Chapter 4 Section 1

1SECTION Step-by-Step 1 WITNESS HISTORY AUDIO
Instruction
Greek amphora, or storage pot, Zeus Kidnaps Europa
Objectives depicting the kidnapping of Europa
Europa, the beautiful daughter of the king of
As you teach this section, keep students Phoenicia, was gathering flowers when she saw a
focused on the following objectives to help bull quietly grazing with her father’s herds. The
them answer the Section Focus Question bull was actually Zeus, king of all the Greek gods,
and master core content. who had fallen in love with her. When Europa
reached up to place flowers on his horns, he
■ Identify the influences on Minoan suddenly bounded into the air and carried the
culture and how the civilization weeping princess far across the Mediterranean
prospered. Sea to the island of Crete. Eventually, Europa
married the king of Crete and gave her name to a
■ Summarize how Mycenaeans ruled the new continent—Europe.
sea trade and started the Trojan War.
Focus Question How did the Minoans and
■ Describe the works of Homer and their Mycenaeans shape early Greek civilizations?
influence on Greek culture.

Early People of the Aegean

Prepare to Read Objectives The island of Crete (kreet) was the cradle of an early civilization
that later influenced Greeks living on the European mainland.
Build Background Knowledge L3 • Identify the influences on Minoan culture and The people of Crete, however, had absorbed many ideas from the
how the civilization prospered. older civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Europa’s mythic
Ask students to share what they already journey from Phoenicia to Crete suggests this movement of ideas
know about Ancient Greece such as its • Summarize how Mycenaeans ruled the sea trade from east to west.
location, government, and art. and started the Trojan War.
Minoans Trade and Prosper
• Describe the works of Homer and their influence
on Greek culture. Washed by the warm waters of the Aegean (ee JEE un) Sea, Crete
was home to a brilliant early civilization. We do not actually know
Terms, People, and Places what the people who built this civilization called themselves. How-
ever, the British archaeologist who unearthed its ruins called
Set a Purpose L3 Knossos Trojan War them Minoans after Minos, a legendary king of Crete. Minoan civ-
shrine strait ilization reached its height, or greatest success, between 1600 B.C.
■ WITNESS HISTORY Read the selection fresco Homer and 1500 B.C.
aloud or play the audio.
Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas Create a The success of the Minoans was based on trade, not conquest.
AUDIO Witness History Audio CD, table like the one below. Then, use the table to Minoan traders set up outposts throughout the Aegean world.
Zeus Kidnaps Europa record the main ideas relating to the groups of From their island home in the eastern Mediterranean, they
people discussed in the section. crossed the seas to the Nile Valley and the Middle East. Through
Ask What type of story is this and contact with Egypt and Mesopotamia, they acquired ideas and
who are the main characters? (a Minoans Mycenaeans Dorians technology in fields such as writing and architecture that they
Greek myth; Zeus, Europa) Ask What adapted to their own culture.
do the dolphins represent? (the •• •
Mediterranean Sea) •• • Minoan Art at Knossos The rulers of this trading empire lived

■ Focus Point out the Section Focus in a vast palace at Knossos (NAHS us). It housed rooms for the
Question and write it on the board. royal family, banquet halls, and working areas for artisans. It also
Tell students to refer to this question included religious shrines, areas dedicated to the honor of gods
as they read. (Answer appears with and goddesses.
Section 1 Assessment answers.)

■ Preview Have students preview the
Section Objectives and the list of
Terms, People, and Places.

■ Reading Skill Have students use the Vocabulary Builder
Reading Strategy: Summarize work-
sheet. Use the information below and the following resources to teach the high-use word from this section.
Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 67; Teaching Resources, Skills Handbook, p. 3
Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 68

■ Have students read this High-Use Word Definition and Sample Sentence
section using the Structured Read eloquence, p. 116
Aloud strategy (TE, p. T21). As they n. a manner of speech that is vivid and persuasive
read, have students fill in the table The governor spoke with eloquence about the courage of the smoke jumpers
identifying the section’s main ideas. who fought the forest fire.

