History of Mainland Greece

The history of Greece is long and illustrious. The earliest traces of human life can be dated to about 270,000 BC and since then, evidence of various settlements has been found on the mainland and the islands. The earliest Neolithic civilisations in Europe were found in Greece and date to around the 7th millennium BC, preceding the Stone and Bronze Ages, of which many artifacts have also survived. 

On mainland Greece, the Mycenaeans (1700 BC – 1100 BC) were one of the first advanced civilisations in Europe and were named after their principal city of Mycenae located in the northeast Peloponnese. Through sophisticated trading and steady growth in population and wealth, they eventually took control over most of the mainland as well as many Greek islands.

Around the 8th century BC, the Archaic and Classical periods of Greece began to flourish. The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC and major texts such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are considered to have been written around the same time. With the influx in Greece’s prosperity, it was not long before other civilisations wished to dominate their lands. From 500 BC, the Persian Empire had control over Greek city states in Asia Minor and Macedonia but continuous attempts to conquer the territories in mainland Greece failed until they eventually withdrew entirely from all European states.

Nonetheless, a lack of political unity in Greece resulted in ongoing conflicts throughout the years, and the Hellenistic and Roman periods in Greece emerged through a wilderness of confusion and unrest. These periods were active from around 323 BC, after the death of Alexander the Great, to the 4th century AD. After many years of tactical progression, the Roman Empire gained control over Greece in 27 BC under Augustus’ rule. The Romans were heavily influenced by Greek culture, adopting many stylistic traits in their own art and architecture.

Following the fall of the Roman Empire and the eventual collapse of ancient civilisation throughout Europe, the 4th Century AD saw the beginnings of the medieval period. The Byzantine Empire emerged from the rubble – its capital was in Constantinople, but the official language and culture were Greek. The Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 but already after the Fourth Crusade and the fall of Constantinople in 1204, Greece fell into the hands of the French and the Venetians. Although the Byzantines re-established power and their seat in Constantinople, much of Greece stayed under the rule of these two foreign states.

By the end of the 15th Century, the Ottoman Empire had gained control of most of mainland Greece and the Aegean islands, but the Venetians maintained their grip on Cyprus and Greece until the end of the 16th Century. The Ionian islands were the only part of Greece that escaped Ottoman control.

In 1821, the Greek War of Independence began which saw Greek revolutionaries teaming together to gain autonomy from Ottoman rule. After nearly 10 years of revolution, Greece successfully drove out its former leaders and was pronounced independent.