History of
Ancient Greece

Since the Neolithic Age, the Greek peninsula has been composed of the Aegean Islands and the west coast of Asia. The development of a sea-going civilization was shown by many harbors along the coasts of Greece and many of close-lying islands. But the cultural similarities didn't create political unity. The mountain ranges and deep valleys cut the peninsula into small parts.

Archaeologists tell us that a primitive Mediterranean people lived in the southern Aegean area from far back as the Neolithic Age, before 4000 BC. The evidence shows cultural developments from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age which Greece started about 3000 BC. In the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC, the prehistoric Aegean civilization progressed to an very high level. Two main cultures developed during the Bronze Age of Aegean. Each passed through many phases. One which was called Minoan was centered on Crete. The Minoans dominated until after 1500 BC. The other one, called Mycenaean developed in same age on mainland of Greece, especially in the Peloponnisos. The greatest centers were at Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos.

During the late 3rd millennium BC, a sequence of invasions began by tribes from the north who spoke an Indo-European language. The evidence exists, that the northern people inhabited the basin of the River Danube in south-east Europe. The most famous invaders, who were to be called the Achaeans had probably been forced to migrate by other invaders. A second tribe, the Ionians settled in Attica, East-Central Greece, and the Aeolians settled in Thessaly.

After the conclusion of the great migrations in the Aegean, the Greeks developed a proud cultural awareness. They called themselves 'Hellenes'. From the mythology which was the basis of their religion, the Hellenes developed a history based on the ancestry of semi-divine heroes.

They followed a common course of official development although the small Hellenic states continued their freedom. The chiefs which invaded tribes became the kings of the territories they ruled in the pre-Hellenic period. As the noble families paid for land, these monarchies were slowly replaced between the time of 800 BC and 650 BC by oligarchies made up of people of higher birth. There was a lot of popular dissatisfaction under the aristocracies because of the increasing numbers of landless peasants. Agriculture and trade in 8th and 7th centuries BC pushed the development of a rich class of businessmen who took advantage of the dissatisfaction to ask for a share of power with the those of noble birth in the city-states.