Greece before the Greeks
Geography: very few flat terrain (30%), lots of mountains (gave way to large cavalry),
20% of land considered “good” farmland, does not support a large population; Anatolia
held large population of Greeks on the coasts
Food: wheat, wine, olives, fish (tuna), some supplemental meats (lamb)
Franchthi Cave – an early civilization before Greeks
5th millennium BCE – more permanent dwellings created, including storage and
housing for animals
Megaron – building that has projecting walls and a covered porch with a backroom on
the inside, shows up later down Greece history; represents a public/royal/religious
building; is the archetype for the more famous buildings later
Sesklo – maternal figures make an early appearance, pottery is also popular but takes
the facade of basket weaving (did become uninhabited)
Dimini – town near Sesklo, developed more sophisticated fortifications with fences
surrounding layers of living buildings (citadel structures), had another megaron within
the fortifications; a farming community with domesticated animals (did become
uninhabited)
Early Bronze Age (3200-2700 BCE): Universal Decline (Greece)
Early Bronze Age II (2700-ca. 2350 BCE), Characteristics:
● Increased use of copper
● Appearance of Bronze (copper + tin)
○ Tine: Afghanistan, Anatolia, Spain, Britain
● Decline in Northern Settlements
● Increase in Southern Settlements, ex. Lerna
● Flourishing
Lerna: massive fortification (double defensive) wall, large palace-like structure (2
floors, doors with hinges) inside & lasted for several hundred years with a sudden
collapse; new people have arrived based on the destruction of previous monuments
,Apsidal – a building with a round aps at the back, familiar in the north but show up later
in the south
Archaeological evidence that points to the replacement of the inhabitants previous to
Greeks involves words such as Hyacinthos, Minthos, Terebinthos, Corinthos,
Parnassos, Melissa, Thalassa, etc.
● Recent research indicates that over time the farmers that showed up
out-competed the previous farmers
Bronze Age Crete: Minoans
● The Legend of Theseus and the Minotaur
● Thucydides on Minos’ thalassocracy – determined that based on the number of
things (harbors, shipsheds,etc.) around Crete there must have been a “sea
power” in Crete
● Plato on Minos as a wise counselor
● Knossos inhabited into Classical Era – issued coins with designs, enough
evidence to prove legends weren’t entirely based on imagination
● Archeology of Crete: some humans arrived on the islands by 7000 BCE; Palatial
Culture around 2000-1375 BCE becomes more complex in buildings and
economics
○ Phase 1: 2000 BCE - 1700 BCE, Old Palace Culture (destroyed by a volcanic
eruption & tsunamis) called Agglutinative
○ Phase 2: 1650 - 1450 BCE, New Palace Culture (planned) (ended due to an
invasion)
○ Phase 3: 1450-1375 (Knossos) Mycenaean takeover (Greeks took over all
territory and operated out of Knossos, information from Greek tablets)
● Economy:
○ Local: Redistributive (Sources ABC send to Palace, Palace redistributed to
jobs within the palace)
○ Daily Life: Mediterranean Triad of Grain, Olive Oil, and Grapes as well as
greens and meat (fish, pork, beef, goat, mutton)
○ Import: Raw materials (bronze, lapis lazuli), linen, luxury items
○ Export: wool, olive oil, timber, luxury items (swords, jewelry)
● Record Keeping
○ Pictographic / Hieroglyphic (Phaistos Disk, 1700 BCE)
○ Linear A Script (Minoan, 1700-1450 BC)
■ Repetition of symbols, not fully deciphered
■ In use at Knossos during this time (found around 1650)
○ Linear B Script (Greek, 1450-1375 BC)
■ Sir Arthur assumed it was Minoan, but it was actually an early form
of Greek and able to decipher some of it
, ■ Has determinative characters for specific items
● Power & Governance
○ Men appear dark-skinned while women appear light-skinned in paintings
○ “Bull-Leapers”
○ Thalassocracy
○ Hierarchical Society
○ Redistributive Economy
○ Complex Import-Export Business (Linear A)
○ Central Administrative Control from Knossos
○ Highly Religious (Peak, Cave, and Tree Shrines)
● Mycenaeans ended Minoan Society except as preserved in heroic tales
● Minoans were not a completely peaceful people as interpreted by some
Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) – “Discoverer” of the Minoan Culture
● Found seal stones at a shop, found that people were digging in an area which was
excavating these stones which Evans originally was using to decorate his
retirement house in Crete; bought the right to dig the site and recorded the
objects he found fairly well – found evidence of the civilization
Bronze Age Greece: The Martial Mycenaeans
● Nomadic Migrations of 2000-1000 BC; dry spell caused temporary collapse of
cities in Mesopotamia, people began to migrate to other parts of the world
● Chariots make an appearance over time; stems from nomadic farmers who
invented the technology
● Greek speaking people showed up during these migrations and overtook areas
like Lerna which became parts of Ancient Greece later on
● Spread of the indo-european language followed with the Greeks into Greece
Phases of Mycenaean History:
● Broad Scope: 2350-1100 BCE
○ Phase 1: 2350-1600: Arrival, settlement in waves (?)
