The Greek Renaissance

Ancient Greece: City and Society

The period between the fall of the Mycenaean civilisation and the 8th century BC is conventionally known as the “Dark Ages” of ancient Greece because of a relative dearth of evidence: Greece appears to be a more isolated and impoverished place, and some technological skills and also literacy appear to have been lost. In the 8th century, however, we see significant changes afoot not only in the archaeological record but also in overseas contact and the development of a Greek alphabet. In this lecture Dr Gillian Shepherd examines some of the extraordinary developments which have led to the 8th century being dubbed “The Greek Renaissance”.

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