Early Greece – Unit 2

General Events: c.1184 BCE Fall of Troy 1100 Collapse of the Mycenean Empire 1000 Development of Iron Age culture at Athens 800-700 Greeks begin colonizing in East and Italy 776 First Olympic Games c.775 First Greek colony in Italy founded at Pithekoussai 750-600 Greeks found colonies throughout Mediterranean, from Egypt to Black Sea c. 590 Solon reforms Athenian constitution 546 Rule of Pisistratus begins growth of Athenian power; Persian Empire expands to take over Greek colonies in Asia Minor 510 Restoration of Democracy at Athens 490 Start of the Persian Wars; forces of King Darius defeated at Marathon 480 Xerxes leads a second expedition against Greece; Wins Battle of Thermopylae and sacks Athens; Greeks defeat Persians decisively at Salamis 479 Greek victories at Plataea and mycale end Persian Wars

Literature and Philosophy: c. 900-700 Evolution of Homeric epics Iliad and Odyssey 8th cent. Hesiod, Works and Days and Theogony c. 700 Greeks adapt Phoenician alphabet for their own language c. 650 Archilochus, earliest Greek lyric poet, active early 6th cent. Sappho, Poems 6th cent. Development of Presocratic schools of philosophy: Materialists, Pythagoreans, Dualists, Atomists c. 540-480 Heraclitus of Ephasus teaches his theory of “impermanence” late 6th cent. Playwriting competition begins after 525 First official version of Homeric epics written c. 475 Parmenides writes on his theory of knowledge c. 440 Herodotus begins his History of the Persian Wars

Art:

1000-900 Protogeometric pottery decoration: bold circular shapes similar to Mycenean motifs 900-700 Geometric pottery decoration: linear designs of zigzags, triangles, diamonds, meanders 8th cent. Geometric pottery incorporates stylized human figure in painted design; Dipylon amphora c. 650 Large freestanding sculpture evolves late 7th cent. Orientalizing styles in vase painting; Corinthian aryballos c. 600 New York Kouros; Athenians develop narrative style in black-figure vase painting; increased naturalism in Greek art. c. 550 Calf-Bearer c, 540 Peplos Kore c. 530 Anavysos Kouros c. 525 Exekias, Suicide of Ajax, amphora late 6th cent. Red-figure style of vase painting introduced; Euphronios Vase, krater c. 490 Critian Boy; turning point between Archaic and Classical periods

Architecture: c. 600 Form of Doric temple fully established, derived from early wooden structures; Temple of Hera at Olympia c. 550 Basilica at Paestum c. 540 Temple of Apollo at Corinth c. 500 Temple of Aphaia, Aegina 5th cent. First widespread use of Ionic order

Music:

Early music primarily vocal with instrumental accompaniment; use of flute and simple lyre popular 7th cent. Development of aulos (double flute), used to accompany songs c. 675 Terpander of Lesbos introduces cithara (kithara) 586 Sacadas of Argos composes first known purely instrumental work for performance on aulos at Pythian Games in Delphi c. 550 Pythagoras discovers numerical relationship of music harmonies and our modern musical scales late 5th cent. Earliest surviving fragment of Greek music