Chapter 04 of 5
The Dark Age
Explore the multi-century silence when writing and empires vanished from the earth.
- The Great Silence
Vanishing Ink
Around 1200 BCE, the interconnected world of the Mediterranean suddenly went quiet. Literacy rates plummeted as palace administrations collapsed.
- Lost Script
Linear B Fades
The Mycenaean Greeks used Linear B for accounting. When their palaces burned, the knowledge of how to read it died with the flames.
- Economic Collapse
No Trade, No Texts
Writing was a tool for elite tax collection and trade. When international markets died, there was no longer a need for scribes.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
What primary factor led to the total loss of writing in the Greek Dark Age?
🏺 The Bronze Age Collapse
- 01The Globalized WorldDiscover the first era of globalization and its mysterious, sudden downfall.
- 02The Sea PeoplesUncovering the shadowy raiders who toppled ancient civilizations.
- 03The Supply Chain SnapDiscover how a broken supply chain ended an era of empires.
- 04The Dark AgeExplore the multi-century silence when writing and empires vanished from the earth.
- 05The Iron DawnScarcity births innovation as tin shortages end the Bronze Age and forge the world of iron.