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The Dorians were one of the ancient Hellenic (Greek) races. Their place of origin is considered to be north and north-western Greece, Macedonia and Epirus. They invaded the Greek mainland, the Peloponnessus, Crete and other places throughout the Mediterranean about 1100 BC. This invasion was partly responsible for the subsequent Greek Dark Ages.

According to the myth, they are named for the district of Doris in Greece. Their leaders were said to have been the Heracleidae, the sons of the legendary hero Heracles (also called 'Hercules'). Since, however, very few records are available from this period of history the validity of the myth can not be established and their true origins are shrouded in mystery. The most famous of Dorian groups were the Spartans, whose austere and martial lifestyle was much admired and feared.

There was a Doric dialect of the Greek language, as well as a Doric column in architecture and a Dorian mode in music (see also guitar chord roots). The column was noted for its simplicity and strength, the music for its martial qualities. The Doric dialect was spoken early in Classical Greece. In later periods other dialects predominated, most notably the Attic.

The Doric column is still widely used today, particularly in government buildings and other large edifices. See the Doric order.

See also

• Philodorian
• Paideia
• Classical definition of republic
• Dorian invasion

Bibliography

• Die Dorier (The Dorians), Karl Otfried Müller (1824).
• The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race, Karl Otfried Müller, Eng. trans., Oxford, 1830. 2 vols.
• The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe CA. 1200 B.C., Robert Drews, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, l993.

External links

• Meriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=dorians&x=19&y=18)
• http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/prehistory/aegean/theculturesofgreece/dorians.html

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