134 Outli7ies of Ejtropeati History define a political natio7i of the Greeks, but only the group of Greek-speaking peoples or states, often at war with one another as hostile nations. The most fatal defect in Greek character was the inability of these states to forget their local differences and jealousies and to unite into a common federation or great nation including all Greeks.^ QUESTIONS Section 20. Give an account of the Mediterranean : its shores, extent, climate, and the early food products. Discuss the incominj^ of metal in Europe, and the outgoing Stone Age. Did Europe as ,1 whole at once advance to high civilization t Where did the advance begin and under what influences? Give an account of the early ^gean and Asia Minor peoples. Who were the Hittites.? Where was their home? their capital (Fig. 59)? Who were the Trojans and where was their city ? Did the main- land or the islands lead the way in the first great advance of yEgean civilization? Where is Crete (read explanation of Fig. 87)? Under what influences did Cretan civilization advance ? Mention some ex- amples of this influence. What do you know of Cretan art ? Was it mere imitation of Egypt ? When did Cretan civilization culminate ? Sectiox 21. Where did Cretan civilization begin on the main- land? Did it spread throughout Greece? Give some account of civilization on the mainland of Greece when the Greeks came in. To what great race do the Greeks belong ? Whence did their ances- tors come? How did they enter Greece? Were they nomads or townsmen ? Who were two of the earliest Greek peoples in Greece ? What became of the old pre-Greek ^gean people of Greece? Have we found such a situation anywhere else.?- Whither did the Greeks next go? What now happened to Crete? Who were the Philistines? What ^gean lands did the Greeks finally hold? Section 22. Describe the transition of the Greeks from nomad to settled life. Describe their government and its different institu- tions. What problems did their new settied life create ? What about writing among them ? 1 We may recall here how slow were the thirteen colonies of America to suppress local pride sufficiently to adopt a constitution uniting all thirteen into a nation. It was local differences similar to those among the Greeks which after- ward caused our Civil War.
