Summary
The ancient Greek tradition as described by Homer, Hesiod and Aristotle with regard to the prevailing climatic conditions before and during the time of the descending branch of the Mycenaean civilization are discussed. The possibility for an analogue of the drought proposed by Carpenter and accepted by Bryson et al. as contributing to the Mycenaean decline (c. 1200 B.C.) is examined in the light of modern climatological data.
Zusammenfassung
Die alte griechische Überlieferung, die von Homer, Heriod und Aristoteles hinsichtlich der vorherrschenden klimatischen Bedingungen vor und während der Zeit des Niederganges der mykenischen Kultur beschrieben wurde, wird besprochen. Die Möglichkeit einer Ähnlichkeit zu einer Dürrezeit, die von Carpenter vorgeschlagen und Bryson und Mitarbeitern als Beitrag zum Verfall von Mykene angenommen wurde, wird mit modernen klimatologischen Daten geprüft.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bryson, R. A., Lamb, H. H., Donley, D. L.: Drought and the Decline of Mycenae. AntiquityXLVIII, 46–50 (1974).
Carpenter, R.: Discontinuity in the Greek Civilization. Cambridge: University Press 1966.
Dickinson, O.: Comments to the paper: Drought and the Decline of Mycenae. AntiquityXLVIII, 228–229 (1974).
Donley, D. L.: Analysis of the Winter Climatic Pattern at the Time of the Mycenaean Decline. PhD Thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin, 1971.
Landsberg, H. E.: Drought, a Recurrent Element of Climate. Drought, WMO Spec. Environ. Rep. 5, Geneva, 45–90 (1975).
Lamb, H. H.: Review of Rhys Carpenter, Discontinuity in the Greek Civilization. AntiquityXLI, 233–234 (1967).
Lamb, H. H.: On the Nature of Certain Epochs Which Differed From the Modern (1900–1939) Normal. In: The Changing Climate (Lamb, H. H., Ed.), pp. 58–112. London: Methuen 1968.
Lee, H. D. P.: Aristotle Meteorologica. The Loeb Classical Library 1962.
Mariolopoulos, E. G.: The Climate of Greece, p. 370. Athens 1938.
Mariolopoulos, E. G., Karapiperis, L. N.: Rainfall in Greece, pp. 105–108. Athens 1955.
Mylonas, G. S.: The Date of the Fall of Troy and of the Descent of the Herakleids. English Abstract, Athens 1960.
Mylonas, G. S.: Mycenae and the Mycenaean Age, pp. 226–229. Princeton Univ. Press 1966.
Mylonas, G. S.: Excavations in Mycenae. Praktika of the Hellenic Archaeological Society (1968, pp. 5–11), (1972, pp. 114–126), (1973, pp. 99–107) and (1974, pp. 89–92).
Sears, P. B.: Climate and Civilization. In: Climatic Change (Shapeley, H., Ed.), pp. 35–49. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press 1953.
Snodgrass, A. M.: The Dark Age of Greece, pp. 296–323. Edinburgh Univ. Press 1971.
Suomi, V. E. (Ed.): Understanding Climatic Change. National Academy of Sciences, p. 239, Washington, D. C., 1975.
WMO: A Meteorological Approach to the Problems of Drought in Africa. World Meteorol. Organization, Geneva 1974.
Wright, H. E., Jr.: Climatic Change in Mycenaean Greece. AntiquityXLII, 123–127 (1968).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
With 1 Figure
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zerefos, C.S., Zerefos, E.C. Climatic change in Mycenaean Greece: A citation to Aristotle. Arch. Met. Geoph. Biokl. B. 26, 297–303 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02243233
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02243233