Greece under Dorian rule

The term “Dark Ages” has often applied to the five centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire in A. D.

476, when civilization all but disappeared from Western Europe. This expression has fallen from favor, however, because it neglects the achievements of that era. Less well known is the use of the same expression to describe the period from about 1100 to about 700 b. c. in Greece. Here again, how-

Ever, the term “Dark Ages” is deceptive: on the one hand, it was a time when civilization in the area hit a low point; on the other hand, it was during these four centuries that the roots of Greek culture developed.

The Dorians, a tribal society, settled primarily in the southern and eastern Peloponnese. Their rulers took over what was left of the Mycenaeans' fortresses and palaces. Whenever there was a dispute between individuals or families, as there often was, the parties involved would go to their king, who served as a judge.

There was no real sense of justice, however, as there might have been in a society governed by formal laws such as those set forth by Hammurabi or Justinian. Life in Greece under Dorian rule was more like Israel during the time of the judges, when “everyone did as he sought fit.” Men walked around armed, just in case there was trouble. The Dorians spoke a dialect (DIE-uh-lekt; a regional variation of a language), of Greek. Dorian was distinct from Aeolian (ay-OHL-ee-uhn), spoken in an area running from Thessaly to the edge of the Peloponnese, and from Ionian, spoken by the Mycenaeans and others on the Peloponnese itself. The Dorians did not, however, have a written language. Linear B script died out in the Dark Ages.

Other aspects of life declined as well. The arts, most notably pottery—examples of which have been found by archaeologists in the region—clearly suffered under Dorian rule. Having destroyed the Mycenaeans' cities, the Dorians no longer had access to their trade routes. The once-rich land of Greece became poor as a result. In contrast to the gold of the Mycenaean tombs, Dorian burial sites have yielded little in the way of precious metals and gems. The Dorians buried their dead with offerings of bone, stone, and clay. It is not surprising, then, to discover that the population of the area also dropped rapidly during the Dark Ages, no doubt as a consequence of poverty.