Beiträge zur griechischen Frühgeschichte : die dorischen Landschaften der Peloponnes während der "dunklen Jahrhunderte" vom 12. bis zum 9. Jh. v. Chr. / von Brigitta Eder

• VerfasserIn: Eder, Birgitta
• Place / Publishing House: 1995
• Year of Publication: 1995
• Language: German
• Physical Description: 219 Bl.; graph. Darst., Kt.

eng: The period of Greek history from about 1200 to 850 B.C. is termed 'Dark Ages'. Its beginning is marked by the breakdown of the Mycenaean palace civilization, its end by the rise of the Greek city states. The present work offers a contribution to the better understanding of the political, social, economic and cultural changes that took place during this crucial phase of Greek history. The three regions of the Argolid, Laconia, and Messenia in southern Greece were centres of Mycenaean culture and civilization. In historical times these regions were settled by a Dorian population, whose dialect and institutions were remarkably different from their Bronze Age predecessors. In three chapters the archeological and historical evidence for the period between 1200 and 850 B.C. is set out according to each region. The archaeological record is always discussed separately from the written record. The pooled sources of archaeology and history show that the collapse of Mycenaean power in the Argolid, Laconia and Messenia was followed by a long period of decline and by a decrease of population. This vacuum attracted the influx of new settlers, who most likely were Dorians and came from the areas of central Greece. The amalgamation of old and new elements contributed essentially to the rise of new centres in the Peloponnese.