Acropolis in the Late Bronze Age - Essay Example

Acropolis In The Late Bronze Age Introduction Athens was d in reference to the well known patron Greek goddess “Athena”. In Athens, Acropolis holds a twofold position. It is referred to as fortified citadel and state sanctuary with allusion to the ancient Athens city (Michell 1994, 62). It is the highest point of Athens (Blegen 1967, 22). Acropolis is situated on a horizontally topped rock wrapping; the area of approximately 3 hectors with 500 feet exceeding the sea level. In the more primordial times, it was known as Cecropia (with reference to the name of first Athenian king) (Mountjoy 1995, 122). In the ancient history of Greece, the ancient city of Athens clutches an explicit historical significance because of antediluvian developmental arenas (John 2001, 23). When it is to be conferred about well known migration from Athens city towards Acropolis, it reveals different momentous ciphers about the actual phenomenon. Many of the historians refer it to as a natural disaster or any other catastrophe such as rain flood, storm or earth quake. However the symptoms of actual occurrence divulge abundant facts and events associated to the migration (Myres and John 1958, 46). Some of the historians disclose it as a threat of invasion at Athens that is accentuated over the need of migration. The late Bronze Age covers the overall underlying phenomenon. The period of late Bronze Age is traced from 1600 B.C to 1100 B.C. The well known migration from Athens to Acropolis is found in the history as Dorian migration. In the fundamental study, we will focus on identification of the actual causes for what people were forced to migrate toward a higher peak point of the city for the sake of shelter (Mountjoy 1995, 129). Background Late Bronze Age was equipped in resolution on the shore of model settlements in Mycenae and property was bordered by mountains. At the same time impenetrable refinement was divergent to the prevailing mores. The late Bronze Age was most likely to be overlapping with the early Iron Age (John, 41). Some of the historians entail that the latest epochs of late Bronze Age and early Iron Age are identical. According to the numerous archaeologists the late Bronze Age was collapsed with the said migration. The migrants were those people who lived around the Aegean Sea. They were forced to migrate to upper most point of the Athens city (Hall, 40). Until a few years back (than to the late Bronze Age), the Athenians were not that much notorious to the urbanity. The fortification of exploration of excavations was the main apprehension of the time. At last there were five excavations which were furnished through the Athens history (Robinson and Boegehold, 81). If these excavations are to be further explored in order to dig out the ground facts of that time, the early crusades reveal about the continuances of flight of stairs which were prime from the inferior portion of the city (Athens) to upper corner toward Acropolis. The history of Late Bronze Age also covers the dark age of Athens (Myres and John, 12). Migration The destruction of Mycenaean places was mistrustful as it forced people to move towards upper segment of Acropolis (Bury, 21). Numerous archaeologists argue that it was because of rain flood since it is observed that people recurrently move to higher situate when there is a flood. But there were no symptoms of flood. It is because the destruction of the flood is somewhat explicit. The fire at that place was also not evident because it leaves nothing behind (Drews, 8). The feudal system was in institution at conventions. The invaders were destructing the places to eradicate the feudalism. It seems more sophisticated if the foundation of destruction may be referred to as being some sort of invasion (Anonymous, 39). It is said that the Dorian invaders assaulted the population that were residing in Peloponnesus. The Dorian belonged to subsequent lower social class and they were looking for amputation of feudal system and insurgency to improve their life styles (Mallory, 71). The history further entails that the populations of Peloponnesus were used to speak Dorian language while other piece of history describes that the people in Mycenaean Greek spoke Achaean language. The contradiction is found in prehistoric Greek literature such as in work of Homer. The society of Peloponnesus experienced a full fledge change from kingship decree system to a palace economic caste system. It was ruled by Dorian personnel “Ethnos” while in Sparta (Michell, 33). The entire symptoms and related consequences further revealed that this was not an earth quake, a storm, or any rain flood. Further while looking into the history of Greece, it implies that people were moving towards protected consign since threat of any invasion. Because as discussed earlier, it utters that the Dorian invaders were protesting against feudal system to gain their so called right (Cline, 63). The history indicates more about the invasion at Athens which caused an uncertainty among the population and people were forced to migrate toward Acropolis. Integrity of Invasion At some place in the northern area of Greece, the history observed an invasion which was disparate of the preceding one that is Achaeans. The Greek Doris entered in to Peloponnesus and subjugated copious cities over there. According to many historians and analysts, this invasion was overrun by the grand generation of the Hercules (Gillies, 28). The rank of Hercules was snatched by his jealous and step relatives. To regain the apt rank back, the third generation of Hercules attacked the Athens. According to the history writers, it is divulged that it was a second migration toward Acropolis (the first one was that of Achaeans). Taking these both of the migrations in view, it is concluded that people were frightened for their survival. It further continues till the use of iron (Boardman, 211). At the end of Bronze Age, this migration took place and while surviving at Acropolis, people learned the use of iron. Thus it was an informal start of the early Iron Age (Myres and John, 46). However the entire population was not in touch with the use of Iron. It was quite limited to a certain portion of the population in order to start making the iron made equipment and weapons to fight with the enemies (invaders). The Dorian invasion suggests the proxy of pre classical dialects of southern Greece with that of classical Greece (Robinson and Boegehold, 89). In fact the Dorian invasion is a term which is used by historians as the supportive causes of that migration. It is suggested as a hypothetically real event. The hypothetically real events are those which are suspected about their integrity but still they have followers (Mountjoy, 121). The followers of Dorian invasion may be specified as a certain group of historians