Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
A doorstep between Asia Minor and Europe, through ancient and modern
times Greece has been tied to the rising and waning fortunes of its neigh-
bours. In the 5th century BC Greece was almost devoured by the unstop-
pable spread of the Persian Empire, only reversed by Alexander. Later still,
the Roman Empire overwhelmed old Hellas, but the nation revived once
more under Byzantine rule. However, the Greeks' genius was their ability to
adapt elements of other cultures' architecture and craft, taking it to new
heights of their own.
Early Days
The discovery of a Neanderthal skull in a cave on the Halkidiki peninsula of Macedonia
confirmed the presence of humans in Greece 700,000 years ago. People from the Palaeo-
lithic times (around 6500 BC) left bones and tools in the Pindos Mountains, while pastoral
communities emerged during neolithic times (7000-3000 BC), primarily in the fertile re-
gion that is now Thessaly. Agriculturally sophisticated, they grew crops, bred sheep and
goats, and used clay to produce pots, vases and stylised representations of idols as figures
of worship.
The epic Battle of Thermopylae, near today's Lamia, saw the Spartans redefine 'valour'
as they held out outnumbered against King Xerxes' Persian force.
Artistic & Cultural Legacies
Ancient Civilisations
By 3000 BC settlements had developed into streets, squares and mud-brick houses. Ad-
ding to this momentum, Indo-European migrants introduced the processing of bronze into
Greece and from there began three remarkable civilisations: Cycladic, Minoan and My-
cenaean.
Cycladic Civilisation
The Cycladic civilisation was a cluster of fishing and farming island communities with a
sophisticated artistic temperament. The most striking legacy of this civilisation is the
