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| Books
that cover the full scope of Greek history. |
The face of Greece is a palimpsest bearing twelve successive inscriptions: Contemporary; the period of 1821; the Turkish yoke; the Frankish sway; the Byzantine; the Roman; the Hellenistic epoch; the Classic; the Dorian middle ages; the Mycenaean; the Aegean; and the Stone Age. Pause on a patch of Greek earth and anguish
overcomes you. It is a deep, twelve-leveled tomb, from which voices rise
up calling to you. Which voice should you choose? Every voice, every spirit
longs for its body; your heart is shaken, and cannot decide. |
| Modern
Greece 1828 to now |
"Modern Greece" includes the time of the modern independent nation of Greece, an eventful period including - just since WWII - a civil war, many government changes, the military dictatorship of "the colonels", democracy's restoration, and Greece's evolution into the economy of modern Europe and the Balkan scene. More on modern Greek history. Greece Today: Information on contemporary issues in Greece. |
| War
for Independence 1821 - 1828 |
Rebelling against the centuries of Turkish occupation, and taking advantage both of the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the sympathy of classically trained European "philhellenes," Greeks waged a seven year war to win their independence. Conducted in the usual Greek style: fractious, heroic, and colorful. |
| Turkish Occupation 1453 - 1821 |
For several centuries, the country was
part of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish overlords varied from enlightened to
despotic but it was a time of suffering and taxation without services or
representation. There was, in many places, considerable freedom to manage
local affairs, and the Orthodox church was not suppressed. A novel set in this time is The Greek Passion. |
| Byzantine Empire 364 - 1453 |
Sorry, no content yet. Suggest you visit Byzantium: The Byzantine Studies Page |
| Roman Empire 86 BCE - 364 CE |
The Romans admired and adopted Greek culture as their own. In this climate of Roman rule and Greek language the early Christian church was shaped with the early bishops and theologians using Greek ideas and philosophy to develop the foundational theological doctrines of the new religion. |
| Hellenistic
Era 336 - 86 BCE |
Alexander the Great seized control of his father's kingdom of Macedonia and in a decade of constant war journeyed as far as India before dying at the age of 33. His political kingdom did not survive his death, but he spread Greek culture through the middle east. While Athens had lost its political power, it remained a center of learning especially for philosophy (Aristotle) and science. |
| Classical Era 500 - 336 BCE |
The Parthenon; the plays of Sophocles, Aeschylus, Aristophanes & Euripides; the history of Thucydides, Herodotus and Xenophon; the philosophy of Socrates and Plato; the leadership of Themistocles & Pericles; sculpture, architecture, poetry. Oh, yea - one other thing: they invented democracy. And then -- they threw it all away in war with Sparta. Learn more. |
| Archaic 800 - 500 BCE |
Before the miracle of the 5th century, there had been significant developments in math, science (Pythagoras) and poetry (lyric poets such as Sappho). The first philosophers are in this time as well. The first steps of the formation of the city-states and democratic reforms occur. Learn more. |
| The Dark Ages 1100 - 800 BCE |
Ancient Greece had an ancient history almost as long as the period from the classical period to now. Greeks of the Classical period looked past the centuries of the dark ages to... |
| Minoan
and Mycenaean Eras 2000 - 1100 BCE |
The stories told by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey were long thought to be pure fiction until the ancient cites of Mycenae and Troy were discovered in the 19th century. Now we know that there were sophisticated empires based in Minoan Crete and, later, in Mycenae in the Peloponnese region. |
| Neolitic Era | Among the cultural artifacts from this area are a collection of art objects, known as "cycladic," that in their geometric and abstract form look surprisingly modern. More on Cycladic Art |