Bronze Age Chronologies

Scholars’ mapping of chronological periods — such as the various Early, Middle and Late Helladic phases — to absolute dates varies with evidence and personal leaning. There is, however, broad consensus, as the following chart shows. It compares the published chronologies from various recent sources:

• Feuer, Bryan, Mycenaean Civilization: An Annotated Bibliography (2002) McFarland & Co., Jefferson, North Carolina.
• Shelmerdine, Cynthia W, Review of Aegean Prehistory VI: The Palatial Bronze Age of the Southern and Central Greek Mainland (1997), American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 101, pp.537-585.
• Shelmerdine, Cynthia W (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age (2008) Cambridge University Press.

‘High’ and ‘Low’ represent the high and low chronologies relative to the eruption of Thera (Santorini) relative to the event’s radiocarbon dating (high) or synchronism with Egyptian and Near Eastern sources (low).

Where ranges are given for a specific transition, these are marked ‘Upper’ and ‘Lower’.

Key
	MH
	LH I
	LH IIA
	LH IIB
	LH IIIA1
	LH IIIA2
	LH IIIB
	LH IIIC/IIIC Early
	LH IIIC Late/SM
	Protogeometric

 

	Shelmerdine 1997				Feuer 2002 (after Warren & Hankey 1988)				Shelmerdine 2008
	High		Low						High		Low
Decade	Upper	Lower	Upper	Lower
1700
1690
1680
1670
1660
1650
1640
1630
1620
1610
1600
1590
1580
1570
1560
1550
1540
1530
1520
1510
1500
1490
1480
1470
1460
1450
1440
1430
1420
1410
1400
1390
1380
1370
1360
1350
1340
1330
1320
1310
1300
1290
1280
1270
1260
1250
1240
1230
1220
1210
1200
1190
1180
1170
1160
1150
1140
1130
1120
1110
1100
1090
1080
1070
1060
1050
1040
1030
1020
1010
1000

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