Scions of Agamemnon: Who Were the Mycenaeans?

Scions of Agamemnon: Who Were the Mycenaeans?


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Mycenae in the northeast Peloponnese was the main fortified site of contemporary Greek civilisation at the end of the Bronze Age (around 1500-1150 BC), from which the era now takes its name.

By the classical era this was a remote and insignificant hilltop overlooking the plain of Argos, the major local urban centre and state.

But its correct identification in Greek legend and Homer’s epics as the fortified and palatial headquarters of the main state of Greece in the Bronze Age showed that oral memories (after the art of writing was lost) were correct.

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Greece’s first golden age

Legends alleged that there had been a chain of sophisticated and allied city-states across Greece, at a higher level of civilisation than that of the succeeding ‘Iron Age’, when society was rural and largely localised with little outside trading contacts.

This was confirmed by later 19th century archaeology. The triumphant discovery of a major fortified citadel and palace at Mycenae by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the recent discoverer of ancient Troy, in 1876 confirmed that the legends of Mycenae’s warlord Agamemnon as the ‘High King’ of Greece was based on reality.

Heinrich Schliemann and Wilhelm Dörpfeld next to the iconic Lion Gate at the entrance to Mycenae, in 1875.

Doubt remains, however, over whether this warlord had indeed led a coalition of his vassals to attack Troy around 1250-1200 BC.

Archaeological dating was however in its infancy at the time, and Schliemann muddled up the dates of the artefacts which he discovered.

The sophisticated gold jewellery which he dug up at the royal ‘shaft–grave’ (‘tholos’) burials outside the citadel walls were around three centuries too early for the Trojan War and a burial-mask which he found was not ‘the face of Agamemnon’ (featured image) as he claimed.

These graves appear to come from an early period of Mycenae’s use as a royal centre, before the citadel’s palace with its complex bureaucratic storage-system was built.

Reconstruction of the political landscape in c. 1400–1250 BC mainland southern Greece. The red markers highlight Mycenaean palatial centres (Credit: / CC).

Mycenaeans and the Mediterranean

It is usually assumed that a culturally less ‘advanced’ and more militaristic group of warrior-monarchies in mainland Greece co-existed around 1700-1500 with the richer, urban trading civilisation of ‘Minoan’ Crete, centred at the great palace of Knossos, and then eclipsed it.

Given the destruction of some Cretan palace centres by fire and the replacement of the local Cretan script of ‘Linear A’ by proto-Greek ‘Linear B’ from the mainland, the mainland warlords’ conquest of Crete is possible.

From discoveries of Mycenaean trade-goods across the Mediterranean (and more recently well-constructed ships), it appears that there were well-used trading-networks and contacts as far as Egypt and Bronze Age Britain .

A reconstruction of the Minoan palace at Knossos, on Crete. (Credit: Mmoyaq / CC).

Power at the palaces

The bureaucratically-organised, literate states based at major palace centres of ‘Mycenaean’ Greece pre-1200, as shown by archaeology, was governed by a wealthy elite. Each was led by a ‘wanax’ (king) and war-leaders, with a class of officials and a carefully-taxed rural populace.

It appears to be more like bureaucratic ‘Minoan’ Crete than the ‘heroic’ warrior-states romanticised in myth during the Classical era and crystallised in the epics of the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’, attributed since early times to the semi-legendary poet ‘Homer’.

Homer is now presumed to have lived in the 8th or early 7th century BC, if indeed he was one person at all, in an era of oral culture – literacy in Greece appears to have ended as the great palaces were sacked or abandoned in the 12th century BC.

The Lion Gate, at the entrance to Mycenae in the northeast Peloponnese (Credit: GPierrakos / CC).

The bards of later centuries presented an age that was hazily remembered in the terminology of their own age – just as medieval writers and singers did with earlier ‘Arthurian’ Britain.

Mycenae itself was clearly a powerful enough state to provide the Greek ‘High King’ of the time of the Trojan War as in legend, and its ruler may indeed have been responsible for rallying his vassals to carry out foreign expeditions.

The ruler of Mycenae is the likeliest candidate for the ‘King of Achaia’ or ‘Ahiwiya’ recorded as a powerful overseas sovereign – apparently in Greece – and a raider of Western Asia Minor in 13th century BC Hittite records.

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A mysterious decline

Archaeological evidence of the timing of Mycenae’s collapse might support the legends that place the sack of Mycenae by invading ‘Dorian’ tribes as occurring after the time of the son of Agamemnon’s son Orestes, at least c.70 years after the Trojan War of the mid-13th century BC.

