Timetable of Early Greek History
Sketch of Early Greece and the Aegean
Stone Age
Paleolithic Period (before 70,000 B. C.)
Neolithic Period
(ca. 6000-3000 B. C.)
Early Bronze Age (3000-2000 B. C.)
Early
Minoan Early Cycladic Early Helladic
Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 B. C.)
Middle Minoan Middle Cycladic Middle Helladic
Late Bronze Age (1600-1100 B. C.)
Late Minoan
Late Cycladic
Late Helladic
(Mycenaean)
Explanation on geographical terms
Bronze Age the term based on time
Geographical areas where major
civilizations have been found:
-Minoan (for Crete)
-Cycladic (for the islands)
Helladic or Mycenaean (for late Helladic) for
mainland Greece
Minoan Civilization, flourishes in Crete
2500-1500BC
Mycenaean Age 1600-1200 B.C.
c 1450 Minoan civilization in Crete
destroyed.
Trojan War occurs c. 1250
Cycladic Art
Palace of Knossos (Crete, Minoan
Civilization)
Knossos, Crete. Painted ca. 1500 B.C., fragments of this
fresco were discovered and the fresco was restored by Sir
Arthur Evans in the Palace of Minos at Knossos on the
island of Crete during the early years of the 20th century
Mycenaean
Called like that by the city of Mycenae
After 1400 BC, Cretan (Minoan civilization)
eclipsed (possibly a natural disaster, earthquake,
archeology reveals signs of destruction).
Some scholars attribute downfall of Crete to a
Mycenaean invasion.
Heinrich Schliemann was the first to excavate
Mycenae (1876)> link between traditional myths
as narrated in Homeric poems and actual places
named in the poems like Mycenae.
Lion Gate at MYCENAE
Dark Ages, the “Mediaeval” times of
antiquity begins c. 1200 until 800 B.C.
ARCHAIC period begins c. 800 BC
Olympic games instituted in 776 BC
HOMER AND HESIOD
Early vase painting
Black-figured technique
"The Francois Vase “signed" by
Ergotimos (potter) and Kleitias
(painter) is an Attic Black-figure Krater
from Chiusi, c.575 bce and 26" height.
Museo Archaeologico, Florence
Was broken to 638 pieces by a museum
guard in 1900 and restored.
Crane dance on top
Battle between Lapiths and Centaurs
CLASSICAL GREECE
Lyric Poetry: Poetry that was performed
with the accompaniment of some type of
music, often danced. Alone or in group, the
person in a social context always.
Historically the classical period begins with
the Persian Wars 480
Early Greek Poetry (=Archaic
Poetry)
EPIC
LYRIC
EPIC POETS
Tradition of HOMER
HOMERIC TRADITION
ILIAD
ODYSSEY
HOMERIC HYMNS
TRADITION OF
HESIOD
HESIOD
THEOGONY
WORKS AND DAYS
Pseudo-hesiodic SHIELD
Classical Poetry
DRAMA
TRAGEDY
COMEDY
Satyric Drama
Drama (Tragedy-Comedy-Satyr
th
Play) CLASSICAL GENRE 5
th
and 4 c. BCE
TRAGEDY
AESCHYLUS
525-456 BC
SOPHOCLES
496-406
EURIPIDES
484-420
So, when do our sources date?
Archaic Greece (8th-6th century BC)
Classical Greece (5th-4th)
Hellenistic (3rd-2nd)
Roman Period (2nd BC -3rd century AD)
Delphi theater
Classical Vase painting- red figured
vases
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Calyx-krater, ca. 515 B.C.; red-figure
Greek, Attic
Signed by Euxitheos as potter; signed by Euphronios as painter
Terracotta; H. 18 in. (45.69 cm)
Obverse: body of Sarpedon lifted by Sleep and Death