Mycenaean culture

Mycenaean Civilization

1600-1100 BCE.

The Mycenaean civilization in Greece was fully developed by the late Helladic period, which is the late Bronze Age, from the 15th to the 13th century BCE. The site was named by the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who excavated the area in search of the traces of the Greeks depicted in the poetry of Homer. He identified the site with the seat of power of King Agamemnon (the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War), which Homer called Mycenae.

The palace of Mycenae was built to express the power of the king that ruled from it. The walls of the palace were built of massive stone blocks in a style known as Cyclopean construction. The heart of the palace contained a large circular hearth with four wooden columns supporting a holed ceiling or light-well. It was also the throne room of the ruler or wannax.

The Mycenaeans had trading contact with many other Aegean cultures and this is evidenced by the findings of goods that where from foreign places in Mycenaean settlements such as gold, ivory, copper and glass. Besides being great traders, the Mycenaeans were fierce warriors and great engineers who designed and built remarkable bridges, fortification walls, and beehive-shaped tombs. A very important part of the information that archeologists have obtained about the Mycenaean civilization comes from the graves around the palaces. Shaft graves from around 1550 BC include goods such as luxury items and gold funeral masks, implying the wealth of the dead, and engraved and jeweled weapons, which link the high status of the dead with military power.

The Mycenaean culture was militaristic, and war and conquest played an important part in Mycenaean life. Soldiers and military scenes are quite common in their art. The palace of Pylos is believed that was the home to a warrior aristocrat following the assumption that bravery and honor in battle, as well as piety toward the gods, were held as important virtues. One of their most noticeable military accomplishments where the invasions and conquers to both Crete and Minoan civilization 1450 BC. They learned much from both civilizations and incorporated many things of both cultures into their own. They adopted Minoan artistic styles, especially fresco painting techniques, which spread from Crete to the palaces of mainland Greece.

The system over which they governed can be described as proto-feudal—peasants worked the land around the palace and supported the lifestyle of the elites. These peasants likely supplied the majority of the military manpower as well, led by their lords, who had access to complex weaponry, armor, and chariots.

Little is known for certain regarding Mycenaean religious practices beyond the importance given to animal sacrifice, communal feasting, pouring of libations and offerings of foodstuffs. The only indicators of their religion are their writings of dedications inscribed on objects given as offerings to the gods. The Mycenaeans worshipped a variety of gods, some of which evolved over time into the gods of classical Greek mythology.

References:

Hemingway, Colette and Seán Hemingway (2000) "Mycenaean Civilization", In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available on: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/myce/hd_myce.htm

Pedley, John Griffiths (1998) “Greek Art and Archaeology”, 2d ed., New York: Harry N. Abrams.