The Dark Ages

After the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, Greece entered a bleak period that lasted for 300 years (1100 BCE-800 BCE)

New raiding parties arrived from the North (The Dorians)- they forced the Greek-speaking people all around the Aegean Sea.

Key Points About the Dark Ages

The achievements of the Mycenaean civilization were lost or forgotten.

The invaders wiped out food supply, famine struck, and the Greek population declined.

Rise of the City-State and the Age of Colonization

The Greeks began to develop small, secure and independent communities.

Two of the larger communities were Athens and Sparta

As the Greek population started to grow, it began to put a strain on their food supply.

How could they solve this problem?

Colonization!

The Greeks began to search for “away homes.”

They were to become self-sufficient, bound only to the parent city for trade.

They colonized parts of Italy, Spain, Northern Africa, and Southern France.

Some important developments during this period were:

The use of metal currency, a new middle class, and the use of iron

City-States

Began to specialize in particular products- Athens produced a great deal of pottery.

The first Olympic Games were held (776 BCE) , and Homer wrote his great literary works.

Spartan Society

Boys were inspected immediately after birth.

They were checked for any physical disfiguration or weakness.

The unwanted boys would be discarded.

At the age of seven, boys were taken from their homes to be educated and trained for a life of battle.

Athenian Society

Boys were education in the arts

Girls were not permitted to attend school, but would be educated in the home.

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