The Dorians did make contributions to the art, architecture and politics of Greece.  The Dorian and Ionian styles of art and architecture developed side by side but with distinct differences. The Doric style was restrained, massive and simple. The Ionic style was graceful, elegant and ornate. The Dorian style of choral lyrics also dominated Greek tragedy. Politically the Dorians followed the practice of the Mycenaeans in identifying with the locality in which they lived rather than with the homelands of their ancestors. In the mercantile cities of Corinth, Rhodes and Argos, the Dorians initial plan was to maintain political power for themselves. But they eventually merged with the conquered native populations. In contrast, in areas such as Sparta and Crete, the Dorians maintained political power and became a military ruling class. In so doing, they halted the growth of society politically and culturally to maintain dominance over the conquered people. By 750 BCE, the city state or the “polis” was the fundamental political unit in ancient Greece. The polis encompassed the city and its surrounding villages. The citizens gathered at the agora and the acropolis to discuss city government. It was not unusual for tyrants to seize power in clashes between rulers, nobles, wealthy citizens or the average citizen. These tyrants were hailed as leaders working for the interests of the ordinary period setting up building programs that provided jobs and housing for their supporters.

The Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations were destroyed by new arrivals from Macedonia and Epirus. This new group of Greeks, called the Dorians, settled in the war ravaged lands and developed their civilization. The Dorians had a well-developed dialect and settled into communities based on their “tribes”. They were quite different from the Ionian Greeks and are traditionally believed to have been the conquerors of the Peloponnese during the years 1100 to 1000 BCE. According to Greek tradition, their name is attributed to Doris, a small district in central Greece. Tradition holds that the sons of Heracles were driven from their homeland by the Mycenaeans. They took refuge with the king of Doris.  Many generations later, the Heraclid brothers led the Dorians back to the Peloponnese to reclaim their heritage. The actual history of the Dorians is obscure.  They swept into central Greece from Macedonia and Epirus. From central Greece they moved into the southern Aegean. Based on this tradition and their language historians believe they may have been distant relatives of the Bronze Age Greeks. Shortly after arriving in the old Mycenaean cities, the Dorian economy and trade collapsed. The civilization remained intact and grew as the Dorians expanded their empire throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas and as far as mainland Anatolia, modern day southwestern Turkey.  Greek history was passed on by oral tradition from generation to generation eventually influencing Homer, the well-known Greek writer and storyteller.