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Jordan:TrojanChronology

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studentresourcespage.

ContentCreated:051119
Filelastmodified:150705

ChronologyofTroy
Iambynomeansaclassicist,buthavetriedtoassemblesomedates
thatlinkrecentdiscoveriesatthesiteofTroytoageneraloutlineofearly
Greekhistory.ThisisdesignedtosupplementthereadingoftheIliadand
associatedhistoricalandarchaeologicalbackgroundmaterials.
Forafarmorelearnedtreatment,visitDartmouthCollegePrehistoric
ArchaeologyoftheAegeanandclickon"chronology."

QuickandDirtyDates(AllYouNeedToKnow)
Thedetailedchartthatoccupiesmostofthispageisforthefussy
amongyou.Ordinarymortalscandofineifyouremember(memorize!)four
roundnumbers:
1400BC TheSackofKnossos
1200BC TheTrojanWar*
800BC Homer'sIliad
400BC ClassicalGreece
*1200isanexcellentnumbertoremember.ItcanALSOworkas
adateforthereplacementoftheBronzeAgebytheIronAge
withoutgettingyouintotoomuchtrouble.

LotsofMoreDatesforPeopleWhoLoveDates
30001200BCBronzeAge(Helladic)Greece
30002000EarlyHelladicPeriodofGreekBronzeAge
(VirtuallynoBronzeisinuseatthebeginningofthisperiod,which
continuesaNeolithicwayoflifeinmostareas.)
DatesAtTroy:
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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29202300(TroyI,II,III)MaritimeTroiaCulture
Formostpeoplelifeseemstohavecontinued"normally"
throughTroyI,II,andIII.Theperiodsaredistinguished
bycyclesofconstructionanddestructionofthecitadel
portionofthesite.
29202600(TroyI)MaritimeTroiaCulture(1)
Troyissettled&becomescenterforbronzemaking.
26002480/20(TroyII)MaritimeTroiaCulture(2)
TroyIIismerelyacitadelbuiltlateinTroyIandactually
largelycontemporarywithititwasdestroyedbetween
2480and2420.
2480/202300(TroyIII)MaritimeTroiaCulture(3)
Troywasabruptlydestroyedandabandonedin2300or
so,possiblyduetoanearthquake.
DatesElsewhere:
2500"Cycladic"NeolithicculturesoftheCyclades
islandsproduceimportantart.
2300Bronzecomesintobroadgeneraluseinthe
Aegeanarea.
20001600MiddleHelladicPeriodofGreekBronzeAge
DatesAtTroy:
20001750(TroyIV,V)AnatolianTroiaCulture
InlandimmigrantsresettleTroy,butrepeateddestruction
byfireandlowdensitiesofanimalbonessuggestlittle
successtotheirefforts.Thesitewasabandonedby
1750.
17001250/30(TroyVI)TrojanHighCulture(1)
Newimmigrants,probablyLuwianspeaking,plunderold
ruinstomakenewcityTroybecomesmajortradecenter
andproducerofhorses,pottery,andwool.Thefamed
citadelwallswerebuiltabout1470,possiblyinresponse
tomilitarythreatsfromoutside,possiblyasbeautification
ormarkersofroyalprerogative.Attheendofthisperiod
thecitadelsuffersextensivedestruction,perhapsdueto
earthquake,fire,orattack,butthereafterthesamepottery
stylescontinuetobeproduced.(NoteonTroyVIvsTroy
VIIa.)
DatesElsewhere:
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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19001600MinoancivilizationthrivesinCrete.
1700Minoanscriptdeveloped(stillundeciphered
here'syourchance!)
Returntotop.

