Periods in Greek History

1. Periods in Greek History The 8 ages of Greece

2. Early Greece • The history of Greece can be traced back to the Stone age. • The first Greeks lived in caves and used tools of bone and flint. • They hunted bison and reindeer, and gathered wild plants.

3. The First Farmers • Before 6,000 B.C., farmers settled in eastern Greece. • They grew wheat and vegetables, while also herding sheep.

4. The Bronze Age (3,000-1,100 B.C.) • Archaeologists study the architecture, burial sites, and lifestyle artifacts of early Greeks to find clues about the Bronze Age. • The discovery of bronze came about by mixing copper and tin. They used bronze to make tools and weapons. • The discovery of bronze made farming and building easier.

5. Minoan age (2,000 B.C.-1,400 B.C.) • Minoans were the first European civilization on the island of Crete, the largest of the Greek islands. • The civilizations was named after the legendary king, Minos, and flourished around 2,000 B.C. • Much of what we know about the Minoans came from frescoes (wall paintings). • Minoans are remembered for their naval dominance and their exquisite palaces. The largest palace was on the island of Knossos.

6. Mycenaean Age (600-1,100 B.C.) • Known as a period of high cultural achievement. • Formed on the mainland of Greece. The people were named “Mycenaean” after the city Mycenae where archeologists first discovered evidence of this culture. • Based on archeological evidence, the Mycenaeans were warlike people. • Archeologists have unearthed royal tombs of gold, which shed light on Mycenaean beliefs, religious practices, and their way of life.

7. The Dark Ages (1,100-750 B.C.) • The Dark Ages is a period that falls between the fall of the Mycenaean civilizations and the re-adoption of writing in the 9th or 7th century B.C. • After the Trojan Wars, the Mycenaeans went through a period of civil wars. The country was weak and a people called Dorians took over. • During this time, the Greeks lost the art of writing, so they left no written records. • Little is recorded about the Greeks during these years from other civilizations around the world.

8. Archaic Greece (750- 500 B.C.) • Greek culture began to revive during this period. • Its mainland was made up of a collection of small city-states. • City-states such as Athens and Sparta thrived during this time. • Population grew and the Greeks increased their contact with other nations. • The age is defined by the development of art—specifically the style of pottery and sculpture. • Writing was once again reestablished, along with advances in political theory, early signs of democracy, and the culture of classical Greece.

9. Classical Period (500-336 B.C.) • For much of this time period, the city-states were dominated by the great city of Athens. • Athens reached its political height with the democracy (system of government where citizens govern themselves) under Athenian statesman Pericles. • Athens also reached it culture height with the building of the Parthenon on top of the acropolis.

10. Classical Period (500-336 B.C.) • The genre known as Greek tragedies was created during this time (ex. Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides). • Philosophy schools of Socrates and Plato were founded. • The classical period ended in a violent war between the city-states, which proved to be a devastation from which the city-states could not fully recover.

11. Hellenistic Period (323-146 B.C.) • The term “Hellenistic” refers to the time period of Greek history and culture after the death of Alexander the Great. • Hellenistic also refers to the period between the conquest of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great and the supremacy of the Roman Empire. • During this time period, Greek culture and learning was dominate in the Mediterranean civilizations and Asia Minor. • While conquering much of the known world at that time, Alexander the Great also spread Greek culture and knowledge.