希腊黑暗时代（约前1200年至前800年）指的是希腊历史中从假设中的多利安人入侵及迈锡尼文明灭亡的公元前十一世纪直到公元前九世纪最早的希腊城邦之崛起；以及公元前八世纪，荷马史诗等最早的希腊文写作的出现。
迈锡尼文明的没落在时间上对应于数个近东帝国的衰落，特别是赫梯和埃及文明的衰落，其原因可能为某个装备有铁兵器的海上民族的入侵。当多利安人南下希腊的时候，他们也装备有更为先进的铁兵器，可以轻易地将已然衰弱的迈锡尼人逐走。这之后的历史时期被统称为希腊黑暗时代。
考古学显示出希腊世界在这一时期中文明的衰落，迈锡尼人雄伟的宫殿被摧毁或是遗弃，希腊语停止被书写。希腊黑暗时代的陶器只有简单的几何装饰，缺乏迈锡尼期间的器件所展现的丰富的图案设计。黑暗时代的希腊人的居住点数量稀少，并且规模很小，可能说明人口的急剧减少。没有发现产自国外的货品，可能表示国际贸易的丧失。同时，与其他文明的联络也消失了，导致社会文化等的全面停滞。
贯穿统治这个时期的国王最后为贵族统治所取代，在一些地区更晚地出现了贵族统治中的贵族统治——精英之精英。战争的重心从骑士身上转向对步兵的倚重。由于其低廉的造价和随处可集的便利性，铁器取代了铜器作为制造工具和武器的首选。不同阶层的人们之间的差异逐渐变小，从而导致了王权的颠覆和氏族的兴起。
氏族开始重新建构他们的历史，以将其血脉联系到特洛伊战争的英雄，特别是赫拉克勒斯身上。虽然其中绝大多数纯属传说，赫西俄德学派的诗人们还是整理出了一部分。大多数的诗篇已经散佚，我们只知道一些写故事的人，比如米利都的赫卡泰奥斯（Hecataeus）以及阿尔戈斯的阿修西劳斯（Acusilaus）。
人们相信荷马史诗中含有一些黑暗时代口头传承下来的传统，但是荷马作品的历史真实性仍广为争论。
在这个时期的末期，凝滞的文明重沐于广布什腊世界的全面复兴，地域远至黑海及西班牙。书写系统从腓尼基人处重拾，后向北传布至意大利和高卢。
The Greek Dark Ages and Greek Dark Age (ca. 1200 BC–800 BC) are terms which have regularly been used to refer to the period of Greek history from the presumed Dorian invasion and end of the Mycenaean Palatial civilization around 1200 BC, to the first signs of the Greek city-states in the 9th century BC. These terms are gradually going out of use, since the former lack of archaeological evidence in a period that was mute in its lack of inscriptions has been shown to be an accident of discovery rather than a fact of history.
The archaeological evidence shows a widespread collapse of civilization in the eastern Mediterranean world during the same period, as the great palaces and cities of the Mycenaeans were destroyed or abandoned. Fewer and smaller settlement, suggest famine and depopulation. Around this time, the Hittite civilization suffered serious disruption and cities from Troy to Gaza were destroyed. In Greece the writing of the Greek language used by Mycenaean bureaucrats ceases. The decoration on Greek pottery after c 1100 BC lacks the figurative decoration of Mycenaean ware and is restricted to simpler, generally geometric styles. It was previously thought that all contact was lost between foreign powers during this period yielding little cultural progress or growth; however, artifacts from excavations at Lefkandi on the Lelantine Plain in Euboea show that significant cultural and trade links with the east, particularly the Levant coast, developed from c 900 BC onwards, and evidence has emerged of a migration of Hellenes to sub-Mycenaean Cyprus.