In What Circumstances did Greeks Come into

Overseas expansion may be more difficult but it leads to more valuable opportunities such as trade.  After the dark ages the Greek civilisation seems to have reverted back to a modest origin however when Psamtik I initiated an ‘open door’ policy in 660BC allowing Greek travellers and traders back into Egypt, it awakened an interest in the splendour of the east and very quickly there was a high demand for artworks, foods, and other exotic items.  A rediscovery of language and mythical creatures from the east followed creating the need for more trade stations to be set up.  These emporiums differed from colonies as they fully belonged to their mother state.  A colony had its own identity, its own citizens and most importantly its own government.  In contrast an emporium could be created by many Greek cities but also by non-Greek societies wanting to attract the trade from the west.  They had no government and the people who chose to inhabit such a place were considered citizens of whichever state(s) fashioned it.  

In both emporiums and colonies there are examples of Greeks and eastern peoples living in an integrated society which is important as this is most likely where many of the major effects could first be seen.  The Myceneaens had developed a form of writing in the 12th century called ‘linear B’ however, like the Myceneaens themselves, this had been forgotten.  The Greek society which came out of the dark ages had no form of alphabet and the adoption of one is due to eastern contacts.  The first mention of literary beginnings can be found in Herodotus where he claims that it was the Phoenicians living Boeotia along side the Greeks who brought the alphabet to Greece.  Other recent scholars disagree, arguing that it’s more likely that the alphabet originated in Cyprus.  Wherever the true origins are to be found it is to be believed that the adoption took place through close connections with the east.  

The Greek version of the letters were visibly different from their presumed originators but many historians have put this down to the Greeks’ great innovative style; anything ‘borrowed’ from the ancient orient was then altered to create a truly Greek version and this was very true with the alphabet.  The Semitic model was made up of curved lettering and didn’t include any vowels at all.  The Greeks found this very difficult to use in conversions of everyday significance as the soundings of the letters were difficult to master.  The adding of vowels made the Greek words flow easily and likewise the letters made more straight, with fluid downwards strokes making it easier to carve lettering on stone statues etc.  Although the east did use words on their art and wrote many notices in stone they had many years experience over the Greeks and so could effortlessly inscribe their more complex script.  

The learning of a new language is very difficult and so it is evident that it was not traders that brought the alphabet to Greece but those living within an integrated society.  To gain knowledge of anything as complex as writing means that Greek scholars would first have to be taught the Semitic language, then they would alter it and filter it through the many regions of Greece.  The regional differences in the alphabet prove that the alphabet was a device filtered slowly from east to west with each individual city state developing it for their own practicality.  There is evidence showing that this filtration process followed popular trade routes suggesting some connection with the trade business, most historians consider this is because traders were selling items inscribed with Semitic lettering and they encouraged the embracing of this form of writing in order to increase demand for specific items.

Contemporary academics today have discovered a second existing language in the east which contains five vowel forms.  The Phrygian alphabet has a similar structure to the final one that dominated Greece after Athens became a controlling state signifying the conjoining of two separate alphabets on the Greeks part.  The adoption was clearly a thought out process and Greeks academics worked tirelessly to produce a system of writing that was easy for the Greeks to master and that appeared to be completely unique in its structure.  

When considering the effects the east had on the west one needs to assess Egypt in great depth.  This ancient civilisation was thriving throughout this period and once aware of the splendour and glamour that accompanied their culture many Greeks were fascinated by this country.  In Egypt art was every where and travellers could only bring back descriptions of the great statues that marked tombs and stood out side palaces.  Statuettes of small miniature replicas have been found in many places around Greece, especially Al Mina and major trading site that developed a huge art custom.  In the late geometric, early archaic period statues of nude male youths began to appear as dedications for Gods and memorials to men.  Soon these personalised grave stelai were a favourite in Greece and began appearing more and more often in cemeteries and temples.  The kouros (pl. kouroi) was an adaptation of an Egyptian model which stood in an ambiguous pose and was made to represent a god.  

But a more common demand was that for Egyptian furniture featuring eastern motifs and mythical stories.  The most widespread imported item seems to be the tripod cauldron which replaced the existing geometric design of the same piece.  The new theme present on these household items was often Egyptian mythical creatures such as griffins, sirens, lions and bulls.  The cauldron was made of bronze and the protome attachments produced an exotic feeling on an average everyday item.  

The rediscovery of art and in particular eastern techniques caused a craze in Greece which demanded similar Greek version be made within Greece and so cutting the price.  This mass production of homemade reworked copies decreased the amount exported from Egypt but the eastern influence continued through out the 7th, 6th and even 5th centuries.  

However once they had a feeling for finery and grandeur, the Greek artists began to transform other areas of art, creating new effects and developing skills in naturalism and verism.  One area that seems to not be influenced by Egypt is vase paintings.  The vases found from the 7th century in settlements along the Nile display a very simple theme with little decoration whereas in Greece vase painting in itself became a large section of the art world.  Scholars suggest that once the idea of magnificence entered Greece, it became a Greek prerogative; appearing in all areas of life.

One major consequence of contact with the east is the new opportunities to gain access to raw materials which had before not been available in Greece.  Materials such as gold and ivory adorned statues and buildings soon after the first emporiums were founded and more practical metals needed for building, sculpting and furniture making became more readily available.  Copper and tin were imported along with the tales of great oriental architecture, sparking a passion for the building of majestic monuments.  

Less apparent changes took place with the opened trade routes such as communication between communities creating a flare for fashion trends which stretched the length of Greece and further to the Phoenicians.  Diets also suffered the consequences of interaction and spices and oils became necessary ingredients.  

After the dark ages, Greece began a fresh with an emphasis on basic humble surroundings, however with a growing population and problematic natural boundaries they were quickly forced to colonise and open their doors to new ideas.  With colonisation came trade with new communities and the Greeks saw a world that was fully developed and thriving in magnificence.  The splendour of places such as Egypt provided Greeks with an opportunity to improve their own culture, adopting basic eastern ideals and transforming them to adhere to Greek society.  But critically the integrated settlements allowed scholars to be taught the most useful but vital practicality known today, writing.  The development of the alphabet, no matter where its first origin, saw a transformation in Greece allowing inscriptions to be made on temples and law codes of individual city states to be written down and displayed publicly.  The effects of the contact with the east created a Greece that was superior to its neighbouring communities because of the Greeks’ natural innovative qualities.    

Bibliography:  

• Buckley, T., Aspects of Greek History 750-323 BC: A Source Based Approach [London 1996]

• Coldstream, J. N., Geometric Greece [London 1979]

• Jeffery, L. H., ‘Greek Alphabet Writing’, in Cambridge Ancient History Second Edition, Vol. 3 pp. 816-833

• Osborne, R. G., Archaic and Classical Greek Art [Oxford 1998]

• Osborne, R. G., Greece in the Making 1200-479 BC [London 1996]

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