1600/15501200LateHelladicPeriodofGreekBronzeAge
(a.k.a.LateMycenaeanAgeofGreekHistory)
DatesAtTroy:
1250/301180(TroyVIIa)TrojanHighCulture(2)
Troy,apparentlystilloccupiedbyLuwianscontinuingtheir
oldwayoflife,isutterlydestroyedin1180(or1183)and
completelyburned.
Itisunclearwhetherthedestructionof1250/30orthe
destructionof1180istheonecommemoratedin
Homer'sIliad.AssumingthattheIliadcommemorates
oneofthese,itmayinfactmergebothintoasingle
catastrophe,orthe10yearsofwarhedescribesmay
representhalfacenturyofsporadicstruggles.(Noteon
TroyVIvsTroyVIIa.)
1200Jordan'smagicdatetorememberforthe
TrojanWar
11801000/950(TroyVIIb)TrojanCulturewithBalkan
Influences
Troyisnotentirelyabandoned,andgraduallyimmigrants
fromtheBalkanssettlesparselyinthearea.Population
graduallydeclinesandthesiteisabandonedby950.
DatesElsewhere:
1450Knossos,maincityofMinoanCrete,destroyedby
Mycenaeans.
1450MycenaeanLinearBscriptdeveloped.
1400Jordan'smagicdatetorememberfortheSack
ofKnossos
1400WallsbegintobeconstructedaroundMycenaean
cities,suggestingconflict.
Returntotop.

1150750DarkAgeofGreekHistory
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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1150VirtuallyallGreekcities(exceptAthens)inruins
1120Mycenae&nearbyTirynsfall(datesubjectto
revision)
1100"Dorianinvasion"spokenofbyancientauthors
(whodonotseemtoagreeonwhatthisactuallymeans)
1000IroningeneralusethroughouttheAegean

750500ArchaicAgeofGreekHistory
800Jordan'smagicdatetorememberforHomer&
theIliad
70085(TroyVIII)GreekPeriodatTroy
Gradualresettlementandpopulationgrowth,especially
afterAlexander'svisit,butmostlynotonthecitadelhill
itself.
700HesiodwritesWorks&Days
530Pythagoras,thefamedmathematician,establishes
religiousorderinsouthernItaly
Returntotop.

500323ClassicalAgeofGreekHistory
490479ThePersianWars
480PersianKingXerxes,conqueringtheworld,
sacrificesatsiteofTroy
462461PericlesinstitutesdemocracyinAthens
458AeschylusproducesOresteia,thetrilogyconcerned
withGreekeventsafterthefallofTroy
432SculptorPhidiascompletesfriezesfortheParthenon
431404PeloponnesianWar,recountedbyHerodotus
(484425),whosewritingsincludeanestimatethatHomer
livedabout400yearsearlier.
400Jordan'smagicdatetorememberforClassical
Greece
399Socratestriedandexecuted
356323AlexandertheGreat,conqueringtheworld,
sacrificesatsiteofTroy
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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336323HellenisticPeriodofGreekHistory
335Aristotle,astudentofPlato,foundsschoolinAthens
323AlexandertheGreatdiesinIndia
Returntotop.

323PostClassicalGreece
DatesAtTroy
85BCAD500(TroyIX)Roman&ByzantinePeriodsat
Troy
AD930SmallByzantinebishopriconsiteofTroy
AD1309TroyandregionconqueredbyTurksand
thereafterabandoned
AD1871HeinrichSchliemann(18221890)announces
thathehasfoundHomer'sTroy,basedonpreliminary
digginginwhatturnsouttohavebeenTroyII
AD1938ExcavationatTroydiscontinuedasWorldWar
IImovesin
AD1988Turkishgovernmentoffersexcavationlicenseto
UniversityofTbingen,workinginconjunctionwith
UniversityofCincinnatiandaninternationalteam.
DatesElsewhere
32350HellenisticPeriod
(NamedaftertheGreeksor"Helenes"whoseempire
underAlexandertheGreatspreadGreekinfluenceand
GreeklanguageovermuchoftheEasternMediterranean
andsouthwestAsianworld.)
15050GreecefallsunderRomanadministration.
50BCAD395RomanPeriod
3951453ByzantinePeriod("EasternRomanEmpire")
14531831TurkishEmpiredominatesoldByzantine
empire,includingGreece.
1831GreecegainsindependencefromTurkishempire.
1918TurkishempirecollapsesatendofFirstWorldWar
andGreeksinvadeTurkey.
1923Turkishrepublicdeclaredaftercivilwarand
expulsionofGreekforces.ThetreatyofLausanne
http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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awardsislandsoffthecoastofTurkeytoGreeceand
GreeksettlementsonthecoastitselftoTurkey,
precipitatingapainful"populationexchange"inthatarea.

Returntotop.

http://pages.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/iliad/TroyDates.html

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