page_title: Archaeology of Greece
section_title: Iron Age Greece
hierarchical_section_title: Archaeology of Greece / Iron Age Greece
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Spätgeometrischer Krater (Namenvase) des arivischen Malers von Athen 877, um 730 bis 690 v. Chr.; gefunden auf Melos. Das zentrale Bild zeigt einen Mann und zwei Pferde. Heute im Archäologischen Nationalmuseum von Athen, Inventarnummer 877. English: Late geometric krater by the argive Painter of Athens 877 (Name vase), found at melos; manufactures between 730 and 690 BC. Image shows an man with two horses. National Archaeological Museum of Athens Ass.nr. 877.
context_page_description: Archaeology of Greece includes artificial remains, geographical landscapes, architectural remains, and biofacts. The history of Greece as a country and region is believed to have begun roughly 1–2 million years ago when Homo erectus first colonized Europe. From the first colonization, Greek history follows a sequential pattern of development alike to the rest of Europe. Neolithic, Bronze, Iron and Classical Greece are highlights of the Greek archaeological record, with an array of archaeological finds relevant to these periods.
  Hunter-gatherers of Greece inhabited the region during the Middle Paleolithic Age. Franchthi cave, an archaeological site in Southern Greece, has uncovered evidence which demonstrates people hunting small and large game, gathering wild cereals and fishing in coastal waters, following the Ice Age.
context_section_description: The Mycenaean civilization ended at the beginning of Iron Age Greece (1100 BC), which is also known as the Dark Age of Greek history. The Early Iron Age still bears evidence of Mycenaean presence through archaeological remains at sites of Tiryns, Argos, Midea and Asine. Archaeological remains prove an earthquake disrupted Mycenaean sites such as the ones mentioned, and this earthquake led to a series of fires and smaller earthquakes; during this environmentally unstable period, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed due to political circumstances and community pressures caused by the environmental destruction.
caption: A krater vase found at Melos, Greece. It is decorated in the Late Geometric design; dated from some time between 730 and 690 BC.
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