Origins of the “Greeks”: Neolithic Period and the Birth of Archaeology and
Early-Middle Bronze Age
1. Archaeological Process
2. 2. Neolithic Revolution
Archeological Process
Field Walking
Stratigraphy and the Depositional Process
The way that stuff deposits build up over time.
Natural or intentional
Assemblage: collections of discovered objects from a stratum
Generally deeper = older
What Survives?
Stone sculpture (marble, limestone)
Pottery shards (ceramic, terracotta, clay)
Coins (silver, gold, bronze)
Figurines (terracotta
Architecture Pieces (marble, limestone)
What’s Missing?
Textiles
Wood
Basketry
Survive in cold and wet & hot and dry
Iconography & physical evidence
Images give evidence of culture and everyday life
Gives hints at clothing.
Physical items like loom weights and spindle whorls provide more
context
Greek Originally known as Hellas and formed through shared tradition and
values.
Panhellinism: places shared and important to all Greeks
Neolithic Period
6000-3000 BCE
, Bronze Age c. 3000-1100 BCE
Dark Ages (Early Iron Ages)/Geometric c. 1100-700
-Orientalizing c. 700-600 BCE
-Archaic c. 600-480 BCE
-Classical 480-323 BCE
-Hellenistic 323-31 BCE
Roman 31 BCE forward through 5th Century CE
Underlined dates are absolute.
Sesklo
Early excavated site of Late neolithic settlement
7510-5000 BCE
Stone foundations left behind
Fully surrounded by stone wall.
Megaron: square, stone structure central to the early Greek palaces
(appears in Bronze Age) involves hearth and throne room.
Some believe there is a megaron in Sesklo, but it is unlikely.
Artifacts: pottery, figurines, tools, projectiles, etc.
The Bronze Age
3000-1100 BCE
Why bronze matters:
-greater social stratification
-leads to greater specialization of occupation
-creates greater emphasis on trade and contact throughout Mediterannean
Tin: procured from Mesopotamia and Turkey (trade occurring)
Areas flourishing in Bronze Age: Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Egypt,
Greece
Bronze Age Chronology:
Early (EBA): 3000-2300
Early-Middle Bronze Age
1. Archaeological Process
2. 2. Neolithic Revolution
Archeological Process
Field Walking
Stratigraphy and the Depositional Process
The way that stuff deposits build up over time.
Natural or intentional
Assemblage: collections of discovered objects from a stratum
Generally deeper = older
What Survives?
Stone sculpture (marble, limestone)
Pottery shards (ceramic, terracotta, clay)
Coins (silver, gold, bronze)
Figurines (terracotta
Architecture Pieces (marble, limestone)
What’s Missing?
Textiles
Wood
Basketry
Survive in cold and wet & hot and dry
Iconography & physical evidence
Images give evidence of culture and everyday life
Gives hints at clothing.
Physical items like loom weights and spindle whorls provide more
context
Greek Originally known as Hellas and formed through shared tradition and
values.
Panhellinism: places shared and important to all Greeks
Neolithic Period
6000-3000 BCE
, Bronze Age c. 3000-1100 BCE
Dark Ages (Early Iron Ages)/Geometric c. 1100-700
-Orientalizing c. 700-600 BCE
-Archaic c. 600-480 BCE
-Classical 480-323 BCE
-Hellenistic 323-31 BCE
Roman 31 BCE forward through 5th Century CE
Underlined dates are absolute.
Sesklo
Early excavated site of Late neolithic settlement
7510-5000 BCE
Stone foundations left behind
Fully surrounded by stone wall.
Megaron: square, stone structure central to the early Greek palaces
(appears in Bronze Age) involves hearth and throne room.
Some believe there is a megaron in Sesklo, but it is unlikely.
Artifacts: pottery, figurines, tools, projectiles, etc.
The Bronze Age
3000-1100 BCE
Why bronze matters:
-greater social stratification
-leads to greater specialization of occupation
-creates greater emphasis on trade and contact throughout Mediterannean
Tin: procured from Mesopotamia and Turkey (trade occurring)
Areas flourishing in Bronze Age: Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Turkey, Egypt,
Greece
Bronze Age Chronology:
Early (EBA): 3000-2300
