Mycenaean Greece
-So, because the Minoan civilization had been crippled by the aftermath of the volcanic eruption at Thira, the Mycenaeans of mainland Greece were now the dominant power in the region. But where did the Mycenaean civilization come from?
-Emerged during the Late Helladic period, especially in southern and central Greece.
-Were a society dominated by warrior-elites.
-The Mycenaeans get their name from one of their major power centers, Mycenae (outside of modern-day Mikines, Peloponnese (about 90 km southwest of modern-day Athens)).
-Had a great location- built on a hill, had good farmland, good water supply, located near the Isthmus of Corinth, etc.
-Homer portrayed the Mycenaeans as being a unified kingdom, but besides this there is actually no other evidence of this.
-Most experts now agree that the Mycenaean civilization was a loose collection of small kingdoms or city-states that each had their own region of influence.
-However, it's entirely possible that some kingdoms dominated others and shit like that.
-Besides Mycenae, other major Mycenaean power centers included Athens (in modern-day Attica), Thebes (in modern-day Central Greece), the island of Salamis (in modern-day Attica), Iolcus (in modern-day Thessaly), Orchomenus (in modern-day Central Greece), Pylos (in modern-day Peloponnese), Amyklae (modern-day Amykles (which is outside of modern-day Sparta), Peloponnese), and others.
-By 1600 BC the Minoans had had a dominating influence on the Mycenaeans of mainland Greece, but archaeological evidence during this time suggests that during this time the Mycenaeans were starting to grow relatively powerful as well over a short period of time (possibly due to piracy, warfare, mercenary work, etc. (the Mycenaeans were most likely a warlike culture who often experienced plenty of infighting (city-states fighting against each other), most likely because of their increasing contact with like the Cyclades, Crete, and just like the Mediterranean in general).
-The archaeological record indicates that around this time the Mycenaeans had palaces, citadels and other types of defensive fortifications (unlike the Minoans), tombs, weapons, etc. (so they weren't just barbarian brutes!).
-How did the Mycenaeans suddenly acquire all this wealth?
-Because of their (possibly) warlike nature, then perhaps it had to do with pirating, invasions, mercenary work, etc.?
-1500 BC- it's around this time that we start seeing the appearance of tholos (beehive-shaped) tombs built into hillsides.
-1250 BC- it was around this time that the Lion Gate at Mycenae (near modern-day Mykines, Peloponnese) was built.
-The Lion Gate consisted of two lion (we can assume, although it's possible that they might have been sphinxes or something, too) statues in profile and flanking an entrance into the city's acropolis.
-It's actually similar to similar reliefs discovered in the ruins of the ancient Hittite capital Hattusa (near modern-day Boğazkale, Çorum).
-Mycenaean palaces were much smaller and clearly built with defense in mind (they were actually citadels with high (40 feet!!), thick (20-feet!!) defensive walls (made of stone and clay) and built on top of hills (by cyclopes, according to legend (which is where we get the word "cyclopean" from when describing buildings and shit))), with tunnels, archer stations, etc.
-It seems as if this was certainly overkill in terms of what the Mycenaeans actually needed for defense, so maybe these citadels were also built as a way for the Mycenaeans to show off their power.
-That being said, there was at least one Mycenaean palace built that seemed to be undefended- the Palace of Nestor (in Pylos, Peloponnese).
-Those running the palace (royalty, nobility) got to live inside the walls, but all the craftsmen and shit had to live outside the walls).
-Also, instead of having a massive palace courtyard (Minoan-style) as the centerpiece of the complex, instead Mycenaeans tended to have the megaron (rectangular-shaped great hall) be the main part.
-The megaron was where all the important shit went down in the palace.
-Although the Mycenaean palaces were not quite as extravagant as those of the Minoans, they were still definitely comparable and far more luxurious than how the Mycenaean common folk were living at this time, as they (like the Minoans') had indoor plumbing, frescoes (which had more "martial" themes, as opposed to just nature and stuff like that), etc.
-Based on the historical records recovered from these palaces, it looks as if each of these palaces were home to a local king/lord (wanax) who ruled with absolute authority (just like the kings of Mesopotamia and the Egyptian pharaohs during this time), overseeing all military, economic (such as taxes, which were paid to the wanax in the form of goods and services (no money/currency at this time), and religious matters (although there's no evidence that he claimed divine heritage or anything like that himself (but it's possible that he did, of course), unlike the kings of the Near East during that time), although they of course were assisted by a second-in-command (lawagetas) along with an entourage of bureaucrats and advisers, each of whom had their own landed estates (temenos).
