Ages of Greek

  • Minoans settled island of Crete

    • Developed sophisticated urban culture around 2700BC 

    • Considered to be first advanced civ in Europe

      • Palaces four stories high

    • Knossos: location of King Minos, labyrinth, half-man half-bull minotaur

    • Bull-jumping; non-violent bull fighting

  • Mycenaean civ around 1600BC

    • Writing system, Linear B, first evidence of emergence of Greek language & oldest written European language

    • Interactions w/ non-Greek civilisations of Anatolia across Aegean Sea may have inspired stories of the siege of Troy

    • 1500BC: island Thera (Santorini) destroyed in one of largest volcanic eruptions in human history 

      • “Greek Pompeii”

      • Inspiration for story of Atlantis? – Plato 

  • 1250-1180BC: catastrophic series of events

    • not well understood

    • natural catastrophes, drought/famine, rebellions, invasions

    • resulted in collapse/disappearance of Mycenaean civ along with other eastern civs except Egypt

Dark Ages  (1180 – 776 BC):

  • Few historical records; mostly archeological evidence

    • Iron replaces bronze

  • Dramatic population decline

  • Consisted of mostly small farming villages



  • Power of Mycenaean period + dark age chiefs = inspiration for Greek heroes of homer’s Iliad & Odyssey in later period

Archaic Age (776 – 480 BC):

  • Around 800BC; adopted Phoenician alphabet into Greek language

  • Rapid urbanisation; rise of the polis

    • Improving climate, better harvests led to population growth

    • Polis = city

    • Athens moves towards democracy (“demokratia”)

      • Demos “suburb”, turannos “absolute ruler”

  • Period of significant colonisation around Mediterranean

  • Tradition of Greek literature & storytelling is born

    • Epic poems of Homer; Iliad, the Odyssey (~8th century BC)

      • Earliest stories in European culture

      • Events surrounding and after siege of Troy by the Greeks

    • Development of Greek tragedy

    • Mythology of heroes (e.g. Hercules) and pantheon of gods

      • Greek pantheon, “Olympians” living atop Mount Olympus

      • Existed since bronze age

      • Oracle at Delphi consulted for centuries to come

  • 776 BC: Hosting of games of Olympus (today’s “Olympic games”)

    • Celebration of Zeus at his temple

  • Sculptures of human form start to appear more frequently

  • Archaeological evidence of sophisticated, durable black & red pottery

    • Plethora of insight into lives of ancient Greeks

  • Coinage in use in Anatolia around 650 BC

  • Development of Hoplite soldiers

    • Well-armoured spearmen fighting in well ordered, tightly formed ranks (“phalanx”)

Classical Age (480-336BC):

  • Conflict with expanding Persian empire (Persian Wars)

    • Battle of Marathon

    • Battle of Thermopylae

    • Battle of Salamis

    • Battle of Plataea; Greeks finally defeat Persians

  • Herodotus; first historian

    • First-hand written accounts

    • “father of history”

  • Golden age of Greek culture

    • Sophisticated sculptures; more realistic depictions of human forms

    • Revolution in Greek philosophy; based on rational thinking

      • Socrates, plato, Aristotle

    • Developments in architecture

      • 447 BC: Construction of Parthenon, temple of Athena, in Athens

      • Erection of amphitheaters

  • Uniquely characterised by self-governing “polis” 

    • Lack of centralised authority creates power conflicts

  • 431 – 400 BC: Peleponnesian War begins

    • Sparta challenges Athens (two leading powers)

      • Athens: democracy, focus on maritime trade & navy

      • Sparta: focus on land army, male citizens are highly-trained soldiers, enslavement of others

    • Ends in defeat of Athens & Athenian democracy

  • Followed by Theban hegemony (371 – 362 BC)

  • 338 BC: Battle of Chaeronea

    • Macedon seizes power & unites Greece for first time

    • Confederation of states; loss of the polis


Hellenistic Age (336-146 BC):

  • Macedonian kingdom

    • Innovated hoplite spears into sarissa spikes

    • Developed elite cavalry (cavalry + infantry); first shock cavalry in Europe

  • 336 BC: Alexander the Great assumes throne

    • Invasion of Persia

    • Battle of Issus

    • Siege of Tyre

    • Invasion of Persian Egypt; claims title of Pharaoh, leads to Ptolemaic Egypt, city of Alexandria

    • Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC)

    • Founds new cities Central Asia (e.g. Bactria n modern-day Afghanistan)

    • Failed invasion of India

  • Alexander dies aged 31 (323 BC)

    • Controversial legacy; 

  • Development of vast trade networks extending to India

  • Influence on cultures of Egypt, Palestine and Anatolia

    • Greek becomes common language

      • New Testament first written in Greek

    • Mathematical & scientific advances using Greek philosophical method

    • Great Library of Alexandria; contained all known written works

    • Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

  • Ends with Roman Conquest

    • 31 BC: Battle of Actium

      • Climax of rivalry between Rome & Greece

      • Octavian v. Cleopatra VII + Mark Antony

    • Octavian consolidates power in new Roman Empire; end of Roman Republic