who have the opinion that it was real event. The problem of integrity is that it does not provide the entire supportive grounds which could make it concrete (Anonymous, 39). This is the reason for what certain group of historians and scholars do not agree that invasion was the actual reason behind the migration. However, almost all schools of thought have the consensus over the point that a migration was taken place because of some sort of threat (Blegen, 27). The Dorian invaders, who attacked over Athens, were inhabited at numerous sites of Crete for example Lato. The historicity of Dorian invasion has not been settled despite of two centuries have passed (Robinson and Boegehold, 62). The concept of Dorian invasion has become so much vague because of gigantic number of opinions. There are so many historical theories presented over the myth that none of them looks much concrete or nearer to reality (Boardman, 211). Returning of Hercules According to the ancient Greek traditions, they narrate the return of descendants of Hercules (Heracleidae in ancient Greek) with the Dorian invasion. These genuses of themes are considered as legendary in term of galvanizing the reality upstream (Myres and John, 41). The salient feature of the Dorian invasion which is still unveiled and tentative is the exact nature of Dorian invaders. Some suggest that they were simply Protestants against the feudalism and belonged to exploited group of the society while some argue that they were the next generation of Hercules who were fighting to get their rank back (Hall, 91). In order to find out more facts about the authenticity the Dorian invasion, it comes with decoding the ancient Linear B script of ancient Greece (Myres and John, 46). The text in Linear B scripts is analogous to the prehistoric language that was in practice before ancient Greek which is commonly known as Mycenaean Greek (Hall, 40). Prehistoric history suggests that the Greek speakers were earlier (before entering the Greece) Indo Europeans. They later adopted the scripts of Greek and emerged as Greek speakers afterwards. They entered in ancient Greece in somewhere in 2200 to 1600 B.C. The term return is substantially strict when translated in to English. It is pretty closer to the connotations of new generations if the origin of the word is examined in its real meanings. The return of Hercules connotes here as the return of his heirs after long time of his death. The more it was taken in depth to find out the real causes, the more confusion was brought along (Robinson and Boegehold, 79). Nature of Destructions When archaeologists try to extricate the nature of destruction in result of invasion (or whatsoever), they are more closely in result that many of the temples and buildings were burnt. This creates the indistinctness of actual phenomenon at the ruined place and being cause of the migration (Drews, 11). Hence it was proclaimed as an invasion through an adversary assemblage, so destructions may be a sign of how the invaders endeavored to get their aim achieved. The nature of their aim is also vague in a sense because of bewilderment transpires (Robinson and Boegehold, 88). Conclusions The historians and archaeologists are in opinion that if it is deduced that the actual happening was taken place in 12th century, then it is very difficult to conclude a tail piece upon available evidences at present. It is because the confusion is still persisting since the facts have been amended so many times with the passage of time (Bury, 21). The real problem may be revealed as the absence of the sign of any Dorian (who speaks Dorian) and the history purely contradicts with the phenomenon because Dorian remained successful in the battle (Cline , 63). Where they went after winning the battle? If we presume the mythological thoughts of the people in prehistoric ancient age, we can easily identify it as a myth and nothing more than this (Boardman, 271). While history presents literature on the phenomenon, so it is a research apprehension for archaeologists and historians at present time as well. Another problem in identification of concrete facts is the Linear B scripts connotations; they are very vague to comprehend even after translating them in to English. However amongst all of the alternatives those exist as the cause of migration, the alternative of invasion sounds more powerful on the basis of logical arguments. But still it leaves with a number of attention seeking questions behind it. At the same time the evolution of Greek dark ages also covers the sub Mycenaean period however it includes Proto Geometric and Geometric period as well. The incorporation of true picture of invasion and migration is merely not possible. It is an image which is generated through foot prints of the history. No matter whatsoever happened at that time, it is important to study the leaves of history in order to revolve through the prehistoric times and dynasties. Until the time of accurate tail piece, it is an open ended research question. References Michell, H. Sparta. Cambridge: University Press, 1964. Print. Blegen, Carl W. The Mycenaean Age: The Trojan War, the Dorian Invasion, and Other Problems. Princeton, N.J, 1967. Print. Mountjoy, Penelope A. Mycenaean Athens. Jonsered, Sweden: P. A?stro?ms fo?rlag, 1995. Print. Camp, John M. K. The Archaeology of Athens. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. Print. Myres, Sir John Linton. Homer and his Critics. Routledge & Paul, 1958. Mallory, J P. In Search of the Indo-Europeans: Language, Archaeology, and Myth. New York, N.Y: Thames and Hudson, 1991. Print. Anonymous. A survey of the problems connected with the historicity of the "Dorian invasion" may be found Hall, J.M.: A History of the Archaic Greek World ca. 1200-479 BCE. Malden, MA: 2007. Blackwell Publishing. Drews, Robert. "The coming of the Greeks: Indo-European conquests in the Aegean and the Near East." (1988). Hall, Jonathan M. Hellenicity: between ethnicity and culture. University of Chicago Press, 2002. Bury, J B. A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great. New York: Modern library, 1937. Print. Robinson, Charles A. J. R, and Alan L. Boegehold. From Prehistoric Times to the Death of Justinian. New York [etc.: Macmillan Company [etc., 1967. Print. Cline, Eric H. Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: International Trade and the Late Bronze Age Aegean. Oxford: Tempus Reparatum, 1994. Print. Gillies, John. The History of Ancient Greece, Its Colonies and Conquests: From the Earliest Accounts Till the Division of the Macedonian Empire in the East : Including the History of Literature, Philosophy, and the Fine Arts. New York: R. M'Dermut & D.D. Arden, 1814. Print. Top of Form Boardman, John. Greek Gems and Finger Rings: Early Bronze Age to Late Classical. London: Thames & Hudson, 1970. Print. Bottom of Form Read More