Greek Dark Ages

Quick Facts: Who was Greek Dark Ages?

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Greek Dark Ages

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A period of decline and cultural transformation following the collapse of Mycenaean civilization.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Greek Dark Ages (c. 1180–800 BC) was a period in Ancient Greece that was characterized by the collapse of Mycenaean civilization, where the palaces and cities of the Mycenaeans were either destroyed, abandoned, or both. This period was part of the Late Bronze Age collapse, which affected much of the Eastern Mediterranean. At around the same time, the Hittite civilization in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) also suffered serious disruption and collapse, with cities such as Troy being destroyed. Moreover, in Egypt, the New Kingdom fell into disarray, leading to the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt. Following this mass destruction, there were fewer, smaller settlements, which suggests widespread famine and depopulation.

Career & Major Achievements

On the Greek mainland, the Linear B script, used by Mycenaean bureaucrats to write the Greek language, ceased to be used. The later Greek alphabet did not develop until hundreds of years later, in the beginning of the Protohistoric Iron Age, c. 800 BC. Mycenaean palaces began to come to an end around 1200 BC, and the process concluded decades later, due to internal tensions within the cities which rejected palatial authority and administration, patent in the disappearance of Linear B writing and palatial architecture. There were also conflicts, in the region of Boeotia, between Mycenaean polities like Orchomenos, Gla, and Thebes. Although Thebes and Eleon had an important reoccupation pattern even in Late Helladic IIIC Middle, c. 1170–1100 BC, when other minor sites around also began to rise, palaces had ceased to exist along with art and burial customs.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

On the other hand, in the island of Euboea, the site of Lefkandi grew up in an accelerated way in this Postpalatial period (1200–1050 BC) to become a preeminent place as it has a double bay with sea traffic. Additionally, evidence had emerged of the new presence of Hellenes in sub-Mycenaean Cyprus (c. 1100–1050 BC) and on the Syrian coast at Al-Mina. Greek-speaking people arrived in Cyprus in the late 13th to 11th centuries BC, but did not colonize the island, instead integrating into society as "economic and cultural migrants from the periphery to the core." There were four centres in the following Prehistoric or Early Iron Age (1050–800 BC), with more than 1000 residents: Lefkandi, Athens, Argos, and Knossos, which also featured sociopolitical complexity, hierarchies manifested locally though not in a wider area. The decoration on Greek pottery after about 1050 BC lacks the figurative decoration of Mycenaean ware and is restricted to simpler, generally geometric styles: Early Protogeometric (1050–1000 BC), Middle Protogeometric (1000–950 BC), Late Protogeometric (950 BC - 900 BC), Early Geometric (900 BC - 850 BC), and Middle Geometric (850–800 BC). Thomas R. Martin considers that between 950 BC and 750 BC, the Greeks relearned how to write, but using the alphabet of the Phoenicians instead of the Linear B script used by the Mycenaeans, innovating in a fundamental way by introducing vowels as letters.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1050: 1050 Milestone — " There were four centres in the following Prehistoric or Early Iron Age (1050–800 BC), with more than 1000 residents: Lefkandi, Athens, Argos, and Knossos, which also featured sociopolitical complexity, hierarchies manifested locally though not in a wider area.
2. 1100: 1100 Milestone — 1100–1050 BC) and on the Syrian coast at Al-Mina.
3. 1170: 1170 Milestone — 1170–1100 BC, when other minor sites around also began to rise, palaces had ceased to exist along with art and burial customs.
4. 1180: 1180 Milestone — 1180–800 BC) was a period in Ancient Greece that was characterized by the collapse of Mycenaean civilization, where the palaces and cities of the Mycenaeans were either destroyed, abandoned, or both.
5. 1200: 1200 Milestone — Mycenaean palaces began to come to an end around 1200 BC, and the process concluded decades later, due to internal tensions within the cities which rejected palatial authority and administration, patent in the disappearance of Linear B writing and palatial architecture.

Notable Quotes by Greek Dark Ages

“[T]he collapse of the political and economic system centered on the Mycenaean palaces provoked a climate of instability and insecurity...”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Greek Dark Ages

True or False: “The Greek Dark Ages saw the immediate development of the alphabet used for English.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The later Greek alphabet did not develop until hundreds of years later, in the beginning of the Protohistoric Iron Age, c. 800 BC.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Al-Kamil — Historical peer (Born in 1180) (1180): Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, known for defeating the Fifth Crusade.
• Emperor Go-Toba — Historical peer (Born in 1180) (1180): 82nd Emperor of Japan; reigned 1183–1198, known for political upheaval.
• Albertus Magnus — Historical peer (Born in 1200) (1200): A towering figure of medieval philosophy, science, and theology.
• Dōgen — Historical peer (Born in 1200) (1200): Founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan, known for zazen practice.
• Dominic de Guzmán — Historical peer (Born in 1170) (1170): Founder of the Dominican Order, a pivotal figure in medieval religious life.
• Fibonacci — Historical peer (Born in 1170) (1170): Pioneering Italian mathematician who popularized the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in the West.
• Abd al-Mu'min — Historical peer (Born in 1100) (1100): Founder and first Caliph of the powerful Almohad Caliphate.
• Alan Rufus — Historical peer (Born in 1100) (1100): Breton nobleman and kinsman of William the Conqueror, granted the Honour of Richmond.
• Guido of Arezzo — Historical peer (Died in 1050) (1050): Pioneering music theorist credited with developing modern staff notation.
• Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor — Historical peer (Born in 1050) (1050): Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, and pivotal figure in the Investiture Controversy.

Frequently Asked Questions about Greek Dark Ages