Reading and Note Taking
Study Guide, p. 36

114 Ancient Greece

Teach

Minoans Trade and L3
Prosper/Trade and War
in Mycenae

Instruct

The walls of the palace at Knossos were covered with colorful frescoes, Life Near the Sea ■ Introduce: Key Terms Have students
watercolor paintings done on wet plaster. These frescoes tell us much find the key term frescoes (in blue) in
about Minoan society. Leaping dolphins reflect the importance of the sea This detail from an ancient Minoan fresco the text, and explain its meaning.
to the Minoan people. Religious images indicate that the Minoans wor- decorates the wall of a house located on the Explain that although Minoans left no
shiped the bull as well as a mother goddess. Other frescoes show young Greek island of Thera. How do the scene written record, these plaster paintings
men and women strolling through gardens or jumping through the horns depicted above and the daggers below provide archaeologists with informa-
of a charging bull. The paintings also suggest that women appeared reflect the importance of the sea to the tion about Minoan society. Ask what
freely in public and may have enjoyed more rights than women in most Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations? archaeologists of the future might learn
other ancient civilizations. about our society from the pictures in
students’ rooms. Would the information
Minoan Civilization Disappears By about 1400 B.C., Minoan civili- be complete or accurate?

zation had vanished. Archaeologists are not sure of the reasons for its ■ Teach Compare and contrast the
disappearance. A sudden volcanic eruption on a nearby island may have Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations.
rained flaming death on Knossos. Or perhaps an earthquake may have Ask Where and when did each civi-
destroyed the palace, followed by an immense wave that drowned the lization flourish? (Minoan: the island
inhabitants of the island. However, it is certain that invaders played of Crete, from 1600 B.C. to 1500 B.C.;
some role in the destruction of Minoan civilization. These intruders were Mycenaean: Crete and the Greek main-
the Mycenaeans (my suh NEE unz), the first Greek-speaking people of land from 1400 B.C. to 1200 B.C.) Why
whom we have a written record. might these two civilizations be
important in the study of Ancient
How does the art at Knossos reflect Minoan culture? Greece? (Sample: They were the forerun-
ners of ancient Greece, lived in the same
area, and influenced later Greek society.)

Trade and War in Mycenae A Mycenaean dagger and sheath with inlaid Independent Practice
sea creatures, c. 1200 B.C.
Like the Aryans who swept into India, the Mycenaeans were an Indo- Have students create a Venn diagram
European people. They conquered the Greek mainland before overrun- that illustrates the similarities and dif-
ning the island of Crete. ferences between the Minoan and Myce-
naean civilizations.
Sea Trade Brings Wealth Mycenaean civilization dominated
Monitor Progress
the Aegean world from about 1400 B.C. to 1200 B.C. Like the
Minoans, the Mycenaeans were sea traders. They reached out As students fill in their tables, circulate
beyond the Aegean to Sicily, Italy, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. The to make sure they understand that both
Mycenaeans learned many skills from the Minoans, including the Minoans and Mycenaeans were sea
the art of writing. They, too, absorbed Egyptian and Mesopota- traders. For a completed version of the
mian customs, many of which they passed on to later Greeks. table see

The Mycenaeans lived in separate city-states on the mainland. In Note Taking Transparencies, 62
each, a warrior-king built a thick-walled fortress from which
he ruled the surrounding villages. Wealthy rulers amassed treasure,
including fine gold ornaments that archaeologists have unearthed
from their tombs.

Solutions for All Learners L2 English Language Learners Answers

L1 Special Needs L2 Less Proficient Readers Use the following resources to help students acquire Caption The fresco and the inlay on the dag-
basic skills: gers show scenes from the sea, thus the sea
Students may use the visuals in this section to learn more was of great importance to both civilizations.
about the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations. Have Adapted Reading and Note Taking The Knossos artwork illustrates the impor-
students describe the fresco on this page to a partner. Study Guide tance of the sea to the Minoan culture and
Then ask What can you tell about Minoan culture provides details of the culture’s daily life.
from this image? (Sample: It shows that Minoans ■ Adapted Note Taking Study Guide, p. 36
worked together to trade; they were seafarers; the ■ Adapted Section Summary, p. 37 Chapter 4 Section 1 115
clothing suggests that they lived in a hot climate.)

