1100 - 750 BC - Greek Dark
Ages |
| 1100-900 BC |
Sub-Minoan / Sub-Mycenaean Period and the Early
Iron Age (Protogeometric Period) |
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A period of severe economic and cultural
depression eventually gave way to ever-increasing recovery. Colonies
from mainland Greece and the nearby islands settled on the
west coast of Asia Minor and the north coast of the Aegean.
Strong trade links with the Near East were again established,
and there was a gradual increase in wealth. Craftsmanship
again became skilled. |
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- Protogeometric pottery shows a revolution in artwork
from Mycenaean art
|
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Politics |
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Kings ruled small areas
- Homer Odyssey,
7, p. 114. Homer describes the royal palace of King
Alcinous, Queen Arete, and Princess Nausicaa of Phaeacia.
Homer writes, "a kind of radiance, like that of the
sun or moon, lit up the high-roofed halls of the great king.
Walls of bronze, topped with blue enamel tiles, ran round...
The interior of the well-built mansion was guarded by golden
doors hung on posts of silver which sprang from the bronze
threshold."
Kings claimed descendence from Zeus
- Homer Iliad,
2, p. 42. Homer traces King Agamemnon's royal authority
back to Zeus.
- Homer Iliad,
2, p. 52-63. Homer lists the chieftains of the Trojans
and their accompanying armies and navies. He also
states their relationships with Zeus and the various gods.
|
900-750 BC |
Geometric Period |
| |
The population dramatically increased and proto-urban
life re-emerged, bringing with it overcrowding and political
tensions. The Greeks moved to new lands to the east and west
where they founded commercial trading posts and colonies.
Written language, lost with the passing of the Mycenaean civilization, re-emerged
with the adoption of the Semitic alphabetic script, encountered through contacts
with the Phoenicians. It is probably in this same period that the epic poems
of Homer, such as the Iliad, became widely known and were recorded. |
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- Geometric pottery (Dipylon style) contains complex decorations
 |
800 BC
|
Homer writes the Iliad |
776 BC
|
First Olympic Games held
 Model
of games complex at Olympia
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