Sometime around 2000 BCE and 1900 BCE, a series of events led to a large swath of destruction starting from Eastern Anatolia (now Eastern Turkey) to the Aegean Sea. The destruction, traveling along the traditional trade routes, left a series of burnt and destroyed cities in its wake, and the refugees from this invasion or event caused a mass migration of Indo-European peoples, who would become the Mycenaean Greeks, from their former settlements into south and central Greece displacing the former non-Greek inhabitants of Greece.[1][2] Little is known about these non-Greek people, possibly the Pelasgians, who were either conquered or absorbed by the Greek migration but we do know they used -nthos, -ssos, -ndos suffixes for place names in their language.[2][3]
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Background
Hittite invasion
For reasons unknown, the Hittites moved into Khattian Central Anatolia (Central Turkey), conquering the Hattians and later adopting their culture and name.[4] This invasion by the Hittites displaced other peoples living in Anatolia, who in turn displaced the Middle Helladic Greek-speaking peoples to the west. This enforced exodus from Northwestern Anatolia created a wave of refugees who invaded what is now southern Greece and destroyed the Early Helladic civilization.[3][5][6]
Destruction
Archaeological evidence shows that the cities of Erzerum, Sivas, Pulur Huyuk near Baiburt, Kultepe near Hafik, and Maltepe near Sivas all show destruction during this time. The great trading city of Kanesh (Level 2) was also destroyed. From there in the hill country between Halys the destruction layers from this time tell the same story. Karaoglan, Bitik, Polatli and Gordion are burnt as well as Etiyokusu, Cerkes. Further west near the Dardanelles the two large mounds of Korpruoren and Tavsanli, west of Kutahya, show the same signs of being razed to the ground. The destruction even crossed into Europe in what is now Bulgaria. The migration brought an end to Bulgaria's early Bronze age, with Archaeological evidence showing that the Yunacite, Salcutza, and Esero centers had a sudden mass desertion during this time.[5]
Into Greece
From the Dardanelles, the refugee invaders moved into mainland Greece, and the Peloponnese saw burnt and abandoned cities on par with the much later Dorian invasion which destroyed the Mycenaean civilization. At this time, 1900 BCE, destruction layers can be found at southern Greek sites like Orchomenos, Eutresis, Hagios Kosmas, Raphina, Apesokari, Korakou, Zygouries, Tiryns, Asine, Malthi and Asea. Many other sites are deserted, e.g. Yiriza, Synoro, Ayios Gerasimos, Kophovouni, Makrovouni, Palaiopyrgos, etc. This destruction across Greece also coincided with the arrival of a new culture that had no connection with the Early Helladic civilization, who were the original inhabitants.[5]
Northern Greece escaped destruction, as well as southern Anatolia, which during this time showed no disturbances.[5]
Minyan ware
Supporting evidence of this mass movement of Greek peoples into southern Greece is seen in archaeology with the spread of "Minyan" ware throughout Greece around 1900 BC.[2][5] However, this has been disputed through excavations at Lerna showing that "Minyan" ware had a predecessor.[7] The advent of "Minyan" ware coincides with domestic processes reflective of the smooth transition from Early to Middle Bronze Age culture.[8]
Bibliography
- Notes
- ^ Geldard 2000, p. 7.
- ^ a b c Drews 1994, p. 14.
- ^ a b Dietrich 1974, p. 4.
- ^ Syndics 1964, p. 50.
- ^ a b c d e Mellaart 1958, pp. 9-23.
- ^ James 2008, p. 150.
- ^ "Lesson 9: Middle Helladic Greece". Dartmouth College. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. http://www.webcitation.org/5k1tnu4UE. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ Edwards 2000, p. 682. "Elsewhere the transition from Early to Middle Bronze Age culture seems to have been a smooth domestic process, unaffected by foreign influences. At individual sites, such as Troy, new wares take the place of old; but the arrival, for instance, of the so-called grey 'Minyan' pottery, which is now known to have been in use long before in neighbouring areas, suggests rather a peaceful acquisition rather than a foreign intrusion."
- References
- Dietrich, Bernard Clive. The origins of Greek religion (1974 ed.). Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3110039826. - Total pages: 345
- Drews, Robert. The Coming of the Greeks: Indo-European Conquests in the Aegean and the Near East (1994 ed.). Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691029512. - Total pages: 276
- Edwards I. E. S.. The Cambridge ancient history, Volume 1 - Volume 3 (2000 ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521077915.
- Geldard, Richard G.. The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece: A Guide to Sacred Places (2000 ed.). Quest Books. ISBN 0835607844. - Total pages: 326
- James, Kevin. A Mystery in Clay: Codes, Languages, and a Journey Through Time to the Last Ice Age (2008 ed.). AuthorHouse. ISBN 1434376389. - Total pages: 176
- Mellaart, James (January 1958). "The end of the early Bronze Age in Anatolia and the Aegean". American Journal of Archaeology vol. 62 (no. 1).
- The syndics of the Cambridge University Press. Anatolia (1964 ed.). Cambridge University Press. - Total pages: 52
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