Homer and the Great L3 The Trojan War The Mycenaeans are best remem-
Legends of Greece
bered for their part in the Trojan War, which took
Instruct place around 1250 B.C. The conflict may have had its
origins in economic rivalry between Mycenae and
■ Introduce Tell students that Greek Troy, a rich trading city in present-day Turkey, that
civilization declined after the fall of controlled the vital straits, or narrow water pas-
Mycenae and the arrival of the sages, connecting the Mediterranean and Black seas.
Dorians. People even lost the ability to
write. Use the Idea Wave strategy (TE In Greek legend, however, the war had a more
p. T22) to have students brainstorm romantic cause. When the Trojan prince, Paris, kid-
what types of conditions today might naps Helen, the beautiful wife of a Greek king, the
send a civilization into a similar Mycenaeans sail to Troy to rescue her. For the next
decline? (Sample: nuclear war, eco- 10 years, the two sides battle until the Greeks finally
nomic collapse, tyranny) seize Troy and burn the city to the ground.

■ Teach Discuss the work of Homer and The Trojan Horse For centuries, most people regarded the Trojan
its influence on Greek civilization. Ask The story of the Trojan horse had great War as pure legend. Then, in the 1870s, a wealthy
What were the topics of the Iliad significance to ancient Greeks. The image of German businessman, Heinrich Schliemann (HYN rik
and the Odyssey and who wrote the horse was often used by Greek artisans SCHLEE mahn), set out to prove that the legend was
them? (The Iliad tells the story of the to decorate their work, such as this relief on rooted in fact. As Schliemann excavated the site of
Trojan War; the Odyssey tells of Odys- the neck of a tenth-century B.C. amphora. ancient Troy, he found evidence of fire and war dating
seus’ long voyage home after the war; Why do you think the ancient Greeks would to about 1250 B.C. Though most of the details remain lost in legend, mod-
both may have been the work of many memorialize the Trojan War in their art? ern scholars now agree that the Trojan War was an actual event.
people, though they are attributed to
Homer, a blind poet.) What might peo- Vocabulary Builder How did trade shape Mycenaean society?
ple today learn about the ancient eloquence—(EL uh kwens)
Greeks from these epic poems? (We n. a manner of speech that is vivid and Homer and the Great Legends of Greece
can get hints about daily life, ancient persuasive
warfare, religious beliefs, and the val- Not long after their victory over Troy, the Mycenaens themselves came
ues of the ancient Greeks.) under attack from sea raiders and also from another Greek-speaking
people, the Dorians, invading from the north. As Mycenaean power
Independent Practice faded, their people abandoned the cities and trade declined. People forgot
many skills, including the art of writing. From the end of the Mycenaean
Link to Literature To help students civilization about 1100 B.C. until about 900 B.C., Greek civilization
better understand the works of Homer, seemed to step backward.
have them read the excerpt from The
Odyssey and complete the worksheet. Much of what we know about the Trojan War and life during this
period comes from two great epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. These
Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 69 epics may have been the work of many people, but they are credited to
the poet Homer, who probably lived about 750 B.C. According to tradi-
Monitor Progress tion, Homer was a blind poet who wandered from village to village, sing-
ing of heroic deeds. Like the great Indian epics, Homer’s tales were
Check Reading and Note Taking Study passed on orally for generations before they were finally written down.
Guide entries for student understanding.
The Iliad, full as it is of gods, goddesses, and even a talking horse, is
our chief source of information about the Trojan War. At the start of the
poem, Achilles (uh KIL eez), the mightiest Greek warrior, has withdrawn
from battle because he has been unfairly treated and insulted by his
commander. The war soon turns against the Greeks, but Achilles stub-
bornly refuses to listen to pleas that he rejoin the fighting. Only after his
best friend is killed does Achilles return to battle.

The Odyssey tells of the many struggles of the Greek hero Odysseus
(oh DIS ee us) on his return home to his faithful wife, Penelope, after the
fall of Troy. On his long voyage, Odysseus encounters a sea monster, a race
of one-eyed giants, and a beautiful sorceress who turns men into swine.

