Dark age

Origin

TheHomericera(approximately1100BCto800BC)referstothetwelfthcenturyBCwhentheDorianinvasionandthecollapseoftheMycenaeancivilizationinGreekhistoryUntiltheriseoftheearliestGreekcity-statesintheninthcenturyBC.ThishistoryisrecordedinHomer'sepicpoemsinthe8thcenturyBC,themostfamousofwhichis"TheTrojanHorseSlaughter".

ThedeclineoftheMycenaeancivilizationintimecorrespondstothedeclineofseveralNearEasternempires,especiallythedeclineoftheHittiteEmpireandtheNewKingdomofEgypt.Nationalinvasion.WhentheDorianswentsouthtoGreece,theywerealsoequippedwithmoreadvancedironweapons,whichcouldeasilywipeoutthealreadyweakenedMycenae.ThehistoricalperiodafterthiswaslaterrecordedbytheancientGreekpoetHomerinhisowncollectionofpoems"Iliad"and"Odyssey",sotheyarecollectivelyreferredtoas"Homer'sAge".

ArchaeologyshowsthedeclineofcivilizationintheGreekworldduringthisperiod,themajesticMycenaeanpalacesweredestroyedorabandoned,andtheGreeklanguageceasedtobewritten.ThepotteryoftheHomererahadonlysimplegeometricdecorations,lackingtherichpatterndesignsdisplayedbythepiecesoftheMycenaeancivilization.ThesparseandsmallsettlementsoftheGreeksinHomer’seramayindicateasharpdeclineinpopulation.Theabsenceofgoodsproducedabroadmayindicatethelossofinternationaltrade.Atthesametime,thecontactwithothercivilizationshasalsodisappeared,leadingtoatotalregressionofsocialcultureandsoon.

Socialsystem

Politics

TheDoriansinHomer’seradidnotestablishacountry,andtheyarestillintheperiodofmilitarydemocracy.TheDoriantribesinthisperiodTherearethreeorgans:council,people'sassembly,andmilitarychiefs.

Thecounciliscomposedofthepatriarchsofthevariousclansandtribes,andlaterbecamethemeetingofalltheclansandnobles.Majorissuesmustbediscussedandapproved,andfinallysubmittedtothepeople'sassemblyforvoting;thepeople'sassemblyiscomposedoftribesortribalalliancesInprinciple,itisthehighestauthorityofthetribe.Themilitaryleader(called"Basileus"inancientGreek)isamilitaryleaderelectedbythePeople'sAssembly,presidesoverpriestsandlitigation,andgoesoutinwar.

WiththecontinuouseconomicdevelopmentoftheDorians,councilsandmilitaryleaderscontinuedtobecomehereditarytoolsandorgansofpower,markingthegradualdisintegrationoftheclansystemintheHomerera.

Economy

TheproductiveforcesoftheDoriatribeintheHomericerabegantodevelop,andirontoolsappeared.Inagriculture,complicatedagriculturaltoolsanddoublebullploughshaveappearedandused;threeploughingLawandnaturalfertilizershavealsobeguntobewidelyused;allkindsoflivestockhavealsobeenraisedbyspecialpersonnel.Thehandicraftindustryalsobegantoseparatefromagriculture,andthedivisionoflaborsuchaspottersandcarpentersappeared.Commercialexchangesalsobegantotakeplace,mainlybartering,usingcopper,iron,livestockorleatherforexchange.

Slavery

DuetothedisintegrationofclantribesinHomer'stime,ruralcommunes,asymbolofcivilizationdegradation,begantobeestablishedinancientGreece.

Next,thecommune’slandbegantobedividedintosmallparcels,clanaristocratsoccupiedhugelandandlivestock,andordinarymembersofruralcommuneswerereducedtohiredworkersandevenbeggars.Slaveryalsobegantoappearatthistime,mainlyprisonersofwar,maleslavesgrazing,femaleslavesdoinghousework,andtherewasnopersonalfreedomatall.

Demise

TheeconomicdevelopmentoftheDoriatribehasledtothedisintegrationoftheDoriatribe,andthecountryhasgraduallyformed.Afterenteringthe8thcenturyBC,ironwarewaswidelyusedinancientGreeksociety,andtheincreaseinproductivitycausedanincreaseinthepopulation,whichcausedtheancientGreekstocolonizeAsiaMinor,theAegeanSea,andtheMediterranean.

Duringthisperiod,merchantsappeared,andvariousregionsbegantoformcitiesandcommercialcenters.Withthecontinuousdifferentiationofsocialclasses,theybegantoform.

Fromthe8thtothe6thcenturyBC,morethan200city-statesemergedinvariouspartsofGreece,andtheHomereraended.BecausetheprosperityofthisperiodissimilartotheMycenaeancivilizationandtheCretancivilization,itisalsocalledthe"AncientAge"byhistorians.

Related Articles
TOP