Herbst HumanitiesDr. Fredricksmeyer
The Origins of Greek Aretê, Part 2:
Dark Ages-Early Archaic Period
Greece Reconfigured: The Dark Ages
1200-750
Downward trends
Severe depopulation (60-90%)
De-urbanization-fewer (1/8) and smaller settlements consisting of tribes or ethnê
(Aristotle), groups sharingcommon ancestry (vs. unrelated population of urban
centers)-less progressive
Cessation of travel and trade
Switch from monarchic to aristocrats, i.e., most prominent familiescontrol land, and
magistracies
Post-literate society: disappearance of Linear B
"Dorian invasion" from the north
Greek, dialect-Dorian
iron working (consequently the "Iron Age"), including weapons
settle esp. in Peloponnese (Sparta)
reinforces downward trend, since farmers not traders
Representational art of Mycenaean civilization largely disappears
Proto-geometric and geometric (with meander) vases of Dark Ages vs. earlier Mycenaean
representational vases
Migrations eastward to the Greek Islands and Asia Minor
Aiolis
Ionia-birthplace of philosophy, science, historiography, etc.
Doris
Late Dark Ages-Early Archaic Period
800-700
Reversal of trends at beginning of Dark Ages
repopulation
re-urbanization, and suburbs (sunoecism, astu and chora)
resumption of travel and trade
(later in the Archaic period-transition from aristocracy to tyranny-step toward democracy)
Rise of the polis (city state)
Greeks remain tribal in belief of common ancestry, hence EVERY MEMBER OF POLIS
RESPONSIBLE TO, AND FOR, EVERY OTHER/SHAME CULTURE- AretêA
COMMUNAL REQUIREMENT
Other unifying factors
Common Hero Cult Worship
Divine Cult Worship
Aristotle: man is a political animal (i.e., naturally belongs in a [relatively small]polis)-because of its unique powers of reason and language,mankind has the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and to establish and maintain justice (through, for example,written law codes) within a polis; the person unwilling to make the concessions necessary to live in the polisand who insists excessively on individual rights is no better than a beast (and is called an idios)
Agricultural/cultivation (much more proficient use of land that than animal grazing)
citizenship now based on ownership of land, those without land migrate/colonize
Colonization(vs. Spartan provincialism and Lebensraum policy)
to ease land-hunger
in every direction to include much of especially littoral Mediterranean
emporiathat help stimulate economy and culture exchange, including …
literacy
Greek alphabet adopted from Phoenicia (due to trade)-see also Rome and beyond
(internal) vowels added
first used by poets-Homer’s Iliad