Greek History
Stone Age (7000 – 3000 BC)
This early period was characterized by a pastoral lifestyle, small villages and goddess worship. The region’s perfect climate, warm with a dry wind and sea breezes, no doubt was a key factor in the gravitation of early peoples to Greece. One of the oldest Neolithic settlements in Greece is Dimini, consisting of 6 unusual concentric circular enclosures.
Bronze Age Civilizations
Cycladic (3000 -1100 BC)
Taking its name from the Aegean islands of the Cyclades in which it was centered, this peaceful, sea oriented civilization is known for its famous abstract marble figurines of the Great Mother goddess. These minimalistic sculptures have transcended time and seem modern even today. Many contemporary artists, including Picasso, have copied their distinctive style.
Minoan (3000-1100 BC)
Centered in Crete, the Minoans were Europe’s first civilization. The word “Minoan” conjures up images of the legendary King Minos, mystical labyrinths and the Minotaur. The grandest palatial structures of Minoa were so advanced that they even contained flush toilets!
The peaceful Minoan civilization whose empire relied on extensive maritime trading declined as Mycenaean civilization rose. The four greatest Minoan palace states – Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros -- came to an end around 1100 BC with the eruption of a volcano on the island of Thira, modern day Santorini.
Mycenaen (1900-1100 BC)
The Mycenaean civilization rose as the Minoan civilization declined. The kings of this Peloponnese-based empire lived in elaborate palaces and were buried in stately ‘beehive’ tombs and greeted the underworld wearing enigmatic gold masks. Who has not heard of its most mighty resident, King Agamemnon who attacked Troy? The Mycenaeans disappeared after the Dorian invasion which ushered in Greece’s so-called ‘dark age.’
Archaic Age (from 800BC)
This was the era when Greece was divided into the autonomous city states we all read about in high school. Despite their independence from each other, a common "Greekness" was forged through many avenues including:
a. The birth of the Greek alphabet
b. Homer’s epics which passed on morals to the Greek people
c. The pan-Hellenic athletic competitions such as those held in Olympia
d. The pagan sanctuary at Delphi whose administrators were chosen from each city-state but remained neutral in their role, making this body in some respects, the world’s first United Nations.
The creative innovations in the Archaic era set the stage for ancient Greece’s stunning contributions to Western civilization which emerged in full glory during the Classical Age.
Classical Age (490 – 323 BC)
The Battle of Marathon
The Persian emperor Darius, angry at Athens’ support of revolts in Asia Minor, sent 25,000 troops toward Athens. However, they failed to defeat 10,000 Greeks at the battle of Marathon. As the legend goes, a runner ran 26 miles to Athens with news of the victory and promptly died. Greece holds a marathon in Marathon every year to commemorate the messenger’s feat and their ancestors’ heroism.
The Battle of Thermopylae (300)
Despite the stylized rendition of Hollywood’s “300,” the movie is, in fact, quite faithful to the accurate history. Led by Leonidas, 300 elite Spartan troops did indeed hold back thousands of Persians at a narrow mountain pass in Central Greece. When told that the sky would be black with Persian arrows, Leonidas brazenly replied, “Then we will fight in the shade.” After several days they were defeated, but their phenomenal bravery ignited Greek passions for centuries afterwards.
Athens vs Sparta and the Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BC)
No history of Greece would be complete without a mention of the rivalry between the trading culture of Athens and the more military minded Spartans. Tension between the two great city-states erupted into open warfare more than once with many casualties on both sides. Those who are interested can turn to the ancient Greek historian Thucydides and his riveting account of the trouble in the History of the Peloponnesian War.
Macedonia and Alexander the Great
Situated in what is now Northern Greece, the Macedonia kingdom gave birth to one of history’s most daring military leaders, Alexander the Great. It all started when his father, Philip II, convinced the Greek city-states to pledge loyalty to his kingdom. Once unified, Philip’s great dream was to go head to head with the Persians, but this campaign would have to wait until his son, Alexander, came to power.
In 334 BC Alexander, along with 40,000 of his men and his famous horse Bucephalus, entered Asia Minor. Showing amazing military prowess he conquered Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, India and even reached Afghanistan. When he died at age 33 in 323 BC, undefeated in battle, his empire split into three kingdoms, the most famous of which was the Ptolemaic kingdom in Egypt. It came to an end when its ruler, Cleopatra, committed suicide in 30 BC.
