ABSTRACT
The Archaic period in Greece coincides with the era of the great empires of Western Asia with their age-old cultures the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian and Persian empires, all of which lay fairly close to Greece. It was in the Archaic period, too, that the Greek trading post Naukratis was established in Egypt. Many cities in the Archaic period developed into independent self-governing city states. Greek painting, architecture and sculpture, the literary genres, religious imagery and cult practices and Greek philosophy all have their roots in the Archaic period. Homer was of tremendous importance to the Greeks. The world that is described in the works is that of the nobility in the Dark Ages and the early Archaic period. Greek architecture also acquired many of its distinctive features in the Archaic period. The knowledge of Greek painting is almost entirely restricted to vase painting.