-Below the wanax and the lawagetas there were the telestai (maybe high priests? We actually don't know who the fuck these people were), the hequetas (later known as hetairoi, maybe high-ranking military officers?), kerosija (later known as gerousia, advisors to the wanax), korete (maybe governor of a district?), prokorete (maybe deputy of a district under the korete?), damokoro (person in charge of each districts' people (whatever the fuck that means), maybe?), pasiereu (village leaders, maybe?), and then the damos (commoners (later called demos, where we get the root for words like "democracy"), typically tenant farmers, herders, and traders) and doero (slaves (later called doulos), typically female and from the Anatolian coast).
-The Mycenaean military seems to be stratified as well- while most officers came from the nobility, most soldiers were conscripted from the common folk.
-A Mycenaean soldier would typically wear a bronze cuirass, an adjustable skirt (made of bronze plates), bronze greaves, bronze shoulder plates, and a bronze collar, along with a helmet (usually made out of segments of boar tusks sewn into leather or cloth with a metal faceguard).
-They usually carried huge shields (either "figure 8" or rectangular and typically made of wood and ox hide) and then a bunch of weapons- bronze shortswords, bronze daggers, spears, bows and arrows, axes, slings, etc.
-We don't really know much about their tactics, but we know that they were definitely really into swords (and possibly duels in the heat of battle).
-These weapons and armor started to change, however, during the 1200s BC.- they became smaller and lighter.
-Mounted combat (cavalry) was uncommon during this time, although the Mycenaeans definitely used chariots (seemed to have made their way to Greece by the 1600s BC from the Near East (where they started appearing about 400 years before that)), although they most likely used these chariots as transports for heavily-armored soldiers rather than for combat.
-We unfortunately don't know much the religion of the Mycenaeans other than that they worshiped deities that predated a lot of the typical Greek gods that usually come to mind (although some of them we will recognize (see below!), and had religious beliefs involving a "mother goddess" (that had the title potnia ("lady" or "mistress"), which was always used by both the Mycenaeans and the Minoans in reference to goddesses) which was a concept that also seems to have existed during this time in the lands surrounding the Aegean Sea, as well as sky and weather gods of the ancient Indo-Europeans (all of which, if any, were brought by the Mycenaeans to Greece).
-Of the deities worshiped by the Mycenaeans, we have about 30 different names but we don't really know anything about them (except for the obvious ones whose names we recognize (such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, and Eileithyia, as well as other deities which would possibly become known later as Hephaestus, Apollo, etc.)).
-Both the Minoans and the Mycenaeans also were really into sacred dances, ceremonies, and idols. However, the Minoans seemed to do a lot of religious shit outside (lots of outdoor shrines and stuff), whereas it looks like the Mycenaeans preferred to do their religious shit at their palaces (no indication of outdoor shrines, like the Minoans).
-Interestingly enough, it is Poseidon, not Zeus, who seems to be the most "important" or "main" god for the Mycenaeans.
-Mycenaean pottery started out as similar in design and concept with Minoan pottery, but this eventually began to change as Mycenaean pottery became more "plain" (with less designs and more pictures); this style would eventually spread to Crete as well (presumably replacing the older Minoan style).
-Mycenaean craftsmen included potters, masons, goldsmiths, bronzeworkers, chariot builders, bowyers, armorers, leatherworkers, wheelwrights, woodcutters, perfumers, weavers, embroiderers, etc. (many of whom were slaves, but not all).
-It's worth noting that the Mycenaeans were not self-sufficient; most of their resources for weapons or tools had to come from abroad (whether through trade, importation, or as spoils of war).
-However, despite their seemingly warlike nature the Mycenaeans were also prolific traders, dominating the Aegean Sea trade after the Minoans diminished as a regional mercantile power (and the Mycenaeans most likely just took over what the Minoans had already set up).
-There's evidence which suggests that the Mycenaeans may not have had the resources, but they were really good at manufacturing cool shit and then trading with their finished products (which included of course textiles and metalwork, but also wine, olive oil, hides, leatherwork, pottery, and jewelry as well).
-The Mycenaeans also did lots of importing, of course, which included copper, tin, gold, papyrus,flint, ivory, amber, dyes, spices, as well as different versions of the shit they made like wine, jewelry, textiles, and ceramics.
-Despite all this variety and trade, however, the variations are surprisingly relatively uniform, as overall Mycenaean (and overall Aegean) culture may have been politically divided, but culturally these different city-states were very similar.
-By 1250 BC the Mycenaeans weren't just focused on the Aegean Sea, but were actually expanding outward into the Mediterranean Sea as well, as there's evidence that they even made it to the Aeolian Islands (just north of Sicily), the island of Ischia (near Naples), Sicily, the ancient Dorian city of Taras (modern-day Taranto, Apulia, Italy), the island of Rhodes, and the southwestern coast of Turkey.
-Mycenaean shit has also been found in Malta, Sardinia, Spain, Central Europe, Ireland, England, and as even far east as the east coast of the Black Sea!