The Iliad and Odyssey reveal much about the values of the ancient
Greeks. The heroes display honor, courage, and eloquence, as when
Achilles rallies his troops:

Answers Solutions for All Learners L2 English Language Learners

Trade brought wealth and prosperity in L1 Special Needs L2 Less Proficient Readers Ask them what they can tell about the writer and the
addition to contact with the ideas and skills culture of the writer for each epic listed. Then tell
of other cultures. However, trade also Tell students that much of what we know about the them that the Iliad and the Odyssey give us clues
brought conflict. Trojan War is from reading the epic poems of Homer. about how the ancient Greeks lived and show us the
Caption Sample: The war was a great triumph for Tell students that an epic is a long poem that tells the values they thought were important, such as honor
the Mycenaeans and memorializing it in art story of a hero or heroes. The term can also refer to a and courage.
glorified the event as well as the victors. great story of heroic adventures. Then ask students to
list stories of today that might be considered epics.
116 Ancient Greece

Primary Source Assess and Reteach

“ Every man make up his mind to fight Assess Progress L3
And move on his enemy! Strong as I am,
It’s hard for me to face so many men ■ Have students complete the
And fight with all at once. . . . Section Assessment.
”And yet I will!
—Homer, Iliad ■ Administer the Section Quiz.

For almost 3,000 years, the epics of Homer have inspired European writers Teaching Resources, Unit 1, p. 62
and artists.
■ To further assess student under-
What do Homer’s epics reveal about Greek culture? standing, use

Looking Ahead Progress Monitoring Transparencies, 14

After the Dorian invasions, the land of Greece passed several centuries Reteach
in obscurity. The people lived in small isolated villages and had few con-
tacts with the outside world. Over time they made the stories about If students need more instruction, have
Crete and Mycenae a part of their heritage, and they built upon the leg- them read the section summary.
acy of those and other civilizations to forge a new, Greek civilization.
When it emerged, this Greek civilization would not only dominate the Reading and Note Taking L3
region, it would ultimately extend the influence of Greek culture over Study Guide, p. 37
most of the Western world.
Adapted Reading and L1 L2

Note Taking Study Guide, p. 37

Spanish Reading and L2

Note Taking Study Guide, p. 37

Extend L4

See this Chapter’s Professional Develop-

Hero of the Odyssey ment pages for the Extend Online activity
Odysseus was admired for his cleverness.
Here, he outwits the siren, whose song lures on the ancient Olympics.
sailors to their doom. Odysseus fills his
crew’s ears with beeswax. Then, he has Answer
himself tied to the ship’s mast so he can
hear the siren’s song without endangering The epics provide glimpses into ancient
the ship or his crew. Greek life from 1100 B.C. to 800 B.C., and
continue to inspire writers and artists today.
1 Progress Monitoring Online
For: Self-quiz with vocabulary practice
Web Code: naa-0411

Terms, People, and Places Comprehension and Critical Thinking ● Writing About History
1. For each term, person, or place listed at
3. Determine Relevance How did trade Quick Write: Write a Thesis Statement
the beginning of the section, write a contribute to the development of the Review the section and think of how early
sentence explaining its significance. Minoan and Mycenaean cultures? people of the Aegean contributed to Greek
civilization. Write a thesis statement that
2. Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas 4. Draw Inferences What values of expresses your thought. Remember that a
Use your completed table to answer the the ancient Greeks are found in the thesis statement should provide the main
Focus Question: How did the Minoans poems of Homer? idea for an essay.
and Mycenaens shape early Greek
civilizations? 5. Demonstrate Reasoned Judgment
Do you think the epics of Homer are a
reliable source of information about
the history of the ancient Greeks? Why
or why not?

Section 1 Assessment 3. Sea trade meant that they traveled widely ● Writing About History
and acquired ideas and technology that
1. Sentences should reflect an understanding they could adapt to their own societies. Thesis statements should express the main
of each term, person, or place listed at the idea of their essay on the contributions of
beginning of the section. 4. They illustrate ancient Greek values such the Aegean civilization.
as honor, courage, and eloquence.
2. Early Aegean peoples had absorbed ideas For additional assessment, have students
from and adapted other cultures; they 5. Sample: The epics are probably not reli- access Progress Monitoring Online at
were sea traders; they were ruled by able in that they were passed on orally Web Code naa-0411.
kings; they worshipped many gods. These before they were written down, and may
traits formed a basis for early Greek have changed. However, it is likely that Chapter 4 Section 1 117
civilization. the stories hold some truth and can
provide details on ancient Aegean
civilizations.