This was one of the most fertile lands in the whole of ancient Greece. It was a bloody battle that resulted in the defeat of the Messenians and the passing of their territory to the Spartan state. Sparta engaged in an invasion of Messenia around 745 BC which lasted for 20 years. Earlier warfare was dominated by armored aristocrats in their chariots or in cavalry while the masses played a minor role. But with increasing output, there was a flourishing class of farmers who became affluent enough to buy the hoplite armor and formed the heavy infantry which became common for all the states for centuries to come. Warfare saw a great change with the rise of hoplites. Draco is a famous name that ruled Athens as a tyrant and passed harsh laws against the poor people in the society. Many even became extremely powerful and also started to oppress the masses. This period saw the rising of tyrants in many places with one of the aristocrats or the military overthrowing the oligarchic order to monopolize power in his hand with the support of the people or by sheer military support. The people were exploited and this led to great discontent. The people became frustrated with the corrupt rule of aristocrats who controlled huge stretches of land and all its output belonged to them. The archaic age is also known as the age of tyrants. This was an important phase with historical events that would impact for a long time. This phase saw the rise of city-states and an increase in literacy and prosperity among the people. The general increase in agricultural output led to a resurgence of civilization and urban complexes around 800 BC, which led to the beginning of the Archaic age. Trade declined and a general suffering of the masses. Warfare changed from majestic chariots ridden by nobles dominating battles to more emphasis on cavalry. It was an age of decline in population, famines, drought, and a chaotic political situation in which aristocrats controlled starches of land and many people started to live a more mobile lifestyle instead of a settled agricultural lifestyle. The decline of the Mycenaean civilization led to a general decline in civilization, with a decline in literacy, prosperity, and sources which led to the historians calling it a dark age which began around 1050 BC to about 750 BC. It had great connections with the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations and it also declined almost at the same time around 1050 BC due to multiple factors like foreign invasions, the decline in trade, naturals disasters, etc. This was the phase in which earlier versions of the Greek script originated. It is known for its palatial palaces which controlled the provinces in a system known as the palace bureaucracies. This was one of the four civilizations that prospered during the bronze age’s main phase. The island of Crete on which the Minoan civilization flourished, was captured by the Mycenaeans around 1900 BC, which had flourished in the same time on the Greek mainland. They collapsed around 1500 BC due to a devastating volcanic eruption on the island. It was quite prosperous due to its trade, commerce with the Mediterranean regions, and brilliant handiwork. There is evidence of large multi-storied palaces which was resided by the aristocrats. Minoan civilization was one of the earliest which was situated on the island of Crete around 3500 BC. The earliest civilization which started to develop in ancient Greece was during the Bronze Ages.
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