-Mycenaean civilization flourished for about 400 years before its decline and eventual collapse :/
-Emerged during the Late Helladic period, especially in southern and central Greece.
-Were a society dominated by warrior-elites.
-The Mycenaeans get their name from one of their major power centers, Mycenae (outside of modern-day Mikines, Peloponnese (about 90 km southwest of modern-day Athens)).
-Had a great location- built on a hill, had good farmland, good water supply, located near the Isthmus of Corinth, etc.
-Homer portrayed the Mycenaeans as being a unified kingdom, but besides this there is actually no other evidence of this.
-Most experts now agree that the Mycenaean civilization was a loose collection of small kingdoms or city-states that each had their own region of influence.
-However, it's entirely possible that some kingdoms dominated others and shit like that.
-Besides Mycenae, other major Mycenaean power centers included Athens (in modern-day Attica), Thebes (in modern-day Central Greece), the island of Salamis (in modern-day Attica), Iolcus (in modern-day Thessaly), Orchomenus (in modern-day Central Greece), Pylos (in modern-day Peloponnese), Amyklae (modern-day Amykles (which is outside of modern-day Sparta), Peloponnese), and others.
-By 1600 BC the Minoans had had a dominating influence on the Mycenaeans of mainland Greece, but archaeological evidence during this time suggests that during this time the Mycenaeans were starting to grow relatively powerful as well over a short period of time (possibly due to piracy, warfare, mercenary work, etc. (the Mycenaeans were most likely a warlike culture who often experienced plenty of infighting (city-states fighting against each other), most likely because of their increasing contact with like the Cyclades, Crete, and just like the Mediterranean in general).
-The archaeological record indicates that around this time the Mycenaeans had palaces, citadels and other types of defensive fortifications (unlike the Minoans), tombs, weapons, etc. (so they weren't just barbarian brutes!).
-How did the Mycenaeans suddenly acquire all this wealth?
-Because of their (possibly) warlike nature, then perhaps it had to do with pirating, invasions, mercenary work, etc.?
-1500 BC- it's around this time that we start seeing the appearance of tholos (beehive-shaped) tombs built into hillsides.
-1250 BC- it was around this time that the Lion Gate at Mycenae (near modern-day Mykines, Peloponnese) was built.
-The Lion Gate consisted of two lion (we can assume, although it's possible that they might have been sphinxes or something, too) statues in profile and flanking an entrance into the city's acropolis.
-It's actually similar to similar reliefs discovered in the ruins of the ancient Hittite capital Hattusa (near modern-day Boğazkale, Çorum).
-Mycenaean palaces were much smaller and clearly built with defense in mind (they were actually citadels with high (40 feet!!), thick (20-feet!!) defensive walls (made of stone and clay) and built on top of hills (by cyclopes, according to legend (which is where we get the word "cyclopean" from when describing buildings and shit))), with tunnels, archer stations, etc.
-It seems as if this was certainly overkill in terms of what the Mycenaeans actually needed for defense, so maybe these citadels were also built as a way for the Mycenaeans to show off their power.
-That being said, there was at least one Mycenaean palace built that seemed to be undefended- the Palace of Nestor (in Pylos, Peloponnese).
-Those running the palace (royalty, nobility) got to live inside the walls, but all the craftsmen and shit had to live outside the walls).
-Also, instead of having a massive palace courtyard (Minoan-style) as the centerpiece of the complex, instead Mycenaeans tended to have the megaron (rectangular-shaped great hall) be the main part.
-The megaron was where all the important shit went down in the palace.
-Although the Mycenaean palaces were not quite as extravagant as those of the Minoans, they were still definitely comparable and far more luxurious than how the Mycenaean common folk were living at this time, as they (like the Minoans') had indoor plumbing, frescoes (which had more "martial" themes, as opposed to just nature and stuff like that), etc.
-Based on the historical records recovered from these palaces, it looks as if each of these palaces were home to a local king/lord (wanax) who ruled with absolute authority (just like the kings of Mesopotamia and the Egyptian pharaohs during this time), overseeing all military, economic (such as taxes, which were paid to the wanax in the form of goods and services (no money/currency at this time), and religious matters (although there's no evidence that he claimed divine heritage or anything like that himself (but it's possible that he did, of course), unlike the kings of the Near East during that time), although they of course were assisted by a second-in-command (lawagetas) along with an entourage of bureaucrats and advisers, each of whom had their own landed estates (temenos).
-Below the wanax and the lawagetas there were the telestai (maybe high priests? We actually don't know who the fuck these people were), the hequetas (later known as hetairoi, maybe high-ranking military officers?), kerosija (later known as gerousia, advisors to the wanax), korete (maybe governor of a district?), prokorete (maybe deputy of a district under the korete?), damokoro (person in charge of each districts' people (whatever the fuck that means), maybe?), pasiereu (village leaders, maybe?), and then the damos (commoners (later called demos, where we get the root for words like "democracy"), typically tenant farmers, herders, and traders) and doero (slaves (later called doulos), typically female and from the Anatolian coast).