But modern historians doubt that there was ever a major ‘invasion’ of the Mycenaean kingdoms by ‘tribal’ peoples with a lower level of civilisation from northern Greece – more likely the states collapsed into chaos through internal political or social strife or as a result of famine and epidemics.

Nevertheless, the arrival of new styles of pottery and burials at post-1000 ‘Iron Age’ sites suggests a different culture, presumably based on a new and non-literate elite , and the deserted palaces were not re-used.

Dr Timothy Venning is a freelance researcher and the author of several books spanning antiquity to the Early Modern era. A Chronology of Ancient Greece was published on 18 November 2015, by Pen & Sword Publishing.

Featured image: The Mask of Agamemnon (Credit: Xuan Che / CC).


Questioning the Mycenaean Death Mask of Agamemnon

The German archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann is perhaps one of the luckiest archaeologists in history. His discovery of the Mask of Agamemnon was not his first, but second remarkable discovery. Having already discovered the real location of the legendary Troy, Schliemann’s next project was to discover the final resting place of Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae who led the Greek forces during the Trojan War. Though there is debate if Schliemann ever reached his second goal, he certainly made another impressive find in the process - the 'Mask of Agamemnon.'

Schliemann is probably best known for his identification of Troy at Hissarlik, and the unearthing of the ‘Treasure of Priam’. Less well-known, may be his subsequent excavation in Mycenae, Greece. However, it was here that he made another stunning discovery, a golden death mask.


Art History: Mask of Agamemnon

Trail are two archeologist who challenge the authenticity of the mask. They have come up with arguments that try to prove the mask is a forgery. Some scholars claim that their arguments are not valid and lack scholarly reasoning to support their arguments. Some scholars believe that the mask is a mixture of different styles from different places and times, No one can really tell it the mask is authentic or fake. I believe that the mask was edited by Schlemiels and his men. The mask of Agamemnon is not authentic due to its lack of Mycenaean qualities that would price its authenticity.

The mask to Agamemnon is not authentic therefore it was edited by Schlemiels and his workers. The mask of Agamemnon was found in Shaft Grave V by Schlemiels on the Treasury of Auteur it is one of the most famous artworks that have been found. The mask of Agamemnon is a gold funeral mask. It was made using the reposes© method. This technique makes it look like it was hammered The hair on the mask looks like it was engraved. The mask is crooked. The ears are not in proportion, the moustache looks like it Vass put on wrong and everything on this mask looks wrong. The beard on the mask is V shaped.

Most funerary masks are flat, but this one is not.. The mask is three dimensional and it looks like the ears were cut out rather than made together with the rest of the mask. The hair on the mask is Wary detailed one can almost see every strand Of his beard. The eyes on the mask appear to be open. The eyelids are made in a way that makes the eyes seem to be both open and closed at the same time. Compared to the mask of Agamemnon, other objects found in the graves look Mycenaean and authentic, One example is image three, which is the inlaid dagger, was found in grave A Mycenae, Greece, 1600-1500 BCC.

The dagger is about nine inches long. It is made of different metals such as gold, silver, and Nellie: Nellie is a chemical that is rubbed into the needle- like cut to make the texture of the dagger, The daggers were difficult to make, and are very detailed. One depicts a scene to a lion hunt the lions look heraldic and symbolic, this explains why they were found in graves because only important officials were buried with expensive ornaments. The lions on the dagger are in the flying gallop pose, which is a convention started by the Minoans then adapted by the Mycenaean.

The figures on the dagger are wearing shorts but not helmets and carrying a shield. I believe the figures represent the people buried in the graves, because they look heroic and important people were buried in the graves. It is possible that Schlemiels made a similar assumption in finding the mask of Agamemnon since he was a Trojan soldier. The two artworks described beforehand are different even though they are claimed to be from the same civilization. Figure three shows more Mycenaean qualities than the mask of Agamemnon.

Most Of the Mycenaean metal works were not made Of pure gold. Like the inlaid dagger, most of them were mixed with metals like silver. They are both inlaid but the dagger has signs of the Mycenaean convention of depicting animal scenes. It is believed that the funerary mask Schlemiels found is a forgery. The funerary mask does not look like some of the other Mycenaean gold funerary mask, A local reporter of the Argils News reported the “mask had no mustache”. Compared to figure two found in shaft grave A, the facial features on mask of Agamemnon does not match all the others.

