Ancient Greece and Rome, Unit 2: The First Greeks and Bronze and Iron Age Greece

An expanded version of my Classical Archaeology video on Bronze and Iron Age Greece. As mentioned in the video, there is some discussion as to what extent the Hittites and the Assyrians were impacted by the Indo-European migrations. The Assyrians did not speak an Indo-European language but their skill in warfare might be a remnant of the Indo-European migrations through Southeast Anatolia and Northwest Mesopotamia. The Hittites used the Mesopotamian cuneiform script but many elements of their culture, including their language and their culture’s emphasis on Equestrianism and warfare, seem to be of Indo-European origin. Lastly, there is some discussion of whether the Minoans were an Indo-European people. Genetic tests done on Minoan remains suggest that they have similar genetic profiles to people in Anatolia, Greece, and the larger Aegean basin. Indo-European peoples lived in the Aegean Basin, reaching Anatolia by ca. 3000s BCE and Greece by ca. 2500 BCE, although scholars