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Archaic Era Sparks Greek Transformation
- The Archaic Era (beginning c. 800 BC) transformed Greece: cities formed, trade expanded, colonies were founded, and political ideas emerged.
- Patrick Wyman links these sweeping changes directly to a demographic baby boom that increased surviving children.
Population Collapse Reshaped Postpalatial Greece
- Late Bronze Age collapse produced dramatic demographic decline, perhaps halving Greece's population and reshaping political and economic life.
- Fewer people meant different settlement patterns, less labor, and the disappearance of palatial systems.
8th Century Population Doubling Claim
- Ian Morris' estimate: Greece's population may have doubled in the 8th century, an extraordinary pre-modern growth rate.
- That growth required fertility to outpace very high mortality, implying major changes in environment or society.