... By using linguistic constructions, also mentioned as 'formulae' (Greece in the making, 1200-479 BC, Ch.5, Robin Osborne), poets where able to "hang up" their story on this constructions which formed the basis of the poems. These construction, or blocks if you like, where constructed over multiple generations. The story around the block was product of the skills of the storyteller. This is why even one storyteller would not tell the same story twice, let alone different storytellers from different generations. To learn about the history of Greece from a story this story must be dated (time) and traced (place) to put things in perspectives (put the story in the bigger picture). Dating stories has always been a problem. Two important ways of dating stories are used: a linguistic method and a material method. Greek language changed over time, but particular formulae who where typical for a certain period in Greek ...

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