ABSTRACT
After this brilliant interlude, progress during the next two generations (c. 830-770 B.C.) was less spectacular. Although some Levantine traffic was maintained, there is less to show for it at home; the repertoire of grave goods is more restricted, and goldwork is exceptional. Athenian Middle Geometric, a settled and harmonious style of pottery, slowly worked itself out; and before long it became the common idiom of almost every Aegean centre, so that one must at least suppose some increase in maritime travel within home waters. Because the style has a marked internal development through two stages, it is a most useful yardstick for measuring time in other parts of Greece, each of which will be considered in turn. The final ferment at the end of MG II, when the first funeral and battle scenes suddenly appear on Attic pottery, will be treated with the work of the Dipylon Master in the next chapter.
