From the Stone Age to Roman domination: The history of Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is one of the most famous and well-known civilisations in history. It was a major cultural force in the Mediterranean region for centuries, and its legacy can be seen in the art, literature, philosophy, and politics of the modern world.

In this article, we will look at the key events in the history of Ancient Greece.

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe, known in Greek as Hellas. The English name 'Greece' comes from the Latin word 'Graecia', which means 'the land of the Greeks'. 

Ancient Greece was a large area including parts of the mainland of present-day Greece, as well as the Peloponnese peninsula. Greece also includes an archipelago of islands.

The Mediterranean Sea surrounded Ancient Greece on three sides and the country consisted of many islands, including Crete, Rhodes, and Cyprus.

The climate in Ancient Greece was varied depending on the location. For example, it was typically hot and dry in the southern areas, while the northern areas were cooler and wetter.

Greece's landscape is a mosaic of mountains, woods, and cultivated fields. Around 80 percent of the country is made up of mountains.

A limited number of rivers cut through this rocky terrain which offers little prospect for significant agriculture.

In the early Neolithic Age, the first farming societies began to develop in Greece. This was around 6000 BC.

These societies appear to have consisted of migrants from the region of Anatolia. These early civilisations were small, and they only grew crops for their own needs. 

The Minoans were the first great civilisation in Greece. They lived on the island of Crete, and they flourished from around 2000-1450 BC.

This early civilisation is often referred to as the Minoan civilisation, named after King Minos of Crete. 

The Minoans were known for their artistry, especially in pottery and sculpture. They also developed a complex system of writing called Linear A, which has not yet been deciphered.

The Minoan civilisation declined due to a range of factors, including a volcanic eruption on the island of Thera (Santorini), which caused widespread damage and destruction.

A tsunami caused by the eruption appears to have played an equally important role in dooming the Minoans.

In around 1400 BC, the Mycenaean civilisation began to develop in mainland Greece.

The Mycenaeans were influenced by the Minoans and they also developed a system of writing, called Linear B, which has been deciphered and shown to be an early form of Greek.

The Mycenaeans were a warlike people and they are known for their magnificent palaces and fortifications.

However, just like the Minoans, the Mycenaean civilisation also collapsed. It was caused by a number of factors, including economic decline, drought, and invasion.

Around 1100 BC, it is thought that the Dorian people invaded mainland Greece from the north.

They conquered the Mycenaean civilisation and ushered in a new period in Greek history, known as the Dark Ages.

Very little is known about what happened during this time. It is thought that there was a decline in population and a decrease in trade.

However, archaeological evidence shows that Greeks began colonising Asia Minor during and after the Dark Ages.

Around 800 BC, the first signs of recovery began to appear. At Delphi, in central Greece, a shrine dedicated to the god Apollo was built, and quickly became the most famous religious site in Ancient Greece.

Known as the Delphic Oracle, it became a popular place for Greeks to seek advice from the god about their future and their day-to-day concerns. 

The Archaic Period is the name given to the time from around 800 to 480 BC. This was a time of great change for the Greeks.

They began to establish colonies around the Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts. The Greeks also started to develop their own form of government, art, and literature.

One of the most famous pieces of Greek literature from this period are the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by the poet Homer.

During the Archaic Period, political systems began to change. Previously, monarchies had been the most common form of government.

However, during this time, city-states began to develop that favoured a republican-style system that allowed more people to be involved in political life.

The most famous city-state was Athens, which developed the first version of democracy.

The Classical Period is the name given to the time from around 480 to 323 BC. This was the golden age of Ancient Greece.

The Greeks continued to expand their empire and their influence spread throughout Europe and Asia. Greek art, literature, and culture was at its peak during this period. 

The rise of Athens following the Persian defeat in 480 BC allowed all of these cultural changes to occur.

Following the Persian defeat, which brought about a period of peace and prosperity, culture grew due to improved finances and stability.

The city-state of Athens, which possessed a powerful navy, was able to demand tribute from other city-states and enforce its demands.

Athens established the Delian League, a defensive alliance whose stated goal was to hinder future Persian invasions.

However, Sparta was wary of the Athenians and established its own organization for protection against their rivals, the Peloponnesian League (after the Peloponnese region where Sparta and the other cities were located).

The city-states that sided with Sparta began to see Athens as a threat to peaceful cooperation between the Greeks.

These two groups clashed in the Peloponnesian War, which lasted from 431 to 404 BC.

This war was fought between Athens and Sparta, with each side invading the other's territories and allies.

The war resulted in the defeat of Athens and the end of its empire. Despite losing the war, Athens remained an important center of culture and philosophy.

Sparta became the dominant power in Greece following the war, but it was short-lived.

In 371 BC, Thebes defeated Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra and ended its reign.

The Hellenistic Period is the name given to the time from around 323 to 31 BC. This period was marked by the rise of Alexander the Great and his conquest of much of the Middle East and central Asia. 

Prior to this, there had been a number of wars between different city-states in Greece.

These wars led to the rise of Macedon, a powerful state in the north of Greece. Macedon was ruled by Alexander's father, Philip II.

In 338 BC, Philip II conquered almost all of the city-states in Greece and established the League of Corinth. This made Macedonia the most powerful state in Greece.

In 334 BC, Alexander the Great, son of Philip II, invaded the Persian Empire. This was a massive empire that included present-day Turkey, Iran, and Egypt.

Alexander conquered all of these territories and established the largest empire in the world at that time.

After Alexander's death in 323 BC, his empire was divided up between his generals.

Ancient Greece entered a period of decline during the Hellenistic Period, as competing Greek kingdoms exhausted themselves trying to defeat each other.

However, the rapid spread of Alexander's kingdom also facilitated the spread of Greek culture throughout the eastern Mediterranean world.

Ancient Greece came to an end around 146 BC when the Roman Empire conquered the most of the region.

Then, in 31 BC, the Roman emperor Augustus defeated the last Greek kingdom: Egypt, ruled by Cleopatra.

This effectively ended Greek independence as Rome became the dominant power in the Mediterranean.

Ultimately, Greece was made a province of Rome until the Roman Empire also fell.

While Ancient Greece technically came to an end with the Roman conquest, Greek culture continued to influence the world for many centuries afterwards.

The Romans adopted much of Greek culture and spread it throughout their empire.

And even today, we can still see the influence of Ancient Greece in our own culture. From art and architecture to literature and philosophy, the legacy of Ancient Greece lives on.