It is believed the facial hair does not look Mycenaean. According to Harrington Spencer the mouth on figure is short and thick with ill defined lips and no discernible chin, but the mask of Agamemnon has a wider mouth, thin lips and a well define chin. The eyes on the mask of Agamemnon are different from the other masks found in the shaft graves of Mycenae. The eyebrows on figure two are nothing in detail, but the eyebrows on the mask of Agamemnon the look as if they have been engraved on the mask.

The eyelids on the mask of Agamemnon seem to be open, while those on figure two are closest Schlemiels edited the mask because it does not have any similarities with other metal work found in Mycenae. The mask looks too reflect compared to the Other masks found in the grave it looks like it was made at a later date. It is not severely faded like the other artworks found in the shaft graves Of Mycenae. The Mycenaean’ did not make their metalwork purely out Of gold. Most of their artwork was made with different metals, such as silver and bronze.

I believe the mask was edited because the mask Of Schlemiels found was believed to be made of pure gold and according to Calder “no ancient object was ever made Of pure gold”. Some scholars like David Trail’, have questioned the authenticity of the mask of Agamemnon and requested for the object to be tested. Trail has asked for it to be tested to see if the mask is really made of gold but his request has been denied. If the mask is said to be authentic, then why has it not been tested? The answer is not known.

Fifth mask is believed to be an authentic piece, then it should be tested, Testing the mask to know if it is pure gold does not ruin the mask instead testing it will enable scholars to find out the truth about the mask’s authenticity, Some Scholars believe Schlemiels planted the mask. The dates at which the mask was found bring about questions as to whether the mask is a forgery or not. According to Calder “the Mycenae excavations took place between August seventh and December third 1876, the mask was discovered November 30. Only three days before the site was closed”.

It seems like the mask was planted in the grave to be found. Why would Schlemiels close the site right after he found the mask of Agamemnon? It might be that he planted the mask in the grave so he would become famous for finding the mask of Agamemnon. It could have been that Schlemiels was looking for a plan to advance his career and in order to do that he planted the mask and got his fame from supposedly finding it. It is claimed the excavations oeuvre closed on November 26th and 27th His absence could have made it possible for him to plant the mask.

Some archeologist do not believe that Schlemiels planted the mask, instead they claim that “it is difficult to see how the insertion Of the mask could have been achieved when Schlemiels was working under the constant supervision of Pantsuits Astigmatism the director Of Antiquities, Who was assisted from November 28 by other archeologist sent from Athens, and by a guard of Greek soldiers on the site”. Under this strict supervision it is highly doubtful that Schlemiels planted the mask in the grave so he could find it.

Due to the reasons stated beforehand, believe the mask of Agamemnon was edited because it does not relate to other Mycenaean art. It is different compared to the other artworks found in grave A and a. The mask of Agamemnon does not follow the convention of Mycenaean art. Trail states that ‘the mask of Agamemnon does not show any trace to Mycenaean norm or convention”. According to Calder ‘the mask of Agamemnon is stylish and innovative. It is far away from the Mycenaean convention and looks fairly new. Believe the mask of Agamemnon was altered by Schlemiels.

There is not much prove that shows that it was edited, but the ask does not look authentic. William Calder and David Trail try to prove that the mask is a forgery, but they do not have substantial evidence to support their argument. It looks like avgas made in a hurry, and ancient artworks were not made purely of gold. Also believe the mask was edited because Schlemiels was not an honest man, he admitted that he bought some of the objects he claimed to hue found. The mask of Agamemnon should be removed from textbooks because archeologist do not have enough information on it is based on observations and on an individual’s perception Of it.

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Mycenaean rulers’ throne discovered in Greece

The myth of Trojan war has inspired historians over millenniums, primarily because it was a great and influential part of ancient Greek culture, and partly because it was a good war story with heroes, villains, and of course a heroine. In an amazing recent discovery, Greek archaeologists have claimed to have unearthed the fragments from the throne of perhaps the most heroic ancient Greek at least according to Homer.

Christofilis Maggadis headed the archaeological project for the last two years and has finally come forward with a discovery significant enough to create stir not just in the archaeological sectors but also in the political avenues. Maggaddis is still working on the project, hoping to unearth as much of the evidence as possible in support of his claims. Speaking to reporters at a press conference Magaddis said that they had discovered the pieces of the throne of Mycenaean rulers the throne possibly used by Agamemnon, the ruler who helped win Trojan war.