-The Mycenaean military seems to be stratified as well- while most officers came from the nobility, most soldiers were conscripted from the common folk.
-A Mycenaean soldier would typically wear a bronze cuirass, an adjustable skirt (made of bronze plates), bronze greaves, bronze shoulder plates, and a bronze collar, along with a helmet (usually made out of segments of boar tusks sewn into leather or cloth with a metal faceguard).
-They usually carried huge shields (either "figure 8" or rectangular and typically made of wood and ox hide) and then a bunch of weapons- bronze shortswords, bronze daggers, spears, bows and arrows, axes, slings, etc.
-We don't really know much about their tactics, but we know that they were definitely really into swords (and possibly duels in the heat of battle).
-These weapons and armor started to change, however, during the 1200s BC.- they became smaller and lighter.
-Mounted combat (cavalry) was uncommon during this time, although the Mycenaeans definitely used chariots (seemed to have made their way to Greece by the 1600s BC from the Near East (where they started appearing about 400 years before that)), although they most likely used these chariots as transports for heavily-armored soldiers rather than for combat.
-We unfortunately don't know much the religion of the Mycenaeans other than that they worshiped deities that predated a lot of the typical Greek gods that usually come to mind (although some of them we will recognize (see below!), and had religious beliefs involving a "mother goddess" (that had the title potnia ("lady" or "mistress"), which was always used by both the Mycenaeans and the Minoans in reference to goddesses) which was a concept that also seems to have existed during this time in the lands surrounding the Aegean Sea, as well as sky and weather gods of the ancient Indo-Europeans (all of which, if any, were brought by the Mycenaeans to Greece).
-Of the deities worshiped by the Mycenaeans, we have about 30 different names but we don't really know anything about them (except for the obvious ones whose names we recognize (such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Ares, Athena, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Persephone, and Eileithyia, as well as other deities which would possibly become known later as Hephaestus, Apollo, etc.)).
-Both the Minoans and the Mycenaeans also were really into sacred dances, ceremonies, and idols. However, the Minoans seemed to do a lot of religious shit outside (lots of outdoor shrines and stuff), whereas it looks like the Mycenaeans preferred to do their religious shit at their palaces (no indication of outdoor shrines, like the Minoans).
-Interestingly enough, it is Poseidon, not Zeus, who seems to be the most "important" or "main" god for the Mycenaeans.
-Mycenaean pottery started out as similar in design and concept with Minoan pottery, but this eventually began to change as Mycenaean pottery became more "plain" (with less designs and more pictures); this style would eventually spread to Crete as well (presumably replacing the older Minoan style).
-Mycenaean craftsmen included potters, masons, goldsmiths, bronzeworkers, chariot builders, bowyers, armorers, leatherworkers, wheelwrights, woodcutters, perfumers, weavers, embroiderers, etc. (many of whom were slaves, but not all).
-It's worth noting that the Mycenaeans were not self-sufficient; most of their resources for weapons or tools had to come from abroad (whether through trade, importation, or as spoils of war).
-However, despite their seemingly warlike nature the Mycenaeans were also prolific traders, dominating the Aegean Sea trade after the Minoans diminished as a regional mercantile power (and the Mycenaeans most likely just took over what the Minoans had already set up).
-There's evidence which suggests that the Mycenaeans may not have had the resources, but they were really good at manufacturing cool shit and then trading with their finished products (which included of course textiles and metalwork, but also wine, olive oil, hides, leatherwork, pottery, and jewelry as well).
-The Mycenaeans also did lots of importing, of course, which included copper, tin, gold, papyrus,flint, ivory, amber, dyes, spices, as well as different versions of the shit they made like wine, jewelry, textiles, and ceramics.
-Despite all this variety and trade, however, the variations are surprisingly relatively uniform, as overall Mycenaean (and overall Aegean) culture may have been politically divided, but culturally these different city-states were very similar.
-By 1250 BC the Mycenaeans weren't just focused on the Aegean Sea, but were actually expanding outward into the Mediterranean Sea as well, as there's evidence that they even made it to the Aeolian Islands (just north of Sicily), the island of Ischia (near Naples), Sicily, the ancient Dorian city of Taras (modern-day Taranto, Apulia, Italy), the island of Rhodes, and the southwestern coast of Turkey.
-Mycenaean shit has also been found in Malta, Sardinia, Spain, Central Europe, Ireland, England, and as even far east as the east coast of the Black Sea!
-Mycenaean civilization flourished for about 400 years before its decline and eventual collapse :/
Comments
Post a Comment