○ Phase 2: 1600-1500: Shaft graves used, mainland sites, wealth begins to
accumulate
○ Phase 3: 1500-1450: Conquest of Minoan Crete, established themselves
○ Phase 4: 1450-1375: Mycenaean rule at Knossos
○ Phase 5: 1375-1225: Height of Mycenaean power (Rise of palace system on
mainland)
○ Phase 6: 1225-1200/1175: War (with Troy…?); invasion and destruction of
mainland sites
○ Phase 7: 1200/1775-1100: the collapse of the Myceneaen Kingdoms
● Heinrich Schliemann (1882-1891) “Father of Bronze Age Archaeology”
, ● The site of Ancient Troy was once right on the coast of the sea, but the sea level
has since gone down leaving Troy miles away
○ Shaft Graves Phase 1: no fixed items, relatively poor burials
○ Shaft Graves Phase 2: elite men buried with weapons received full
offensive panoply PLUS jewelry, precious vessels, diadems
○ Shaft Graves Phase 3: elite men buried with swords and daggers only plus
gold masks and seals
● Xoanoal (?)
Kingdoms in Late Bronze Age Greece
● Tiryns & Mycenae strong kingdoms in this time
○ Mycenae able to build massive stone walls (Greeks later believed walls
were built by Cyclops)
○ Built right on top of a fault line
Theories for Destruction of Mycenaean Sites
● Traditional: Dorian Invasion, Return of Heraklidai
● Recent I: Sea People Invasion (postulated 1901), “Denyen, Ekwesh, Peleset”
(Danaans, Ahhiyawa-Achaeans, Philistines, etc.), Homeric Nostoi: Greeks invade
Nile Delta (From Eric Cline Video & Book 1177)
● Recent II: Slave / Serf uprising (masters at Troy), Internal Economic Collapse,
Homer Nostoi: Agamemnon’s overthrow (From Eric Cline)
● Current: Multiple Causes in a major systems collapse (Eric Cline)
Conclusion: there is no single, obvious cause for the collapse, but a “perfect
storm” of climactic, geographic, and human catastrophes that played out over a
century
1. Collapse of central administrative organization
2. Disappearance of traditional elite class (Linear C)
3. Collapse of centralized economy
4. Settlement shift and population decline
Sub-Mycenaean / Early Iron Age Evidence for Collapse:
● 75% of Mycenaean sites abandoned
● Increase of meat consumption (11% → 40%)
● Drastic reduction in”
○ Material wealth
○ Technology
○ Imports
○ Literacy (palace scribes / literate elites)
■ No new written docs for the next 400 yrs, except for in Linear C
Geography: very few flat terrain (30%), lots of mountains (gave way to large cavalry),
20% of land considered “good” farmland, does not support a large population; Anatolia
held large population of Greeks on the coasts
Food: wheat, wine, olives, fish (tuna), some supplemental meats (lamb)
Franchthi Cave – an early civilization before Greeks
5th millennium BCE – more permanent dwellings created, including storage and
housing for animals
Megaron – building that has projecting walls and a covered porch with a backroom on
the inside, shows up later down Greece history; represents a public/royal/religious
building; is the archetype for the more famous buildings later
Sesklo – maternal figures make an early appearance, pottery is also popular but takes
the facade of basket weaving (did become uninhabited)
Dimini – town near Sesklo, developed more sophisticated fortifications with fences
surrounding layers of living buildings (citadel structures), had another megaron within
the fortifications; a farming community with domesticated animals (did become
uninhabited)
Early Bronze Age (3200-2700 BCE): Universal Decline (Greece)
Early Bronze Age II (2700-ca. 2350 BCE), Characteristics:
● Increased use of copper
● Appearance of Bronze (copper + tin)
○ Tine: Afghanistan, Anatolia, Spain, Britain
● Decline in Northern Settlements
● Increase in Southern Settlements, ex. Lerna
● Flourishing
Lerna: massive fortification (double defensive) wall, large palace-like structure (2
floors, doors with hinges) inside & lasted for several hundred years with a sudden
collapse; new people have arrived based on the destruction of previous monuments
,Apsidal – a building with a round aps at the back, familiar in the north but show up later
in the south
Archaeological evidence that points to the replacement of the inhabitants previous to
Greeks involves words such as Hyacinthos, Minthos, Terebinthos, Corinthos,
Parnassos, Melissa, Thalassa, etc.
