Background Middle Bronze Age migrations (Ancient Near East)

1 background

1.1 hittite invasion
1.2 destruction
1.3 greece
1.4 minyan ware

background
hittite invasion

for reasons unknown, hittites moved central asia minor, conquering hattians , later adopting culture , name. invasion hittites displaced other peoples living in anatolia, in turn displaced middle helladic greek-speaking peoples west. enforced exodus northwestern anatolia created wave of refugees invaded southern greece , destroyed helladic civilization.

destruction

archaeological evidence shows cities of erzerum, sivas, pulur huyuk near baiburt, kultepe near hafik, , maltepe near sivas destroyed during middle bronze age. great trading city of kanesh (level ii) destroyed. there in hill country between halys destruction layers time tell same story. karaoglan, bitik, polatli , gordion burnt, etiyokusu , cerkes. further west near dardanelles 2 large mounds of korpruoren , tavsanli, west of kutahya, show same signs of being destroyed.

the destruction crossed europe in bulgaria. migration brought end bulgaria s bronze age, archaeological evidence showing yunacite, salcutza, , esero centers had sudden mass desertion during time.

into greece

from dardanelles, refugee invaders moved mainland greece, , peloponnese saw burnt , abandoned cities on par later dorian invasion destroyed mycenaean civilization. @ time, 1900 bc, destruction layers can found @ southern greek sites orchomenos, eutresis (de), hagios kosmas, raphina, apesokari, korakou, zygouries, tiryns, asine, malthi , asea. many other sites deserted, e.g. yiriza, synoro, ayios gerasimos, kophovouni, makrovouni, palaiopyrgos, etc. destruction across greece coincided arrival of new culture had no connection helladic civilization, original inhabitants. northern greece escaped destruction, southern anatolia, during time showed no disturbances.

minyan ware

gray minyan ware first identified pottery introduced mass movement of new populations southern greece around 1900 bc. however, theory disproved in 1950s when excavations @ lerna showed minyan ware had predecessor in preceding helladic iii tiryns culture. advent of minyan ware coincides domestic processes reflective of smooth transition middle bronze age culture.