Turkiye Archaic Period

Editor: Rasim Terzi (Mon, Feb 27, 2023 2:26 PM)

Turkiye Archaic Period

Turkiye Archaic Period

Life and Culture in the Archaic Period

The period between 800 and 480 BC is called the archaic period. There are ancient cities belonging to the Archaic period in the Aegean islands, Thrace and Macedonia, especially in Greece and Western Anatolia. It is believed that the foundations of the western world began to be laid with the Archaic Period. The most important feature of the Archaic period is the establishment of the City Statelets called the polis. The word "polis" today is derived from the archaic period as termilijok. In the Archaic period, Cities were ruled by Aristocrats and Tyrans. In time, the popular movement against the aristocratic section started. This is called democracy in Greek, meaning the power of the people. (Demos Halk Krotos power) In addition, these city-states are the establishment of colonial cities on the shores of the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean seas. These colonial cities were named Apoikiea.
Drokon, who lived in Athens in the Archaic Period, created the first written laws. These laws are considered the first Constitution of Athens. With this Constitution, it was tried to establish social peace among the classes among the people. Drokon's Constitution is considered to be very brutal. Because of this brutality, Solon of Athens created a New Constitution. Solon of Athens is one of the seven sages of the ancient world.

The Seven Sages of the Ancient World are:

1. Solon of Athens
2. Thales of Miletus
3. Priene Bias
4. Periander of Corinth
5. Spartan Chilon
6. Cleobulos of Lindos
7. Pitacus of Lesbos

Another important invention of the Archaic period is the Lydians' invention of coins. This invention immediately spread to the Ancient World. With the invention of the coin, the difficulties in trade disappeared. With the development of trade, visits to Mesopotamia and Egypt began to take place. Thanks to the cultural interaction that occurred during these visits, artistic and architectural developments occurred. In addition, the Ancient Greeks adopted and started to use the Phoenician alphabet used in Mesopotamia with these commercial trips. With writing, Archaic life began to become more orderly. People living in the Archaic period have increased their observations of their environment. In this way, the stream of rational thought began. Important philosophers such as Thales, Anaximenes, Anaximandros, Heraklatios have revealed many theories about Nature.

Sculpture in the Archaic Period

As we mentioned above, along with the trade to Egypt and Mesopotamia, artistic and architectural developments are observed. Sculpture was influenced by the sculptures seen in Egypt and sculptures were started to be made like the ancient Egyptians. These statues are very ordinary looking. But there is a smile on the faces of these statues. There is not much movement in these sculptures. It was made to stand upright like a soldier. The most famous sculpture types made in the Archaic period are Kouros and Kore sculptures. The best examples of these can be seen in the Istanbul Archeology Museum. The most famous person who made these sculptures is Daidalos, who lives on the island of Crete. Besides the sculptures, Daidalos is also a famous person known for the architectural ethnics and architectural inventions he added to the history of humanity.

Faith in the Archaic Period

In the Archaic period, people had polytheistic religions. The gods and goddesses they believed in were believed to live like themselves and to do activities that humans do, such as eating. The only feature of gods and goddesses that differ from humans is that they are immortal.

The 12 most important Gods and Goddesses for the Ancient World are;

1. Zeus
2. Poseidon
3. Hermes
4. Hera
5. Hephaestus
6. Dionysus
7. Demeter
8. Athena
9. Artemis
10. Apollo
11. Ares
12. Aphrodite

Archaic Period Architecture

When they saw that people built large temples for their Gods and Goddesses in Egypt and Mesopotamia during the trade trips, the Ancient Greeks must have been jealous of them, because huge temples began to be built for the Gods and Goddesses we listed above. Undoubtedly the most magnificent of them. One of the Seven Wonders of the World is the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. We can give the Temple of Apollo in Didyma as another example. The structures built in the Archaic Period are generally megaron-style architectures. In this megaron style architecture, columns in Doric, Ionian and Corinthian styles were built as a type of column.

The End of the Archaic Period

The end of the Archaic Period is shown as 480 BC in all sources. The biggest factor in the acceptance of this date is undoubtedly the wars that emerged as a result of the invasions of the Persians in Anatolia in this century.

Mon, Feb 27, 2023 2:26 PM

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