HISTORY
ARTISTIC & CULTURAL LEGACIES
1100 BC
The Dorians overrun
the Mycenaean cities in
Crete. They reorganise
the political system,
dividing society into
classes. A rudimentary
democracy replaces
monarchical
government.800–700 BC
Homer composes
the ‘Iliad’ and the
‘Odyssey’ around this
time. The two epic
poems are Greece’s
earliest pieces of
literary art, and are
still praised for their
poetic genius.Geometric & Archaic Ages
TheDorians were an ancient Hellenic people who settled in the Pelopon-
nese by the 8th century BC. In the 11th or 12th century BC these warrior-
like people fanned out to occupy much of the mainland, seizing control
of the Mycenaean kingdoms and enslaving the inhabitants. The following
400-year period is often referred to as Greece’s ‘dark age’, however in their
favour the Dorians introduced iron and developed a new intricate style
of pottery, decorated with striking geometric designs. Signifi cantly they
were to introduce the practice of polytheism (the worship of many gods),
paving the foundations for Zeus and his pantheon of 12 principal deities.
During the following Archaic period, about 1000–800 BC, Greek cul-
ture developed rapidly; many of the advancements in literature, sculp-
ture, theatre, architecture and intellectual endeavour began. This revival
overlapped with the Classical age (the two eras are often classifi ed as the
Hellenic period). Advances included the Greek alphabet, the verses of
Homer (the ‘Odyssey’ was possibly the world’s fi rst epic work of litera-
ture), the founding of the Olympic Games (p 714 ), and central sanctuaries
such as Delphi. These common bonds gave Greeks a sense of national
identity and intellectual vigour.
By about 800 BC Greece had been divided into a series of independent
city-states, the most powerful being Argos, Athens, Corinth, Elis, Sparta
and Thiva (Thebes). Most abolished monarchic rule and aristocratic mo-
nopoly, establishing a set of laws that redistributed wealth and allowed
the city’s citizens to regain control over their lands.THE OLYMPIA OLYMPICSThe Olympic tradition emerged around the 11th century BC as a paean to Zeus, in the
form of contests, attended initially by notable men – and women – who assembled
before the sanctuary priests and swore to uphold solemn oaths. By the 8th century
attendance had grown from a wide confederacy of city-states, and the festival morphed
into a male-only major event lasting fi ve days at the site of Olympia. First prize might
have been a simple laurel wreath, but it was the esteem of the people that most mat-
tered, for Greek olympiads were as venerated as Roman gladiators. A ceremonial truce
was enforced for the duration of the games. Crowds of spectators lined the tracks,
where competitors vied for an honourable (and at times dishonourable) victory in
athletics, chariot races, wrestling and boxing (back then there were no gloves but sim-
ple leather straps). Three millennia later, while the scale and scope of the games may
have expanded considerably, and the fact that the ancient games were always held in
Olympia, the basic format is essentially unchanged. To visit the original site, with its still
extant track and fallen columns, is amazingly evocative.Homer’s classic
work, the ‘ Iliad’,
written in the
8th century BC,
relates in poetic
epithet a mythical
episode of the
Trojan War. Its se-
quel, The ‘Odys-
sey’, recounts the
epic adventures
of Odysseus and
his companions
in their journey
home from the
Trojan War.IMAGEBROKER ©» Woodcut of Homer