Mycenaean civilization
Quick Summary
The Mycenaean civilization was an ancient Greek culture that flourished during the Bronze Age, starting around 1900 BCE. These Indo-European peoples migrated into Greece from the north and established a culture that was initially influenced by the Minoans of Crete. Around 1400 BCE, the Mycenaeans overthrew Minoan dominance and became the leading power in the Aegean. Their influence extended through trade and colonization to islands and coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean.
Mycenaean society was organized around fortified palace centers, with rulers known as kings or princes. Their language, written in Linear B script, is considered the earliest form of Greek. Mycenaean myths and legends, such as those involving Agamemnon and the Trojan War, were passed down and formed the basis of later Greek epic poetry and tragedy. The civilization declined around 1150 BCE due to invasions and internal factors, leading to a period of collapse and population shifts. Despite the fall of their palaces, Mycenaean culture left a lasting legacy on subsequent Greek civilization.1234
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Aegean civilizations…16th century bc is called Mycenaean after Mycenae, which appears to have been one of its most important centres. The term Mycenaean is also sometimes used for the civilizations of the Aegean area as a whole from about 1400 bc onward.
Read More…16th century bc is called Mycenaean after Mycenae, which appears to have been one of its most important centres. The term Mycenaean is also sometimes used for the civilizations of the Aegean area as a whole from about 1400 bc onward.
Read More- Aegean civilizationsReligion
…representing the Cretan and the Mycenaean tradition, were not fused but survived in separate sets of songs and tales.
Read More…representing the Cretan and the Mycenaean tradition, were not fused but survived in separate sets of songs and tales.
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Western architectureMycenaean GreeceThe sudden architectural awakening of the Mycenaean Greek mainland is intimately connected with the zenith and decline of Minoan Crete and can only be understood against the background of a long Cretan development. Unlike Minoan Knossos, the archaeological remains on the mainland are…
Read MoreThe sudden architectural awakening of the Mycenaean Greek mainland is intimately connected with the zenith and decline of Minoan Crete and can only be understood against the background of a long Cretan development. Unlike Minoan Knossos, the archaeological remains on the mainland are…
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enamelworkAncient Western…are to be found on Mycenaean metalwork of the 13th to 11th centuries bce. Six gold rings, excavated from a Mycenaean tomb of the 13th century bce at Kouklia (near Old Paphos), in Cyprus, are decorated with a cloisonné technique that suggests an intermediary stage between inlay and true enamelling.…
Read More…are to be found on Mycenaean metalwork of the 13th to 11th centuries bce. Six gold rings, excavated from a Mycenaean tomb of the 13th century bce at Kouklia (near Old Paphos), in Cyprus, are decorated with a cloisonné technique that suggests an intermediary stage between inlay and true enamelling.…
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maskFunerary and commemorative usesIn Mycenaean tombs of about 1400 bce, beaten gold portrait masks were found. Gold masks also were placed on the faces of the dead kings of Cambodia and Siam (now Thailand).
Read MoreIn Mycenaean tombs of about 1400 bce, beaten gold portrait masks were found. Gold masks also were placed on the faces of the dead kings of Cambodia and Siam (now Thailand).
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epicUses of the epicOriginating in the late Mycenaean period, the Greek epic outlasted the downfall of the typically heroic-age culture (c. 1100 bce) and maintained itself through the “Dark Age” to reach a climax in the Homeric poems by the close of the Geometric period (900–750 bce). After Homer, the activity of…
Read MoreOriginating in the late Mycenaean period, the Greek epic outlasted the downfall of the typically heroic-age culture (c. 1100 bce) and maintained itself through the “Dark Age” to reach a climax in the Homeric poems by the close of the Geometric period (900–750 bce). After Homer, the activity of…
Read More- bead
Meanwhile, the Minoan and Mycenaean peoples of Crete and the Aegean developed gold beads of great originality and beauty in the shapes of polyps, lilies, and lotuses; there are also a number of spherical Mycenaean gold beads decorated with granulated patterns. Beads of opaque glass with impressed circlets of…
Read MoreMeanwhile, the Minoan and Mycenaean peoples of Crete and the Aegean developed gold beads of great originality and beauty in the shapes of polyps, lilies, and lotuses; there are also a number of spherical Mycenaean gold beads decorated with granulated patterns. Beads of opaque glass with impressed circlets of…
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jewelryAegeanStimulated by Minoan influence, Mycenaean art flourished from the 16th to the 14th century, gradually declining at the beginning of the 1st millennium bce.
Read MoreStimulated by Minoan influence, Mycenaean art flourished from the 16th to the 14th century, gradually declining at the beginning of the 1st millennium bce.
