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The Prehistory of Greece: C

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The Prehistory of Greece: C The Prehistory of Greece: c. 10,000 – c. 1550 BC The Neolithic Age The ‘Neolithic Revolution’ took place around 10,000 BC probably as a result of the herding of horned beasts leading to their full domestication, then through the need to secure fodder to agriculture. By 6,500 BC farming developed in the Bosporus, spreading to Thessalonika and Macedonia, and then south into Greece. The earliest sight in Greece is in Thessaly at Sesklo near the Bay of Volos. These Neolithic farmers learnt how to make pottery, though without the wheel. They built cabins of brick on stone foundations. Their art comprises little clay figurines with exaggerated plumpness. Five such statuettes have been found at Nea Nikomedeia in a building that was possibly a shrine. It seems they worshipped the supernatural power that could give or withhold fertility as a goddess. They probably used a rotation method of cultivation – rotating grain crops with peas and beans. Their stone cabins evolved into mounds or “tells” which is similar to Western Asia. Crete was colonised by settlers from the Levant who brought with them pigs, sheep and cattle. They also made female figurines. Their dwellings were without fortifications and they usually inhabited inland caves occupying principally the western side of the island. The earliest settlement at Knosós, by radioactive carbon dating, is dated c. 5000 BC. The Early Helladic Period The Cyclades were settled around 4000 BC, and by 2750 BC the inhabitants were using copper daggers and spearheads, the first in Greece to do so. The beginning of the Aegean Bronze Age is usually dated around 2600 BC. The peoples of the Cyclades also made female statuettes in a geometric style out of marble found on the islands. They started to form small towns. On their pottery they sometimes depict men in boats. They buried their dead in chamber tombs cut out of rock or built from stone. The dead were frequently buried with weapons. They traded with Crete and the Greek mainland. Their culture fused with that of the other peoples and is known as Early Helladic. It is likely that the knowledge of copper working came from Mesopotamia, where by 3000 BC cities and governments had formed and wars between city states created a demand for copper to be alloyed into bronze. Around 2900 BC the Menes from Upper Egypt conquered the Delta and founded the First Dynasty. At the same time settlers from the Cyclades seem to have migrated as far west as Spain and settlements have been found in Almeria in Iberia that follow the pattern of town planning in the Cyclades. The first fortress at Troy (Troy I) was built around this time – it started as a Neolithic settlement situated in the plain near the river Scamander. A fortress on the hill of © blacksacademy.net 1 Hisarlik was subsequently built in the early copper age, and later excavated by Heinrich Schiliemann. The fortress is surrounded by a stone wall about 100 metres in diameter. The most elaborate buildings, probably the dwelling of the ruler, were built on stone foundations with brick walls. One of these exhibits the structure of a hall – the megaron that was later to become prominent in Greece. Copper was used and polished black pottery was made. It is likely gold and silver were used for drinking vessels for the chiefs. Trojan settlements in Lesbos and Lemnos were founded. There was another influx of settlers around 2500 BC, though not in large numbers and these intermarried with the existing inhabitants. The “aboriginees” were probably black-haired Mediterranean types. New settlements were founded in Argolis, including Tiryns, Mycenae and Lerna. The immigrants settled in northern Greece too, and here there is evidence of some violence. The Thessalian Sesklo settlement at Servia on the Haliakmon was destroyed by fire around 2500 BC and the subsequent pottery is polished black rather than red, exhibiting incised or painted geometric decorations and spirals. Clay phalli have been discovered. War brought the dominance of the male sex. Villages in Thessaly started to be walled. A typical site can be found at Dhimini. The megaron style of building, found at Troy, begins to make its appearance. Minoan Civilisation There appears to have been an influx of immigrants to Crete around 2300 BC probably from Libya; they were assimilated into the Cretan culture which has been called “Minoan” after the legendary king of Crete, Minos. It is, however, probably a misleading term since the period is so extensive. The Early Minoan period is subdivided into three, I, II and III. However, the Early Minoan I was probably very similar to the Late Neolithic and it is not know for certain that any copper tools were used at this time. However, vase painting exhibits new developments and stone was also used for making figurines; house-building