Dark Age

After the fall of the Mycenaeans, population and agriculture declined. Consequently, many Greeks emigrated to the islands or to Asia Minor, as you can see in the map below. In this way, the economic activity restarted and commerce came back. 

The most important tecnological achievement of this period was that iron became a popular replacement for bronze in the making of weapons and tools.

A new form of political organization appeared: the polis, an independent city-state with a little territory, its own laws, government, army and currency. Their political system was a Monarchy (< mono = one, archy = power) with a king, who was the wealthiest man in the city. Athens and Sparta were the most important poleis. (Click to enlarge the map).