Helladic
The Helladic is a period of ancient Greek Civilization. The term is commonly used in archaeology and art history.
The Helladic period is subdivided as:
- The Early Helladic (c.2800 - 2000 B.C.)
- The Middle Helladic (c.2000 - 1500 B.C.)
- The Late Helladic (c.1500 - 1100 B.C.)
The Early Helladic is marked by the arrival in Greece of an agricultural population that did not speak an Indo-European language. Very little is known of this society except that they came from northern Anatolia and they worked metal. Their arrival coincides with the beginning of the Bronze Age in Greece. The Early Helladic period corresponds in time to the Old Kingdom in Egypt.
The Middle Helladic begins with the wide-scale settlement in Greece of a people known as the Minyans, who spoke an Indo-European language. The Middle Helladic period corresponds in time to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.
The Late Helladic is the time when Mycenaean Greece flourished. During this time a language recognizable as a form of Greek was spoken and Cyclopean tombs and citadels were built. The Late Helladic corresponds in time to the period of the New Kingdom in Egypt.
The decline of Mycenaean culture at the end of the Late Helladic heralded the start of the Greek Dark Ages.
See also
- Minoan civilization
- Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean Greek language, Linear B
- Aegean civilization, History of Greece