希臘黑暗時代（約前1200年至前800年）指的是希臘歷史中從假設中的多利安人入侵及邁錫尼文明滅亡的公元前十一世紀直到公元前九世紀最早的希臘城邦之崛起；以及公元前八世紀，荷馬史詩等最早的希臘文寫作的出現。
邁錫尼文明的沒落在時間上對應於數個近東帝國的衰落，特別是赫梯和埃及文明的衰落，其原因可能為某個裝備有鐵兵器的海上民族的入侵。當多利安人南下希臘的時候，他們也裝備有更為先進的鐵兵器，可以輕易地將已然衰弱的邁錫尼人逐走。這之後的歷史時期被統稱為希臘黑暗時代。
考古學顯示出希臘世界在這一時期中文明的衰落，邁錫尼人雄偉的宮殿被摧毀或是遺棄，希臘語停止被書寫。希臘黑暗時代的陶器衹有簡單的幾何裝飾，缺乏邁錫尼期間的器件所展現的豐富的圖案設計。黑暗時代的希臘人的居住點數量稀少，並且規模很小，可能說明人口的急劇減少。沒有發現産自國外的貨品，可能表示國際貿易的喪失。同時，與其他文明的聯絡也消失了，導致社會文化等的全面停滯。
貫穿統治這個時期的國王最後為貴族統治所取代，在一些地區更晚地出現了貴族統治中的貴族統治——精英之精英。戰爭的重心從騎士身上轉嚮對步兵的倚重。由於其低廉的造價和隨處可集的便利性，鐵器取代了銅器作為製造工具和武器的首選。不同階層的人們之間的差異逐漸變小，從而導致了王權的顛覆和氏族的興起。
氏族開始重新建構他們的歷史，以將其血脈聯繫到特洛伊戰爭的英雄，特別是赫拉剋勒斯身上。雖然其中絶大多數純屬傳說，赫西俄德學派的詩人們還是整理出了一部分。大多數的詩篇已經散佚，我們衹知道一些寫故事的人，比如米利都的赫卡泰奧斯（Hecataeus）以及阿爾戈斯的阿修西勞斯（Acusilaus）。
人們相信荷馬史詩中含有一些黑暗時代口頭傳承下來的傳統，但是荷馬作品的歷史真實性仍廣為爭論。
在這個時期的末期，凝滯的文明重沐於廣布什臘世界的全面復興，地域遠至黑海及西班牙。書寫係統從腓尼基人處重拾，後嚮北傳布至意大利和高盧。
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.