THE GREEK RENAISSANCE

                   

 

When people think of Ancient Greece, images of philosophers such as Plato and Socrates often come to mind, as do great warriors like Pericles and Alexander the Great.  But hundreds of years before Athens became a city, Greek cultured and spread its tentacles throughout the western Mediterranean region via traders and warfare.  Scholars have called this pre-Classical Greek culture the Mycenaean culture which existed from 2000-1200 BC. 

 

When Greece, along with much of the eastern Mediterranean was thrust into centuries-long Dark Ages.  Before the Mycenaean civilization collapsed, it was a vital part of the Bronze age,   Mediterranean system, and stood on equal footing with some of the great powers of the region, such as the Egyptians and the Hittites.

 

The Greek Dark Ages, sometimes referred to as the Homeric Age or Geometrical Period, span the era of Greek history from the end of the Mycenaean civilization around 1100 BC, and the emergence of the Greek poleis, in the 9^th century BC, it is a period that has provided little archaeological evidence which explains the term “Dark Ages”. But this lack of evidence has let archaeologists and historians to make the very great assumption that little of significance has been done these last 200 years.  Instead, they saw it as a hiatus between the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization and the emergence of Archaic Greece.   But during these Dark Ages, they were many changes such as the use of iron and bronze and some religious practices continued to be observed.

 

Furthermore, enough remained to form the basis of a recovery in economic, cultural, and artistic aspects of life in the later stage of the era.  Changes necessitated in the collapse of the economic system, certainly paved the way for the rise of the poleis, which would prove so fundamental in Greece in the centuries that followed.   The relative success of the Aegean settlements was so crucial to recovery, as well as all major developments in politics, economics, international relations, warfare, and culture, that created the structure and framework that developed the later Classical period (480-323 BC).

This led to the groundwork of the Greek Renaissance of the 8^th century.  During that time the Greek alphabet was developed and the earliest surviving Greek literature was composed, while in terms of art, architecture, sculpture, and red-figured pottery began to appear to be changed significantly for the best.  Also in warfare new weapons were discovered for the infantry.  But none of these developments could have occurred during what came to be known as the Greek Renaissance.

 

The Greek Renaissance:  The History and heroes of the period leading to Greece’s Archaic Age, examines this crucial time, what life was like during this time, and how it facilitated the rise of the poleis.  Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Greek Renaissance as never before.    

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