Mycenaean Greece
Achaeans in Greece
The bearers of the so-called Mycenaean civilization were the first Greek
peoples, who we call the Achaeans
The first Achaeans arrived in Greek territory by the 3rd and 2nd milenium
BCE and slowly seized the entire territory of land Greece, as well as islands
(Crete in the 15th century BCE), where they formed a civilization, which we
call Mycenaean (based on the city of Mycenae)
Peak of Mycenaean culture in the 15th – 12th centuries BCE
Influence of Near Eastern civilizations, features of which were transferred
onto later Greeks through Mycenaeans
Mycenaean City States
Simultaneously as Minoans, the Mycenaeans didn´t form a single, centralized
state, but severl city states instead
Centre of a city state and a city was a massive castle, usually on a higher space
Castle was a political, economic, and a religious centre of a country
The ruler had his dwelling in the castle (megaron), together with his military
retinue
Simple castle structure in contrast to Minoan palaces
Massive (so-called cyclopean) walls around the castle
Free space behing the walls served as a sanctuary for the inhabitants of the
surrounding land
Houses for inhabitants or members of the ruler´s retinue?
State Administration
On the top of the state was the ruler (wanax), who controlled political,
military, and religious component of the state
Lawagetes (popular leader) – probably the second man after the ruler with
similar function
Telestes – administrator of regions
Priests and priestesses – religious matters, probably during the ruler´s
absence
Number of scribes indicates a vast and developed administrative aparatus
Redistribution economy – castle controlled the administration of the whole
state
Military Nature Civilization
Based on archaeological findings, but also idnirect reports, we may assume
about a military nature of the Mycenaean civilization
Number of weapons in graves, structure of the cities (most notably massive
castles), artistic depiction of military scenes
In contrast to the Minoan civilization, the Mycenaean scenes showed sieges
of towns, or with battle chariots
Documents about Mycenaean expansion
Reports on Mycenaean attacks against the western coast of Asia Minor
(Troy)
Achaean rule on Crete
Mycenae
Ruler´s megaron in the centre of the hill
Graves behind the castle gate
Golden masks
The grave of Agamemnon?
Manhole and dome graves (Treasury of
Atreus)
Lion gate
End of Mycenaen Civilization
Ethnic movements in the Eastern Mediterranean by the breat of the 13th and
12th centuries BCE
Dorian arrival in Grece
The Troyan War?
The number of Achaean lowered and during their absence, their cities were
attacked by the Dorians
Some cities were destroyed and never restored (Mycenae), others survived
into the other period (Athens, Sparta, Corinth)
By the end of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, a civilizational decadence
took place => „dark age“
