HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

PERIOD
GREEK DARK AGES (1100-750 BC)
The Mycenaean people were Greek in Origin
Greek civilization is therefore usually viewed as a continuation of the Mycenaean
civilization
The start of the Greek civilization is therefore dated to the end of the Mycenaean
civilization in 1100BC
Following the decline of Mycenae, the area around the Greek mainland went into a
period of decline that is referred to as the Greek Dark ages
Greece became depopulated with groups of people moving out of mainland Greece
towards the islands of the Aegean
Mycenaean and Greek culture dwindled and many cultural elements including
writing, art and architectural techniques were lost
Trade with Asia Minor, the Middle East and Egypt, which was at the root of Cretan
prosperity stopped entirely
As Greek people migrated from the mainland, other people from other less
prosperous mountain regions of the north migrated to the more fertile coastline
regions