The Mycenaean Age
24 January 2023
14:17
Homer's Odyssey was written after the Mycenaean Age, but is set during it (1250 BC)
The term 'Mycenaean', didn't exist in their time, it's a name we came up with for them
Before the Mycenaean Age was the Minoan civilisation based in the island of Crete, which
influenced neighbouring areas. The Minoan civilisation lasted from around 3500 BC until
around 1400 BC, overlapping in both time and area with the Mycenaean civilisation.
REMEMBER:
The Mycenaean Age:
o This can be divided into three different parts:
Early period: 1600-1400 BC (burials in shaft graves)
Palatial period 1400-1250 BC (palaces reached their peak)
Later period 1250-1150 BC (palaces abandoned and destroyed)
More:
o The Mycenaean civilisation is very similar to the Minoan civilisation and it is often
difficult to distinguish from which civilisations objects came first
o In order to date the Mycenaean Age, historians look at pottery styles in Greece,
comparing them to those in Egypt, where historical records were kept more
accurately
Mycenae, Tiryns and Troy
o Mycenae is built on a hill, which is 40m to 50m higher than the plains that it
surrounds
o The city has a perimeter of around 900m
o There is a spring less than 400m away from the city, which supplied water to the city
all year long
o An ancient city built on higher ground, and defended by walls, is known as a citadel.
The term means 'little city'. They were notorious for being hard to attack
o Archaeologists have traced the first Mycenaean burials to around 1650 BC, and
believe the site reached peak prosperity from around 1400 BC to 1200 BC
o Citadels were frequently found inside of different cities
Mythology
o Perseus is the Mythological founder of Mycenae
o The massive walls were believed to have been made by the Cyclopes, as people didn't
believe humans could've made them alone
o According to legend, Agamemnon later became the ruler of Mycenae, and later led an
army to conquer much of Greece
Modern History
o Became famous for the treasures that were found there
o Was also famous for its tombs
o Was 'excavated' by Heinrich Schliemann between 1876 and 1878
Tiryns
o Located around 10 miles away from Mycenae
o Large walls, around 8m high and 13m thick
o Well known for its palace, throne room and arched galleries (passage ways)
o There are many frescos (wall paintings) in Tiryns
A well-known one involves a youth somersaulting over a bull
o It was supposedly founded by Proitos, whose brother was Acrisius, grand-son of
Perseus.
o It was also thought to be the birth place of Heracles
Troy
o Famous war was held between the Greeks and the Trojans
o Found in North-West Turkey
o Rebuilt several times, each over the other
o There is a debate surrounding which Troy was around at the time of the Iliad
o It was a very important site during Mycenaean times
o It is nowadays known as Hisarlik
1. Mycenaean Age (1600 - 1100 BC)
1. Odyssey (750 BC)
a. Medea (431 BC)
i. Metamorphoses (8 AD)
1. Beowulf (1000~ AD)
a. A Midsummers night's dream (1569)
i. Y10 Class Civ Class (2022-3)
