Lecture Notes: The Beginnings of Greek Civilization

Introduction

• Speaker: Professor Donald Kagan
• Topic: Exploration of early Greek history during the prehistoric period.
• Challenges: Lack of written evidence; reliance on archaeological evidence.
• Key Period: The Bronze Age emergence in the Aegean Sea area, circa 2900 B.C.

Emergence of Civilization

• First Civilization: Minoan civilization on the island of Crete.
• Archaeologist: Sir Arthur Evans identified and named the Minoan civilization.
• Characteristics of Civilization:
  • Emergence of cities.
  • Non-food-producing activities like governance, religion, and bureaucracy.
  • Cultural characteristics akin to those in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Minoan Civilization

• Location: Crete, with Knossos as a primary site.
• Comparison: Similar to older civilizations in Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley.
• Language: Undeciphered script, Linear A and Linear B.
• Empire: Spread across parts of the Mediterranean.

Greek Identity

• Definition of Greeks: Native Greek speakers.
• Cultural Development: Based on language and cultural traits rather than race.
• Greek Settlers: Arrived around 2000-1900 B.C.

Mycenaean Civilization

• Period: 1600 to 1100 B.C.
• Key Site: Mycenae in the northeastern Peloponnesus.
• Cultural Features:
  • Fortified citadels and royal palaces.
  • Tombs (shaft graves, beehive tombs) indicating wealth and power.
  • Trade-based economy with connections across the Mediterranean.
  • Use of Linear B script, an early form of Greek.

Fall of Mycenaean Civilization

• Timeline: Around 1200 B.C.
• Causes of Collapse:
  • Possible factors include internal uprisings, climatic shifts, invasions, and displacements.
  • "Sea Peoples" and other external attackers.
• Theories:
  • Movement of tribes from the north (Dorians).
  • Natural disasters like the explosion of Thera.

Consequences and Dark Ages

• End of Mycenaean World: Complete destruction and discontinuity.
• Characteristics of Post-Mycenaean Greece:
  • Loss of writing until 750 B.C.
  • Isolation and localism.
  • Population decline and loss of central control.
• Cultural Memory: Remnants of Mycenaean memory survived through legends and epic traditions.

Revival and Legacy

• Dark Ages: Period of poverty and isolation.
• Emergence of New Society: Influenced by oral traditions, including the epic poetry of Homer.
• Greek Civilization: Developed independently, leading to a new cultural identity.

Conclusion

• Significance: Understanding the transitions from Mycenaean to Classical Greece.
• Next Topic: Exploration of the Dark Ages and the world of Homer.