Course description
We shall deal with a variety of geo-political, cultural and social processes, underlying the formation of the Greek civilization during the "Dark Ages" (11th-8th Centuries BCE – Proto-Geometric and Geometric Periods) and the Archaic period (from the 8th century BCE to the Greco-Persian Wars of the early 5th century BCE). We shall embark on the problems of chronology concerning different stages in Aegean archaeology; the social structure of the Aegean society during the "Dark Ages" and the Archaic Period; discuss migrations (Dorian; Ionian and Aeolian) and the "Great Greek Colonization"; the emergence of Greek city-states (poleis); burial patterns; trade and more. Likewise, we'll discuss the main characteristics of the Greek warfare (tactics and strategy; weapons; the “hoplite revolution” and the emergence of the Greek mercenaries). The discussions will be based mainly on the analysis of archaeological evidence (including iconography) and historical sources.
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