During 1150 – 900 BC, the Dorians moved into the Greek Peninsula in a series of destructive wavers and wiped out the Mycenaean ruling classes together with their entire civilization.
The era is called ‘dark’ because of its grimness – archeological evidence creates a picture of widespread destruction, depopulation and impoverishment.
The literate and artistic culture of the Mycenaeans seems to have disappeared and the population shifted from cosmopolitan palace sites into small, isolated villages.
Shortly after 850 BC the face of Greece began to change. Greeks from the island of Euboea entered into cooperative ventures with Phoenicians, which become rather elaborate by 800 BC.
By 800 BC a new urban society was formed, and during 800-600 BC, more than 100 colonies were founded, from the Black Sea, virtually a Greek lake to Marseille.
Greek Dark Ages