Roman Rule (86 BC – 325 BC)
The Roman dictator Sulla seized Athens in 86 BC and ushered in 300 years of Roman rule. The pragmatic Romans borrowed prodigiously from Greek culture, philosophy, the sciences and art. Wealthy Romans frequently sent their children to Athens for their education. The conquering Romans, with their vast empire, actually helped spread Greek culture.
The Byzantine Empire (325 – 1054 AD)
With Paul’s mission to Greece in the first century AD, Christianity started to slowly spread throughout the Greek world. It got a boost in 325 AD when the Roman emperor Constantine I converted to the new religion and moved the Roman Empire’s capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (aka Constantinople, modern day Istanbul). Christendom remained united until 1054 when the theological differences between the Eastern and Western churches split. As a result the Greek Orthodox Church has its patriarchs and the Roman Catholic Church has its popes.
The Turkish Occupation and the Greek War of Independence (1453 – 1829)
When the Turks ejected the Byzantine Empire in 1453 from the region, the local inhabitants, including its Greek citizens, were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. Greek life under 400 years of Turkish occupation was oppressive and humiliating. In the spirit of the nationalist movements of that era Greeks too longed for self-determination. Interestingly, a major spark for Greek independence came from Russia.
Catherine the Great (1729-1796), no doubt feeling a considerable amount of sympathy for her Orthodox co-religionists enduring life under Islamic rule, eventually managed to force the Turks out of the Black Sea region. She then founded three new cities in the area, one of which was called ‘Odessa.’ It was in this small coastal city that three Greeks advocated for the violent overthrow of Ottoman rule. Believing passionately in their cause, the Greeks fought during the 1820s and finally, after many atrocities, the sultan accepted Greek independence.
Turkey and The Great Catastrophe (1920s)
Until 1922 there was a thriving Greek community in Smyrna (now Izmir). Greeks had lived there for centuries as this area was part of ancient and Byzantine Greece. In 1922 thousands of Greek Smyrnans were decimated by the forces of Mustafa Kemal, founder of the modern Turkish state. Those who survived the massacres were forced to leave their home and move west into the modern Greek nation. Greece, at that time a small country of less than 5 million, struggled to absorb 1,500,000 refugees, including Aristotle Onassis who escaped from Smyrna penniless.
World War II
During the first year of Hitler’s occupation of Greece over 100,000 Greeks, mainly city dwellers, died of starvation even though the country was producing enough food to feed them. Death rates reached the point where Orthodox burial traditions had to be abandoned. This was a tremendous psychological shock because Greece is a deeply religious country with intense superstitions surrounding improper burials of the dead.
In 1944, shortly after Nazi Germany’s occupation of Greece ended, the country descended into civil war as communists fought central and rightwing elements who received clandestine assistance from the United States. The rivalries created brutal relations and murders between towns, within villages and even amongst family members. To this day, traces of the bitterness exist in pockets of the Greek population.
The intense poverty during the war and post-war years impacted surviving Greeks. It is as if the country made a national vow that future generations would never endure such suffering. Greeks today eat more than their European counterparts, exercise the least and watch the most television. Not exactly hedonists (a Greek word, by the way, meaning sweetness or joy), modern Greeks tend to focus on their comfort zones.
The Colonels’ Coup and Cyprus (1967-1974)
On April 21, 1967 a group of generals upset by leader Georgos Papandreou’s socialist leanings seized power and imposed martial law on the country. Trade unions were banned, leftist sympathizers were imprisoned and tortured and rigorous censorship was imposed on the media. A subsequent military leader came up with a CIA inspired scheme to unite Cyprus and Greece by assassinating a popular religious leader in Cyprus. The plan failed and Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus where it unlawfully remains today. Military rule lasted seven years and Greece moved with comparatively remarkable ease back to democracy.
Contemporary Greece
Greece became a member of the European Union on January 1, 1981. Its integration into modern Europe precipitated many social and cultural changes. Civil marriages were established, the obligatory dowry was abolished and abortion was legalized. On March 1, 2002 the euro was introduced and the world’s oldest currency, the drachma, ceased to exist. In preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games Greece’s infrastructure was significantly upgraded. The shiny new Athens Metro was expanded, the street around the Acropolis was pedestrianized, the majestic Grand Bretagne Hotel was renovated, and one of the longest bridge spans in the world was built in Western Greece to shave off hours for Europeans driving to Athens. The modernization continues; Starbucks has infiltrated the historic Plaka district in Athens!