas
location shaped its culture
skilled sailors
poor natural resources
difficult to unite the ancient greeks because of terrain; developed small, independent communities
20% of land suitable for farming
fertile valleys cover 1/4 peninsula
because of geography the greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives
lack of resources most likely led to greek colonization
temperatures range from 48 in the winter to 80 in the summer

Mycenaeans
began around 2000 BC
mycenae locations is on rocky ridge and protected by 20 ft thick wall
mycenae kings dominated greece from 1600 - 1200 BC
- controlled trade in region
1400 BC mycenaeans invaded crete and absorbed minoan culture and language

culture in decline
around 1200 BC sea people began to invade mycenae and burnt palace after palace
dorians moved into war torn region
- far less advanced
- economy collapsed
- writing disappeared for 400 years

homer and myths
stories were passed by wird of mouth
homer lived at end of dark ages
recorded stories of trojan war in iliad and odyssey (750 - 700)
- trojan war was probably one of the last conquests of mycenaeans
- odyssey was 12 110 of dactylic hexameter