CLCV 205: Introduction to Ancient Greek History
Lecture 02 - The Dark Ages. In this lecture, Professor Donald Kagan explores the earliest history of Greek civilization. He demonstrates how small agricultural enclaves eventually turned into great cities of power and wealth in the Bronze Age, taking as his examples first Minoan Crete and then Mycenaean Greece. He also argues that these civilizations were closely related to the great monarchies of the ancient Near East. He points out that the Mycenaean age eventually came to an abrupt end probably through a process of warfare and migration. Reconstructing the Mycenaean age is possible through archaeological evidence and through epic poetry (Homer). Finally, he provides an account of the collapse of the Mycenaean world, and explains how in its aftermath, the Greeks were poised to start their civilization over on a new slate. (from oyc.yale.edu)
| Lecture 02 - The Dark Ages |
| Time | Lecture Chapters |
| [00:00:00] | 1. The Minoan Civilization |
| [00:08:58] | 2. Mycenaean Language and Writing |
| [00:16:07] | 3. The Citadel, Farmland, Burials and the Oil Trade |
| [00:26:29] | 4. Cultural Unity, Agriculture, Religious Authority |
| [00:33:41] | 5. Society and Economy |
| [00:39:05] | 6. Theories about the Fall of the Mycenaean World |
| [00:56:52] | 7. Results of the Fall |
| References |
| Lecture 2 - The Dark Ages Instructor: Professor Donald Kagan. Dark Ages [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov]. |
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