The history of Greece encompasses the history of the territory of the modern nation-state of Greece as well as that of the Greek people and the areas they inhabited and ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied throughout the ages and as a result, the history of Greece is similarly elastic in what it includes.
The history of Greece is divided into the following periods:
Prehistoric Greece: - Paleolithic Greece: This period started around 3.3 million years ago and ended in 20,000 BC. Significant geomorphological and climatic changes occurred, affecting the development of fauna and flora, as well as the survival of Homo sapiens in the region. - Mesolithic Greece: This era began around 13,000 BC and concluded around 7,000 BC. It was characterized by the slow development of primitive human "proto-communities." - Neolithic Greece: Starting around 7,000 BC and ending around 3,200-3,100 BC, this period was crucial for the early history of Greece as it laid the groundwork for early Bronze Age civilizations. Organized communities began to develop, and basic art advanced during this time. - Bronze Age Greece: This period, spanning approximately 3,200-1,100 BC, marked the transition to a metal-based economy. It encompassed the Early Helladic period in mainland Greece, the flourishing Cycladic culture in the Cyclades, and the Minoan civilization in Crete. The Bronze Age concluded with the rise and fall of the Mycenaean Greek palace culture, sealed by the Late Bronze Age collapse.
Ancient Greece: - Greek Dark Ages (or Iron Age, Homeric Age): 1,100–800 BC - Archaic period: 800–490 BC - Classical period: 490–323 BC - Hellenistic period: 323–146 BC - Roman Greece: This period spans from the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC to AD 324. Byzantine Greece: This covers the period of Greece under the Byzantine Empire, lasting from AD 324 until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Frankish/Latin Greece (including the Venetian possessions): This period extended from the Fourth Crusade in 1204 to 1797, the year of the disestablishment of the Venetian Republic. Ottoman Greece: This covers the period of Ottoman occupation of Greece from 1453 until the Greek Revolution of 1821. Modern Greece: This period spans from 1821 to the present.
At its peak, Greek civilization extended from Egypt to the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan. Greek minorities still reside in former Greek territories, and Greek emigrants have assimilated into various societies across the globe. Presently, most Greeks live in the modern states of Greece and Cyprus.
Fossils of one of the earliest pre-humans (Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, 9.6–8.7 million years ago),[1] and of quite possibly the oldest direct ancestor of all humans (Graecopithecus, 7.2 million years ago) were found in Greece.[2] In addition, 5.7 million year old footprints were found on the Greek island of Crete,[3] which may suggest hominin evolution outside of Africa, contrary to current hypotheses.[4]
The Paleolithic period is generally understudied in Greece because research has traditionally focused on the later parts of prehistory (Neolithic, Bronze Age) and the Classical times. Nevertheless, significant advances have been achieved over recent years, and the archaeological record has been enriched with new materi