The pre-Homeric period corresponds to the first phase of Ancient Greece that occurred during the years 2000 BC and 1200 BC.
Periods of Ancient Greece
It is worth remembering that the history of Ancient Greece is divided into four periods, where each of them has unique characteristics:
- Pre-Homeric Period (20th - 12th centuries BC)
- Homeric Period (12th - 8th centuries BC)
- Archaic Period (8th - 6th centuries BC)
- Classical Period (5th - 4th centuries BC)
Characteristics of the Pre-Homeric Period:Summary
The pre-Homeric period gives rise to the development of Greek civilization which was constituted by the miscegenation of different peoples of antiquity who invaded the region:Cretans, Achaeans, Ionians, Aeolians and Dorians. Corresponds to an initial phase of settlement in Greece.
Thus, with the cultural influence of these peoples, the Greek culture emerged, in a period of almost 100 years, essentially marking the invasions of several Indo-European (Aryan) peoples.
Initially, these peoples were conquering areas close to the south of the Balkan peninsula, between the Ionian, Mediterranean and Aegean seas and, in this period, the first Greek diaspora took place, that is, the dispersion of the Greek population in different parts.
The Achaeans were the first to arrive and dominate part of the peoples who inhabited these regions, founding the city of Mycenae, an important political, economic and cultural center at the time.
In addition to Mycenae, Argos and Tiryns played a leading role in the story. The Achaeans represented a very warlike civilization that, little by little, conquered different places.
Thus, they conquered the island of Crete by invading the city of Knossos and defeated the city of Troy. For this reason, the civilization that develops during this period is called "Creto-Mycenaean civilization", with the union of Cretan (Minoan) and Achaean culture.
With the arrival of other peoples, the civilization developed by the Achaeans mixed with that of the Ionians and Aeolians, maintaining a peaceful relationship.
Later, the Dorians, people with a warlike and military tradition who held the techniques of metal, invaded and destroyed several cities in the Hellas region, on the Greek mainland.
This fact generated what became known as the “first Greek diaspora”, with the migration of different peoples, putting an end to the pre-Homeric period and beginning the Homeric period. This favored the formation of several Greek colonies in different regions.
Complement your research by reading the articles :
- Ancient Greece
- Trojan War
- Exercises on Ancient Greece
- Greeks