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metalworkCrete…from the shaft graves of Mycenae, Nilotic scenes showing Egyptian influence. The bronze was oxidized to a blackish-brown tint; the gold inlays were hammered in and polished and the details then engraved on them. The gold was in two colors, a deeper red being obtained by an admixture of copper;…
Read More…from the shaft graves of Mycenae, Nilotic scenes showing Egyptian influence. The bronze was oxidized to a blackish-brown tint; the gold inlays were hammered in and polished and the details then engraved on them. The gold was in two colors, a deeper red being obtained by an admixture of copper;…
Read More- metalworkMinoan and Mycenaean
A profusion of gold jewelry was found in early Minoan burials at Mókhlos and three silver dagger blades in a communal tomb at Kumasa. Silver seals and ornaments of the same age are not uncommon. An elegant silver cup from Gournia belongs to the…
Read MoreA profusion of gold jewelry was found in early Minoan burials at Mókhlos and three silver dagger blades in a communal tomb at Kumasa. Silver seals and ornaments of the same age are not uncommon. An elegant silver cup from Gournia belongs to the…
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potteryLate Bronze Age (c. 1580–1100 bce)…of the shaft graves at Mycenae. Potters were much influenced by work in richer and more spectacular media: many of their shapes can be traced to originals in gold and bronze found in Cretan palaces and Mycenaean tombs.
Read More…of the shaft graves at Mycenae. Potters were much influenced by work in richer and more spectacular media: many of their shapes can be traced to originals in gold and bronze found in Cretan palaces and Mycenaean tombs.
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Epirus…were subsequently used by the Mycenaean civilization, suggesting that the founders of Mycenae may have come from Epirus and central Albania. Epirus itself remained culturally backward during this time, but Mycenaean remains have been found at two religious shrines of great antiquity in the region: the Oracle of the Dead…
Read More…were subsequently used by the Mycenaean civilization, suggesting that the founders of Mycenae may have come from Epirus and central Albania. Epirus itself remained culturally backward during this time, but Mycenaean remains have been found at two religious shrines of great antiquity in the region: the Oracle of the Dead…
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history of EuropeGreeks…produced the civilization known as Mycenaean. They penetrated to the sea into the Aegean region and via Crete (approximately 1400 bce) reached Rhodes and even Cyprus and the shores of Anatolia. From 1200 bce onward the Dorians followed from Epirus. They occupied principally parts of the Peloponnese (Sparta and Argolis)…
Read More…produced the civilization known as Mycenaean. They penetrated to the sea into the Aegean region and via Crete (approximately 1400 bce) reached Rhodes and even Cyprus and the shores of Anatolia. From 1200 bce onward the Dorians followed from Epirus. They occupied principally parts of the Peloponnese (Sparta and Argolis)…
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Knossos…as the culture known as Mycenaean. The Mycenaeans, in turn, achieved control over Knossos sometime in the 15th century bce; the Linear A script was replaced by another script, Linear B, which is identical to that used at Mycenae and is most generally deemed the prototype of Greek. Detailed administrative…
Read More…as the culture known as Mycenaean. The Mycenaeans, in turn, achieved control over Knossos sometime in the 15th century bce; the Linear A script was replaced by another script, Linear B, which is identical to that used at Mycenae and is most generally deemed the prototype of Greek. Detailed administrative…
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- Greek mythologyArchaeological discoveries
The discovery of the Mycenaean civilization by Heinrich Schliemann, a 19th-century German amateur archaeologist, and the discovery of the Minoan civilization in Crete (from which the Mycenaean ultimately derived) by Sir Arthur Evans, a
Read MoreThe discovery of the Mycenaean civilization by Heinrich Schliemann, a 19th-century German amateur archaeologist, and the discovery of the Minoan civilization in Crete (from which the Mycenaean ultimately derived) by Sir Arthur Evans, a
Read More - Greek mythologyGreek mythological characters and motifs in art and literature
…and motifs occur in late Mycenaean and sub-Mycenaean art. Though identification is controversial, Centaurs, a siren, and even Zeus’s lover Europa have been recognized. Mythological and epic themes are also found in Geometric art of the 8th century bce, but not until the 7th century did such themes become popular…
Read More…and motifs occur in late Mycenaean and sub-Mycenaean art. Though identification is controversial, Centaurs, a siren, and even Zeus’s lover Europa have been recognized. Mythological and epic themes are also found in Geometric art of the 8th century bce, but not until the 7th century did such themes become popular…
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history of scienceThe birth of natural philosophy…an earlier Greek civilization, the Mycenaean, toward the end of the 2nd millennium bce, when the Dark Age descended upon Greece and lasted for three centuries. All that was preserved were stories of gods and men, passed along by poets, that dimly reflected Mycenaean values and events. Such were the…
Read More…an earlier Greek civilization, the Mycenaean, toward the end of the 2nd millennium bce, when the Dark Age descended upon Greece and lasted for three centuries. All that was preserved were stories of gods and men, passed along by poets, that dimly reflected Mycenaean values and events. Such were the…
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