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The Greek Dark Age is generally defined as the period between the collapse of Mycenaean civilization at the end of the 11th century BC and the beginning of the Archaic period some 450 years later. During this period (perhaps towards its end), Homer composed the "Iliad" and "Odyssey", as episodes in the Golden Age of the heroes who had built and used the spectacular palaces, citadels and temples then everywhere falling into ruin. Otherwise, documentary evidence is sparse: most of what is known or surmised about the period derives from archaeology. This book considers what can be known about its social, economic and religious life, about its hero cults, tombs, the origins, meaning and purpose of its enduring myths, and the rebirth of urban civilization in the eighth century.