Archaic Greece is the name given to the period of ancient Greek history between the Dark Age that followed the collapse of the Mycenaean world and the beginning of the Classical period. It saw the rise of the polis, or city-state, and the founding of Greek colonies from the Black Sea to Sicily and southern Italy. The Greeks adopted the alphabet from the Phoenicians, and the poems of Homer and Hesiod were composed, as were the lyric poems of Sappho. Many cities were ruled for a time by tyrants, while Athens developed towards democracy under reformers such as Solon and Cleisthenes. The period ended with the Persian Wars, in which the Greek cities defeated the invading armies of the Persian Empire.
Before and after
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- 7th century BCERise of Nyaya
- c. 601 BCEThe Lydians mint the first coins
- c. 600s BCEPhoenician sailors circumnavigate Africa, according to Herodotus
- from 600 BCE to 500 BCEArchaic Greece
- 600 BCEFounding of Milan
- 600 BCEBirth of Cyrus the Great
- from 16 March 597 BCE to 1 January 538 BCEBabylonian captivity
- c. 595 BCESolon reforms Athens
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from c. 2,601 BCE to 1,901 BCEThe Indus Valley cities reach maturity
- c. 1,051 BCEThe Phoenician alphabet spreads
- from 351 BCE to 1494Construction of Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- from 323 BCE to 30 BCEHellenistic period
- 323 BCEConstruction of Temple of Ephesian Artemis
- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 6th century BCE.