After the Mycenaean period, difficult times began in the history of Greece. This was due to the invasion of the lands of warlike tribes, who made war and piracy a noble occupation. Thus began the Homeric period. Despite many negative points, he could not stop the development of the ancient civilization. What is this period and who is it named after?
The role of Homeric poems in the study of Greek history
XI-IX century BC in the history of Greece is called the Homeric period. This is due to the fact that the two greatest literary works of Homer describe the social, economic and cultural life of the Greek nation of that time. We are talking about the poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey". The first poem tells about the events of the Trojan War, and the second about the return from it of Odysseus, who was the king of the island of Ithaca.
The works of Homer are still the oldest and most pure source of information about the life of the Hellenes in the XI-IXcentury BC. From them you can learn about all aspects of the life of that time. For example, about the material environment, public institutions, religious and moral concepts.
Researchers believe that even the presence of fiction did not go beyond Greece. Its inhabitants were not yet well acquainted with representatives of other nations.
Contribution of archeology
Researchers learn about the Homeric period not only from poems. Archeology has made a significant contribution to understanding this historical epoch. Practically no cultural monuments of that time have been preserved. This was due to the invasion of the Dorian tribes, who came from the north, and threw back Greek culture several centuries ago.
However, necropolises have been preserved, which became the source of the main archaeological materials.
The concept of "dark ages"
The arrival of the Dorians had a negative impact on the development of society. The population has declined significantly, people have ceased to build buildings of stone. Written language also declined. Apart from the Iliad and the Odyssey, there are no other written records of the Homeric period.
Due to material poverty, scarcity of archaeological finds and other data in the history of Greece, the term "dark ages" appeared.
Trade and crafts have declined. The Dorians were only interested in skills related to the military. They didn't care about art. Although at feasts they loved to listen to music. What developed during this time?
The Dorians contributeddevelopment of pottery, shipbuilding, agriculture, metal processing technology.
With their arrival, trade ties were also destroyed. They were engaged in aggressive piracy, because of which they scared away the Phoenicians and Egyptians from the Greek harbors. Old connections were made only at the end of the Dorian period.
Policies
The appearance and development of Greek policies in the Homeric period did not affect the creation of a single strong state. There was no centralization of power. Each policy had its own king, who was supported by the council of elders.
An important role in the Greek policies in the Homeric and archaic periods was played by the people's assembly. The following questions were jointly accepted:
- on the advisability of starting another war;
- about whether there are enough slaves in the policy.
The appearance of policies contributed to the formation of the future Greek civilization.
Society
In the Homeric period of ancient Greece, society returned to tribal relations. There was no private property in the policies, all lands were public. Power was exercised through military democracy.
Classes have not been formed yet. But an agricultural stratum had already appeared, which existed within the city-state, that is, the policy.
Respect in society was enjoyed only by a man who is engaged in military affairs. Hunting and war were the only occupations worthy of a noble man.
Kings
During the Homeric period in history, kingship was considered a divine institution. She was inherited, usually passed from father to eldest son. However, the successor had to have the following necessary qualities:
- be brave in battle;
- be wise in advice;
- be eloquent at public meetings;
- master the martial art;
- have good physical strength.
If the king became weak, old or unable to wage war, he was not obeyed.
The king owned significant plots of land, a large number of cattle were concentrated in his hands, he had a palace. In addition, natural duties were established in favor of the king according to the law. When dividing the war booty, the ruler got all the best, including slaves and jewelry.
The tsar, as usual, gathered a national assembly or a council of elders to discuss important issues. It all happened as follows:
- the nobles sat on the rocks near the king, the people stood around;
- the king voiced his thoughts to the assembly;
- a nobleman who wanted to express his opinion took an orator's baton;
- if the people approved the words of the nobleman, then they confirmed it with a cry;
- if the people did not support the nobleman, there was silence.
Whether the people approved of the king's decision or not, he had to obey.
Also, the king served as a judge. But most often the warriors resolved their disputes with the help of fights. Violence was so common back thenthat a man was always supposed to walk around with a gun.
The advent of the slave system
Gradually there was a stratification of society in the social plan. A slaveholding system began to emerge, but it did not look like the classical version of the slaveholding system. Slaves were obtained through military campaigns, and not because of the large gap in the social status of the inhabitants of the policy.
It was profitable to capture and sell slaves. They were used as a subject for exchange, they were given to do the most laborious and dirty work. However, slave owners also worked. Moreover, some considered them members of their family.
Family
In the Homeric era, family life had a noble character. Children were required to honor and love their parents. It was their sacred duty. If the son forgot about the duty, he was pursued by the goddess of vengeance. A father could put a curse on a rebellious son. In this case, he lost happiness, as well as his descendants up to the third or fourth generation.
The wife at this time occupied a respected position in the home. According to custom, a man presented the father of his future wife as if buying her. The girl was brought to a new house, where a merry feast was held. The Greek's wife was considered his only legal concubine. She had to be faithful to her husband.
The wife was the mistress of the house. She was in charge of the household, was engaged in the manufacture of fabric, tailoring, washing. She also went out to the guests, talked with them,participated in family affairs.
The Greeks were not polygamists, but they could have slaves taken prisoner in the war. Children from such relationships were born free, they were brought up and lived with the children of their legal spouse. But after the death of their father, the children of the slave could count on a small share of their father's property. Legitimate descendants divided the inheritance into equal parts.
Geometric style as a visiting card of the era
From the Homeric period in the history of ancient Greece, almost no cultural monuments have been preserved. However, iron tools appeared at this time. With their help, people were able to cultivate large areas of land.
The Homeric period of Greece is characterized by a special style in ceramics - geometry. He assumed the construction of an ornament from images of people and other objects on amphorae and other household items in a geometric order.
At the end of the Homeric era, plots on ceramic utensils became richer and more complex. You can see the competition of athletes, scenes from mythology, combat battles, dances. A similar style originated in Athens, from where it spread throughout Hellas and the islands of the Aegean Sea.
Gradually, the population grew, trade and craft revived. Ancient Greece approached a new period of its history - archaic.
