CLA230H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Krater, Tumulus, Greek Hero Cult
Document Summary
The fall of mycenae is typically regarded as the marker to the beginning of the dark age. Initially believed to have been the sites of a massive earthquakes, but that isn"t really the case. Thebes destroyed by fire as well (c. 1230) Population not really cared for by the leaders. Don"t know much about the organization of mycenaean society, however, so we cannot say for sure. Greek mythology tells us about this. (7 against thebes, for example, where elites devote time, money and energy to destroy each other. ) More recent thought about the fall of mycenaean society. Shifts in climate around c. 1200 may have had catastrophic results for crops. We do not have much data for this, so it"s just a theory. Complex societies can collapse for a whole host of reasons, and it"s difficult to see the cause. Political changes can also lead to systemic collapse. Structures and social systems can suffer and collapse can take place.
