Dark and ArchaicLyric Age Greece1200 480 BCE

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Dark and Archaic/Lyric Age Greece1200 480 BCE
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Dark Age society

• Many small farming villages appear in Greece
• Trade drastically declines but doesnt disappear
• Greeks understand the ruined Mycenaean fortresses
  and tombs as the homes of heroes

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End of Dark Age

• Clans with best land become aristocrats
• Poor people fall into debt
• Greeks colonize much of the Mediterranean
  searching for good farming land, weak natives,
  and good harbors
• Trade with Phoenicians and colonies becomes
  important by 750 BCE
• Writing borrowed from Phoenicians before 750 BCE

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Dark Age Government

• King, Basileus acts as war-leader, priest,
  judge
• Advised by council of elders, Gerousia
• Assembly of able-bodied men called ecclesia
  could declare war or accept peace
• Laws thought to be divine, oracles, and worship
  of local heroes important

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Archaic Greece 750 480 BCE
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The world of the polis gradually emerged in
Greece
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Homer epic poetry

• Iliad ca. 700 BCE
• Stories derived from oral tradition
• Setting is the Dark Age
• Tells much about Dark Age society
• Only faint echoes of Mycenaean society
• Odyssey ca. 650 BCE
• Story about a fantastic voyage
• Quotes the Iliad
• Towns and trade important
• Setting is the early Archaic era

Hellenistic depiction of Homer according to
stereotypes of blind poets
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Lyric Poetry

• Important literary form from 650 450 BCE
• Short poems meant to be sung
• Accompanied by lyre, kythara (guitar), flute
• Very popular concerned feelings of the poet
• Content concerned love, athletes, politics,
  society
• Famous poets Archilochus, Sappho, Simonides,
  Pindar

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Archilochus ca. 630 BCE

• Wild fig tree of the rocks, so often feeder of
  ravens,
• Loves-them-all, the seducible, the strangers
  delight.
• I will make nothing better by crying,
• I will make nothing worse by giving myself what
  entertainments I can.

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Sappho b. ca. 612, Anaktoria
Some there are who say that the fairest thing
seen on the black earth is an array of horsemen
some, men marching some would say ships But I
say she whom one loves best is the loveliest.
Light were the work to make this plain to all,
since she, who surpassed in beauty all mortality,
Helen, once forsaking her lordly husband, fled
away to Troy-land across the water. Not the
thought of child nor beloved parents was
remembered, after the Queen of Cyprus won her at
first sight. Since young brides have hearts that
can be persuaded easily, light things, palpitant
to passion as am I, remembering Anaktoria who has
gone from me and whose lovely walk and the
shining pallor of her face I would rather see
before my eyes than Lydia's chariots in all their
glory armored for battle.
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Archaic social crisis

• Aristocrats replace kings in most towns by 700
  BCE
• Aristocrats own large farms
• Aristocrats rule through a small council
• Ownership of horses an important characteristic
• Commoners
• Own small farms or pasture lands
• Accept poor conditions
• flee to the colonies
• Attempt to change society
• Each city deals with these issues in its own way

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Warfare

• Aristocrats fought as cavalry from horseback
• Small farmers fought in the phalanx with heavy
  armor
• Poor acted as slingers
• Phalanx tended to dominate battle

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Phalanx

• Infantry formation in which soldiers stand
  shoulder to shoulder
• Each man carried a hoplos shield which covers him
  and the right side of the man to his left
• Spear the primary weapon
• Short sword secondary weapon
• Armor might include helmet, breast plate, shin
  guards
• Greeks fought barefoot until 4th century
• Phalanx derives its strength from internal
  cohesion, discipline, and bravery

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Hoplite in full armor
Chigi Vase earliest representation of phalanx,
dates to ca. 650 BCE
Breastplate ca. 650
Helmet of Miltiades
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Greeks founded more than four hundred colonies

• Facilitated trade among Mediterranean lands and
  people
• Spread of Greek language and cultural traditions
• Stimulated development of surrounding areas
• Colonists attempted to slaughter natives

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Greek Colonization
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Final Comments

• Polis firmly established in Greece by end of the
  Dark Age
• Archaic/Lyric Age society blossomed under Near
  Eastern stimuli
• Greece developed its own culture separate from
  Near Eastern Societies
• Through Homer and the lyric poets we can begin to
  engage Greeks as human beings