Greek mythology is composed of many stories regarding the great Olympia n deities, demigods and heroes who shaped the beliefs and ritual observances of the ancient Greeks. One of the first ancestors of the Greek were the Mycenaean. These people settled in a larger territory of Greece. These settlers were extremely diverse, but they found common ground and began developing their own cultural norm and began calling themselves the Hellenes. The climate was impeccable with modest rainfall and constant sunshine, except for the fact that the land was hostile. Mineral ores, rivers and fertile land was extremely hard to find and the Aegean Sea did not have a lot of fish to harvest. One of the things that helped make the Hellenes so successful was the easy sailing waters of the Aegean Sea. There were many islands in the vicinity that prevented you from getting too far lost, and the distances to different locations were short. Their dedication to trade was what led them to be prosperous. They maintained relationships with other cultures which expanded their economy and allowed them to experience other cultures.

Sir Arthur Evans, a British archeologist, discovered the great palace of the legendary Greek king Minos on the island of Crete. This gave the name to the Minoa ns and led to the diverse culture that was deeply admired by the Greeks. They were extremely wealthy and had a taste for the finer things in life such as elaborate decorations. There are reasons to believe that they had very sufficient naval defense, and other ships that carried invaluable merchandise. Minoa ns invented a new writing system to keep better records of their activities. The Minoa n way of life was heavily admired by the Greeks.

These Minoa ns taught the Mycenaean a new way of life by introducing seafaring, commerce, writing and government. The Minoa ns way of life deeply influenced ancient Greek culture. Unfortunately, disaster struck Crete and the Minoa ns new way of life began to fade away. The Hellenes began to rise and dominate the Aegean.

The Mycenaean were extremely militaristic like their legendary, mythical king, Agamemnon. A tribal leader could create an entire mini kingdom for himself. These leaders governed through a centralized royal court made of military officers and bureaucrats. Commoners were almost free, and slaves worked on the land and tended to herds. Women wove, catered to children and took care of housely duties. During this time, they followed the Linear B tablets which consisted of grain rations, wine allowances, clothing and armor allotments. A lot of the larger kingdoms were big participants in mass manufacturing and so there was a really intense competition for materials to make these goods. This lead to constant conflict with other nations, and caused a strengthening of the Mycenaean military.

The Mycenaean age was soon overcome by the Aegean Dark Age. lndo­european groups were beginning to be invaded, which caused skepticism with the Mycenaean. They began to build up their fortifications to prevent invasions. Greece began to lose ninety percent of its population due to war, famine and disease. A popular poet name Homer, described different aspects of this "Dark Age" over Greece. Although, most of it wasn't factual, he really mourned the hard times and really romanticized about the past. He told ta les of heroes, powerful rulers and the era of violent gods. This gave the Mycenaean people hope from all the chaos that they were experiencing in their lives. Since Greece has the decrease in population, they created poleis to prevent famine in the communities. Polis was a word to describe themselves as the sustainers of their communities. To belong to one of these poleis gave people a sense of being a part of something larger than themselves.

The Greeks began to colonize in different regions and they established hundreds of them between 750 and 500 BCE. They had very few competitors in terms of commercial activity and they were able to maintain a stable population. The Greeks saw themselves as superior to other people so they didn't associate themselves much with outsiders, but they did keep contact with non-Greek neighbors. The need for a militarized polis for Greece was increasing during this time. They perfected the art of fighting in specifically trained units. All men fought in their polis's army and had to stay healthy and in shape. The Olympics is one example of the many things they used to emphasize on physical wellbeing. Being fit was compared to being more meaningful than just beauty. The use of these armies that were built up of commoners cause social dismay between the people. The kings had been pressured and the commoners were becoming more informed, no longer allowing the ruling class to dictate laws.

Ancient Greece's want to be masculine created a cult like society. This gave men more rights due to their need to keep the communities safe.

Women had a completely different role in Greece. While men were allowed to have sexual relations with whomever they please, woman were forced to keep their chastity before they were married. Women would be married off at young ages and were dependents of their husbands. They weren't to be seen in public a lone or else they would bring shame on their household and would be severely punished. Most homes were divided between male and female, and the female rooms were often locked with their husbands keeping the key. Even after marriage, women were used for child bearing and taking care of the home. Homosexuality was widely accepted at this time. It was seen as a unique privilege, boys around the ages of twelve and fifteen would be ta ken in by older mentors to guide them through the ways of their society. Sexual relations between these boys and their mentors was very common.

Lyric poetry began to break out in the Archaic Age and the authors really wanted to emphasize on their unique culture in war, love, justice and sensual delights.  Athenian democracy was created by Cleisthenes after the effects of Greece's first tyrant leader. The democracy was a result of the population growing tired of aristocratic authority. This government was made up of the citizens assembly. Cleisthenes reformed laws and systems allowing the general people to gain their power back. The strengthening and militarization of the city states of Greece increased the fear of Persia n invasion, but also strengthened the wisdom and reputation for Spartas military. Sparta was heavily disciplined and was romanticizes as a way of life. Philosophy was birthed on the western coast of Asia Minor in a place called Miletus and was heavily involved with Greek affairs. The first three real philosophers originated there. Philosophy is referred to as the love of wisdom, and the time period really emulates this want for knowledge.