GREEK DARK AGES:

The Dark Ages refers to Greek history from the presumed Dorian invasion and end of the Mycenaean civilization in the 11th century BC to the first Greek city-states in the 9th century BC. The archaeological evidence shows a collapse of civilization in the eastern Mediterranean world during this period, as the great palaces and cities of the Myceneans were destroyed or abandoned. Around this time, the Hittite civilization collapsed and cities from Troy to Gaza were destroyed. The writing of Greek language appears to cease. Greek Dark Age pottery has simple geometric designs and lacks the figurative decoration of Mycenean ware. The Greeks of the Dark Age lived in fewer and smaller settlements suggesting famine and depopulation. It was previously thought that contact was lost between foreign powers during this period yielding little cultural progress or growth; however, artifacts from excavations at Lefkandi on the Lelantine Plain in Euboea suggest that there was significant culture and trade links with the east, particularly Asia Minor.