1 - 6 of 6 Posts

kcixcy

Active member
I get a bit confused about the influences and relationship between these two civilizations. How did they impact eachother?
 
I don't know much, but I do know that there is evidence on Crete from the Minoan excavations that the Minoans had trade contact with Ancient Egypt. Some goods of Egyptian origin have been found at dig sites.
 
I don't know much, but I do know that there is evidence on Crete from the Minoan excavations that the Minoans had trade contact with Ancient Egypt. Some goods of Egyptian origin have been found at dig sites.
This is from a blog post that I found "Egyptians and Greeks are known to have been in contact already in the 2nd millennium BC, though we don’t know much about it. The picture becomes clearer from about 600BC, when the sea-faring Greeks were frequent visitors to Egypt. Some of it was for trade (there was a Greek trading-base at Naucratis in Egypt from about this time), some of it was about military services, and some of it was probably just sightseeing. By the 5th– 4th centuries BC Greek intellectuals had a pretty good idea of Egyptian culture." https://blog.oup.com/2016/04/greek-egyptian-interactions-literature/
 
This is from a blog post that I found "Egyptians and Greeks are known to have been in contact already in the 2nd millennium BC, though we don’t know much about it. The picture becomes clearer from about 600BC, when the sea-faring Greeks were frequent visitors to Egypt. Some of it was for trade (there was a Greek trading-base at Naucratis in Egypt from about this time), some of it was about military services, and some of it was probably just sightseeing. By the 5th– 4th centuries BC Greek intellectuals had a pretty good idea of Egyptian culture." https://blog.oup.com/2016/04/greek-egyptian-interactions-literature/
This is interesting, thank you for sharing this!
 
  • Like
Reactions: kcixcy
There might be some information in this article?

 
I don't know much, but I do know that there is evidence on Crete from the Minoan excavations that the Minoans had trade contact with Ancient Egypt. Some goods of Egyptian origin have been found at dig sites.
Good! At the same time, look closely at the Egyptian art-works in chamber-tombs. Many statuettes that protect royal sarcophagi are clearly of Caucasian females or spirits. Many wall-painted females are Caucasian and are attired in Minoan style. Painted male dignitaries are skin-bronzed but not negroid. The painted negroid people are either soldiers or house-maids. All this abolishes the myth that an African is a negroid person. The very face of the Sphynx is Caucasian. We need to rewrite the history of Egypt. Herodotus recorded what some people used to believe, not an empirical ethnology/
 

Greek life under Roman rule?

I’ve been reading more about Greek history lately, especially periods that don’t get as much everyday attention, and I keep coming back to Greek life under Roman Empire rule.

I know the broad timeline, Greece absorbed into the Roman world, cities continuing to function, Greek culture influencing Rome as much as the other way around — but I’m really curious about the lived experience. What did daily life actually feel like for ordinary Greeks during this period? How much continuity was there with earlier Hellenistic life, and where did Roman administration, law, or customs really change things?

I love history most when I can picture it: streets, homes, education, food, language, religion. Were people aware they were living in a “Roman” era, or did it feel like Greek life with a new layer on top?

If anyone has thoughts, favorite books, articles, documentaries, or even museum resources, I’d love recommendations.

Fall of the City States (Polis)

I’ve been reading more about ancient Greek history lately, and something struck me — we always hear about the rise of the polis and how important city-states like Athens and Sparta were, but I don’t see as much discussion about how that system actually declined.

What led to the fall of the polis as the dominant structure in Greek life? Was it mainly due to constant warfare like the Peloponnesian War, or did larger powers like Macedon gradually make the independent city-state model obsolete?

I’m especially curious about whether this was a sudden shift or more of a slow transition over time. Did people living through it even realize the polis era was ending?

I’d love to gather more insight on this. Greek history is a big interest of mine, and this feels like an important piece I haven’t fully understood yet.

Period of Greek History You Find the Most Fascinating?

One of the things I love most about visiting Greece is how layered the history feels. You can be standing in one place and realize people have been living there for thousands of years across completely different eras.

So far, I’ve been especially drawn to Minoan history, places like Knossos really stayed with me, and also sites connected to the New Testament. Visiting locations tied to early Christianity adds a whole different dimension to travel for me.

Lately I’ve been thinking about planning future trips around specific historical periods, but Greece has so many that it’s hard to know where to focus next. Ancient classical sites, Byzantine monasteries, Ottoman-era towns, Venetian fortresses, it’s almost overwhelming in a good way.

I’d love to hear what periods of Greek history you personally find most fascinating, and why. Are there particular places that really brought that era to life for you? I’m looking for inspiration for future exploring.

Analyzing Greece in World War I

I recently got into a discussion with some family members about Greece’s role in World War I, and it made me realize I don’t fully understand what happened.

From what I gather, Greece was pretty divided at the time, especially between King Constantine I and Eleftherios Venizelos, but I’m a little unclear on how that actually played out in terms of alliances and decisions.

Was Greece officially neutral at first? And how did it eventually end up joining the war on the Allied side?

I’ve also heard the term “National Schism” come up in this context—how significant was that in shaping Greece’s involvement?

If anyone has a clear way of explaining this period, or can point out the key events to focus on, I’d really appreciate it. It feels like an important piece of history I should understand better.

How Democratic Was Athenian Democracy?

I’ve been studying the democracy of Athens lately, and I find it fascinating that such an influential system didn’t actually last very long in its original form. It’s often described as the birthplace of democracy, and yet when you look closely, it seems both groundbreaking and limited at the same time.

On the one hand, the idea of citizens participating directly in decision-making was radical. On the other hand, citizenship excluded women, enslaved people, and foreigners, which dramatically narrowed who had a voice. It makes me wonder how “democratic” it really was by its own standards, let alone ours.

I’m also curious how stable it truly felt at the time, given the political upheavals and eventual decline.

For those who’ve studied this period more deeply, how do you interpret Athenian democracy? Do you see it as a bold experiment that laid the groundwork for modern systems, or as something far more fragile and constrained?
Share and discuss Greek history!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top