Ancient Greece
During the Bronze Age
(around 3200 – 1100 BC), a number of cultures flourished on the
islands of the Cyclades, in Crete and on the Greek mainland. They
were mainly farmers, but trade across the sea, particularly in raw
materials such as obsidian (volcanic glass) and metals, was
growing.
The collapse of Mycenaean civilisation
around 1100 BC brought about a period of isolation known as the
Dark Age. But by around 800 BC the revival had begun as trade with
the wider world increased, arts, crafts and writing re-emerged and
city-states (poleis) developed.
By around 500 BC ‘rule by the people’,
or democracy, had emerged in the city of Athens. Following the
defeat of a Persian invasion in 480-479 BC, mainland Greece
and Athens in particular entered into a golden age. In drama
and philosophy, literature, art and architecture Athens was second
to none. The city’s empire stretched from the western
Mediterranean to the Black Sea, creating enormous wealth. This paid
for one of the biggest public building projects ever seen in
Greece, which included the Parthenon.
Every fourth year between 776 BC and
AD 395, the Olympic Games, held in honour of the god Zeus, the
supreme god of Greek mythology, attracted people from across
Greece. Crowds watched sports such as running, discus-throwing and
the long-jump. Ancient Greece also played a vital role in the early
history of coinage. As well as making some of the world’s earliest
coins, the ancient Greeks were the first to use them
extensively in trade.
Following the death of Alexander and
the division of his empire, the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) saw
Greek power and culture extended across the Middle East and as far
as the Indus Valley. When Rome absorbed the Greek world into its
vast empire, Greek ideas, art and culture greatly influenced the
Romans.
The British Museum collection includes
objects from across the entire Greek world, ranging in date
from the beginning of pre-history to early Christianity in the
Byzantine era.
Image caption: Horsemen
from the west frieze of the Parthenon
Greek, about 438-32 BC