Greek Civilization

The early development Greek Society:
Minoans - named after the legendary King Minos on the island of Crete.
Built lavish palaces throughout but most famous was the palace at Knossos.

 The Myceneaens followed the Minoans.  They are probably best known for the Trojan War which became the story immortalized in the Iliad and Odyssey.  The lessons from the stories became the foundation on which Greeks based their character.

The Greek polis was the unit of Greek civilization.  The most famous were Athens and Sparta.
While all were considered Greek, they had specific ways of running their society.