becomes more ambitious; also sites near the sea were occupied. Early Minoan II and III lasted from c 2300 to c 1950 BC. There was trade with Egypt, with imports from there of faience (blue paste) and ivory. Gold was used for jewelry and vases cut in local marble and other stones. At Vasiliki in eastern Crete a large L-shaped house has been excavated. Society appears to be becoming stratified. Copper is more common, though not alloyed very often with tin. Rooms were painted with frescos. Pottery was decorated with abstract forms, but there was also some experimentation – for example, a pot fashioned in the likeness of a bird. Around 2000 BC there was an “urban revolution” to use the terminology of Childe. Knosós became the political centre of Crete together with its port at Amnisos. Other towns were situated at Mallia (east) and Phaistós (south coast). Each town had a palace. Houses were densely packed. Large rooms do not appear to have existed, but © blacksacademy.net 2 the buildings were probably two storey and the larger rooms may have been found on the upper storey. The Greek migration The Greek language was not spoken in the Aegean prior to 1950 BC. Most pre- Hellenic place-names are related to languages from Asia Minor. Classical Greek writers reckoned that prior to the Hellenes the mainland was occupied by people from Karia (from south-west Asia) called the Leleges. Northern parts were occupied by the Pelasgoi. These speculations are supported by the evidence of archaeology. Greek place-names, many of which end in –sos, -ssos, -ttos seem to derive from Karian place names ending in –sa and –nda. These include Knosós, Amnisós, Parnasós, Hymettós, Lárisa, Halikarnasós, Corinth, Tiryns (Tiryntha), Olynthos, Mont Kynthos (in Delos), Londos (in Rhodes), Alabanda, Labraunda, Argos (meaning plain by the sea). The ending –ene is seen in the names of Messene, Athēnai, Mytilene, Priene. The –s and –nth terminations also appear in some Greek common nouns comprising either country words such as the names of plants, or words related to civilisation. Examples are hyancith, narcissus, mintha (mint), terebinth, absinthe, acanthus, cypress, plinth, thálassa (sea), nēsós (island), asaminthos (bath). Some scholars see a relationship between early Greek and proto-Luvian and proto- Hittite. The proto-Luvians may have sacked Troy I in the second half of the third millennium. This idea is supported by the myth of the migration of Pelops the Phrygian to mainland Greece. However, it is not likely that the main language of Greece during this period was a form of Luvian Thus it is likely that the early Greek invaders were an uncivilized people coming into contact with a more advanced culture. The Greek language is part of the Indo- European family of languages. They are regarded as a branch of the “Aryan” people, the same barbarians that invaded India c. 1600 BC. The homeland of these people has not been identified with certainty, though it is probable that they originated from migrations of Indo-European speakers from north of the Black Sea. By the third millennium these barbarians had domesticated cattle and horses and made pottery using the wheel; a warlike society had evolved and men had become dominant. Archaeological evidence suggests that these northerners entered Macedonia c. 2000 BC from whence they moved into Thessaly. It is likely that bands of marauders and migrants were constantly infiltrating the Aegean seeking settlements. Their houses were generally constructed on a rectangular plan with an open porch (the megaron structure). Cities were sometimes built with defensive walls, and sometimes not. The megaron structure has been associated by some archaeologists with the early Greek migrants, but it is not a construction typical of other Indo-Europeans and it may have been an indigenous development. It appeared in Thessaly during the Early and Middle Helladic period and in Anatolia after c. 3700 BC. Burials were in cist graves (pithoi) – the figure being placed in either a crouching or extended position. © blacksacademy.net 3 Thus the Middle Bronze Age (“Middle Helladic”) appears to begin with an invasion. There is evidence of the burning of towns in eastern Greece and, for example, towards the end of the Early Helladic period Korakou near Corinth was destroyed by fire. The painted pottery of the Early Helladic ceases, and was replaced by the grey ware that has been associated with the invaders. However, whilst this Grey “Minyan” ware used to be associated with these intruders, this association is now no longer accepted by all. This kind of pottery evolved into Middle Helladic ware, which is technically very accomplished and is now called “Minyan” though this is an unfortunate misappelation since there is no necessary link between it and Crete. This pottery spread to the whole of Greece, including the Peloponnese, where it is sometimes yellow.
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