● Recent research indicates that over time the farmers that showed up
out-competed the previous farmers
Bronze Age Crete: Minoans
● The Legend of Theseus and the Minotaur
● Thucydides on Minos’ thalassocracy – determined that based on the number of
things (harbors, shipsheds,etc.) around Crete there must have been a “sea
power” in Crete
● Plato on Minos as a wise counselor
● Knossos inhabited into Classical Era – issued coins with designs, enough
evidence to prove legends weren’t entirely based on imagination
● Archeology of Crete: some humans arrived on the islands by 7000 BCE; Palatial
Culture around 2000-1375 BCE becomes more complex in buildings and
economics
○ Phase 1: 2000 BCE - 1700 BCE, Old Palace Culture (destroyed by a volcanic
eruption & tsunamis) called Agglutinative
○ Phase 2: 1650 - 1450 BCE, New Palace Culture (planned) (ended due to an
invasion)
○ Phase 3: 1450-1375 (Knossos) Mycenaean takeover (Greeks took over all
territory and operated out of Knossos, information from Greek tablets)
● Economy:
○ Local: Redistributive (Sources ABC send to Palace, Palace redistributed to
jobs within the palace)
○ Daily Life: Mediterranean Triad of Grain, Olive Oil, and Grapes as well as
greens and meat (fish, pork, beef, goat, mutton)
○ Import: Raw materials (bronze, lapis lazuli), linen, luxury items
○ Export: wool, olive oil, timber, luxury items (swords, jewelry)
● Record Keeping
○ Pictographic / Hieroglyphic (Phaistos Disk, 1700 BCE)
○ Linear A Script (Minoan, 1700-1450 BC)
■ Repetition of symbols, not fully deciphered
■ In use at Knossos during this time (found around 1650)
○ Linear B Script (Greek, 1450-1375 BC)
■ Sir Arthur assumed it was Minoan, but it was actually an early form
of Greek and able to decipher some of it
, ■ Has determinative characters for specific items
● Power & Governance
○ Men appear dark-skinned while women appear light-skinned in paintings
○ “Bull-Leapers”
○ Thalassocracy
○ Hierarchical Society
○ Redistributive Economy
○ Complex Import-Export Business (Linear A)
○ Central Administrative Control from Knossos
○ Highly Religious (Peak, Cave, and Tree Shrines)
● Mycenaeans ended Minoan Society except as preserved in heroic tales
● Minoans were not a completely peaceful people as interpreted by some
Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) – “Discoverer” of the Minoan Culture
● Found seal stones at a shop, found that people were digging in an area which was
excavating these stones which Evans originally was using to decorate his
retirement house in Crete; bought the right to dig the site and recorded the
objects he found fairly well – found evidence of the civilization
Bronze Age Greece: The Martial Mycenaeans
● Nomadic Migrations of 2000-1000 BC; dry spell caused temporary collapse of
cities in Mesopotamia, people began to migrate to other parts of the world
● Chariots make an appearance over time; stems from nomadic farmers who
invented the technology
● Greek speaking people showed up during these migrations and overtook areas
like Lerna which became parts of Ancient Greece later on
● Spread of the indo-european language followed with the Greeks into Greece
Phases of Mycenaean History:
● Broad Scope: 2350-1100 BCE
○ Phase 1: 2350-1600: Arrival, settlement in waves (?)
○ Phase 2: 1600-1500: Shaft graves used, mainland sites, wealth begins to
accumulate
○ Phase 3: 1500-1450: Conquest of Minoan Crete, established themselves
○ Phase 4: 1450-1375: Mycenaean rule at Knossos
○ Phase 5: 1375-1225: Height of Mycenaean power (Rise of palace system on
mainland)
○ Phase 6: 1225-1200/1175: War (with Troy…?); invasion and destruction of
mainland sites
○ Phase 7: 1200/1775-1100: the collapse of the Myceneaen Kingdoms
● Heinrich Schliemann (1882-1891) “Father of Bronze Age Archaeology”
, ● The site of Ancient Troy was once right on the coast of the sea, but the sea level
has since gone down leaving Troy miles away
○ Shaft Graves Phase 1: no fixed items, relatively poor burials
○ Shaft Graves Phase 2: elite men buried with weapons received full
offensive panoply PLUS jewelry, precious vessels, diadems
○ Shaft Graves Phase 3: elite men buried with swords and daggers only plus
gold masks and seals
● Xoanoal (?)
Kingdoms in Late Bronze Age Greece
● Tiryns & Mycenae strong kingdoms in this time
○ Mycenae able to build massive stone walls (Greeks later believed walls
were built by Cyclops)
○ Built right on top of a fault line
Theories for Destruction of Mycenaean Sites
● Traditional: Dorian Invasion, Return of Heraklidai
● Recent I: Sea People Invasion (postulated 1901), “Denyen, Ekwesh, Peleset”
(Danaans, Ahhiyawa-Achaeans, Philistines, etc.), Homeric Nostoi: Greeks invade
Nile Delta (From Eric Cline Video & Book 1177)
● Recent II: Slave / Serf uprising (masters at Troy), Internal Economic Collapse,
Homer Nostoi: Agamemnon’s overthrow (From Eric Cline)
● Current: Multiple Causes in a major systems collapse (Eric Cline)
Conclusion: there is no single, obvious cause for the collapse, but a “perfect
storm” of climactic, geographic, and human catastrophes that played out over a
century
1. Collapse of central administrative organization
2. Disappearance of traditional elite class (Linear C)
3. Collapse of centralized economy
4. Settlement shift and population decline
Sub-Mycenaean / Early Iron Age Evidence for Collapse:
● 75% of Mycenaean sites abandoned
● Increase of meat consumption (11% → 40%)
● Drastic reduction in”
○ Material wealth
○ Technology
○ Imports
○ Literacy (palace scribes / literate elites)
■ No new written docs for the next 400 yrs, except for in Linear C
