Helladic chronology

Helladic chronology is a way that archaeologists and historians group and study old objects and artworks from mainland Greece. It helps us understand when things were made during the Bronze Age, a time long ago between about 3200 BC and 1050 BC. This system is similar to one used for objects from Crete, called Minoan chronology, which was created by a scientist named Sir Arthur Evans. Another system, called Cycladic chronology, is used for items from islands in the Aegean Sea.

The main way scientists figure out the order of these old objects is by looking at changes in pottery styles. Pottery is important because it changes over time in shape and design, and it helps date other items found near it, like tools and weapons. Evans divided the pottery from Crete into three big time periods: Early, Middle, and Late Minoan. The Helladic system for mainland Greece was created later and follows a similar pattern.

Before the Bronze Age, most people in Greece lived in small villages and farmed the land. Over time, new skills like working with bronze metal, building big structures, and making strong walls helped societies grow. The later part of the Helladic period, from around 1550 BC to 1050 BC, is often called the Mycenaean Age because a place called Mycenae was very powerful then. After this time, around 1050 BC, the cultures of the Aegean region began to decline, a period some call the Dark Age, because of invasions and wars.

Etymology

The words Cycladic, Helladic, and Minoan describe where objects come from. For example, a Middle Minoan item found in the Cyclades is still called Middle Minoan, not Middle Cycladic. Similarly, an Early Helladic pot found in Crete stays Early Helladic, not Early Minoan. These terms work best in the central Aegean area and are less useful in places far away, like the Levant or North Africa, where local pottery might look like Aegean styles but is made there.

Background

Archaeology has found evidence, mainly from pottery, that a similar way of life existed across mainland Greece, the Cyclades, and Crete as the Neolithic Age turned into the Bronze Age before 3000 BC. As the Bronze Age continued, society and the economy developed faster. Unlike Egypt and Mesopotamia, people in the Aegean didn’t write things down during this time. Because there are no written records, historians use objects like pottery to figure out dates. Pottery was very common and even when broken, the pieces, called "sherds," often survived. By looking at the styles and techniques of these pots, experts can tell how old they are. This helps them understand when different places were living at the same time.

Periodisation

The Early, Middle, and Late scheme can be used in different ways. To make things simpler, instead of saying "Early Early," scientists use the letters I, II, and III for the second level. For the third level, they use A, B, and C. For the fourth level, they use 1, 2, and 3, and for the fifth level, they again use A, B, and C. Not every place has all these levels. If more levels are needed, another Early, Middle, or Late can be added. The Helladic chronology is divided in this way.

Settlements of the Helladic period

See also: Historical urban community sizes and List of largest cities throughout history

These are the estimated numbers of people living in small groups called hamlets, larger groups called villages, and bigger places called towns during the Helladic period. It is hard to know exactly how many people lived in each place, because the numbers can change a lot depending on how we think about it.

Early Helladic (EH)

Further information: Aegean civilization and Proto-Greek

The Early Helladic period, also called EH, was a time in ancient Greece when people began using bronze and copper. They learned basic bronze-making skills from people in a place called Anatolia. This period happened around the same time as the Old Kingdom in Egypt. Important places from this time are found along the coasts of mainland Greece and some islands. These sites show pottery styles that came from western Anatolia and used a faster spinning potter's wheel. A big building type called a megaron appeared during this time.

The Early Helladic period has three parts. The first part, called Early Helladic I or Eutresis culture, lasted from about 3200 to 2650 BC. During this time, people made pottery without slips or with red slips, but metal objects were very rare. The second part, Early Helladic II or Korakou culture, lasted from about 2650 to 2200 BC. This period saw big changes, like better metalworking, more organized societies, and bigger buildings. The third part, Early Helladic III or Tiryns culture, lasted from about 2200 to 2000 BC. Scientists used to think this period began because new people arrived, but now they believe the changes came from inside Greece itself, along with contacts with nearby areas and climate shifts.

Middle Helladic (MH)

The Middle Helladic (MH; around 2000–1550 BC) was a time in the Middle Bronze Age in Greece. During this period, people lived in settlements that were often on hilltops. Two important places studied by archaeologists are Malthi in Messenia and Lerna V.

Pottery

This time is known for a special type of pottery called Minyan ware. Gray Minyan ware was first thought to come from people moving into Greece, but later discoveries showed that pottery styles changed slowly over time. Painted pottery from this period often had straight lines and shapes, but later it began to include more curved designs influenced by other cultures.

Graves

People during the Middle Helladic period buried their dead in different ways. They used pit graves, tholos graves, cist graves, and shaft graves. Cist graves were deep and rectangular with a mound of earth on top. Shaft graves were even larger. Sometimes, babies were buried in special large jars called pithoi. Burials often included valuable items like pottery or metal objects.

Settlement pattern

Communities like Lerna did not have a planned layout. Houses were close together, usually one story tall, and made of clay. They often had a porch, a room with a hearth, and spaces for storing things. Some larger houses might have been homes for leaders.

Economy

People grew crops such as wheat, barley, and beans. They also raised animals like sheep, goats, and oxen. Making cloth was important, and people wore decorations made from stone and shells.

Remains

Studies of bones from places like Lerna show that men often ate more protein and did more hard work than women. Men also showed more signs of diseases from contact with other groups.

Late Helladic (LH)

Further information: Mycenaean Greece

The Late Helladic period (or LH) is when Mycenaean Greece grew strong. It was influenced by cultures from Minoan Crete and the Cyclades. People who made LH pottery sometimes wrote on their work with a special script called Linear B, which we now know is an early form of Greek. LH is split into three main parts: LHI, LHII, and LHIII. LHI and LHII happened at the same time as Late Minoan ware, but LHIII happened after it. LHIII is also split into three smaller parts: LHIIIA, LHIIIB, and LHIIIC.

The table below shows the approximate dates of the Late Helladic phases on the Greek mainland, based on recent research:

Late Helladic I (LHI)

LHI pottery has been found in places like the Shaft Graves of Lerna and settlements such as Voroulia and Nichoria in Messenia, Ayios Stephanos in Laconia, and Korakou. Recent studies suggest LHI might have started earlier than previously thought. The Thera eruption also happened during this time.

Late Helladic II (LHII)

LHIIA is mainly known from findings at Kourakou East Alley. There are links between LHIIA and a related style from Crete called LMIB. LHIIB started before the end of LMIB and shows less influence from Crete. Pure LHIIB items are rare and come from places like Tiryns, Asine, and Korakou. In Egypt, LHII matches the beginning of the Theban "Imperial" period and the New Kingdom of Egypt, during the time of pharaohs like Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.

Late Helladic III (LHIII)

LHIII happened at the same time as Late Minoan III. As LHIIIB progressed, styles from the Aegean region started to change.

LH IIIA

LHIIIA:1 pottery is known from places like Mycenae, Thebes, and Rhodes. It has been found in many locations including Asine, Athens, Sparta, Nichoria, and Mycenae. LHIIIA:2 pottery shows Mycenaean influence spreading across the Eastern Mediterranean. It has been found in Egypt, the Uluburun shipwreck, and Miletus.

LH IIIB (c. 1360/1325-1200/1190 BC)

LHIIIB pottery is linked to the palaces on the Greek mainland and the use of Linear B writing. The end of LHIIIB is connected to the destruction of Ugarit.

LH IIIC

LHIIIC is split into two parts: LHIIIC:1 and LHIIIC:2. Late LHIIIC pottery has been found in places like Troy and some Philistine settlements.