Speaking about the ruins, Maggadis further added that the throne fragments unearthed were possibly buried under the magnificent palace built on the hilltop sometime in 1200BC, and that the palace collapsed in a massive earthquake.

The rule of the Mycenaeans spans over 14 th century BC all the way to 12 century BC Mycenaean rulers are considered as the most prominent and influential Greeks who ruled in the Bronze age. However, the life of the Mycenaeans was nothing less than a real-life Game of Thrones the royals were often involved in bloody strife for power, incest, and dynastic treacheries. According to Homer – the first mythological writer/historian who mentioned the Trojan war and its participants in great detail – Agamemnon was the most distinguished Mycenaean who ever lived he possessed the unique heroic traits essential for a ruler to go down in the history as a warrior king. According to the mythological accounts, Agamemnon was part of the Army that besieged and later sacked the legendary city of Troy.

After the discovery of the throne of Agamemnon, the archaeological world was rocked and people needed more information on the matter. However, the Greek Culture Ministry disagrees with the findings, claiming that the fragments discovered could never have been the part of the throne. When the culture ministry dispatched their expert to analyze the ruins and unearthed fragments, they came to a conclusion completely at odds with Maggadis’s findings. The experts from the ministry claimed that the pieces clearly belonged to a wash basin due to their curved nature and could not have been part of a throne in any shape. Maggadis rejected the analysis by the ministry’s experts, saying that the fragments came from a curved part of the throne and could not have come from a wash basin purely because the composition of the fragments suggests that it’s made up of porous stone.


Art History: Mask of Agamemnon

ANCIENT ART 200 Was the Mask Of Agamemnon Edited by Schliemann and his Workers? 5/14/2011 Sandra. Baah | Schliemann was a German archeologist who excavated the shaft graves of Mycenae. He found a mask which has been claimed to be the mask of Agamemnon. This has brought up endless debates about the authenticity of the mask. The mask is said to be one of Schliemann’s forgeries. Some scholars claim the mask is too new or does not have any qualities that prove that it is Mycenaean. It is difficult to know whether the mask is authentic or fake. William A. Calder and David A.

Traill are two archeologists who challenge the authenticity of the mask. They have come up with arguments that try to prove the mask is a forgery. Some scholars claim that their arguments are not valid and lack scholarly reasoning to support their arguments. Some scholars believe that the mask is a mixture of different styles from different places and times. No one can really tell if the mask is authentic or fake. I believe that the mask was edited by Schliemann and his men. The mask of Agamemnon is not authentic due to its lack of Mycenaean qualities that would prove its authenticity.

The mask of Agamemnon is not authentic therefore it was edited by Schliemann and his workers. The mask of Agamemnon was found in Shaft Grave V by Schliemann on the Treasury of Atreus it is one of the most famous artworks that have been found. The mask of Agamemnon is a gold funeral mask. It was made using the repousse? method. This technique makes it look like it was hammered. The hair on the mask looks like it was engraved. The mask is crooked. The ears are not in proportion, the moustache looks like it was put on wrong and everything on this mask looks wrong.

The beard on the mask is V shaped. Most funerary masks are flat, but this one is not.. The mask is three dimensional and it looks like the ears were cut out rather than made together with the rest of the mask. The hair on the mask is very detailed one can almost see every strand of his beard. The eyes on the mask appear to be open. The eyelids are made in a way that makes the eyes seem to be both open and closed at the same time. Compared to the mask of Agamemnon, other objects found in the graves look Mycenaean and authentic.

One example is image three, which is the inlaid dagger, was found in grave A Mycenae, Greece, 1600-1500 BCE. The dagger is about nine inches long. It is made of different metals such as gold, silver, and niello niello is a chemical that is rubbed into the needle- like cut to make the texture of the dagger. The daggers were difficult to make, and are very detailed. One depicts a scene of a lion hunt the lions look heraldic and symbolic, this explains why they were found in graves because only important officials were buried with expensive ornaments.

The lions on the dagger are in the flying gallop pose, which is a convention started by the Minoans then adapted by the Mycenaean’s. The figures on the dagger are wearing shorts but not helmets and carrying a shield. I believe the figures represent the people buried in the graves, because they look heroic and important people were buried in the graves. It is possible that Schliemann made a similar assumption in finding the mask of Agamemnon since he was a Trojan soldier. The two artworks described beforehand are different even though they are claimed to be from the same civilization.

Figure three shows more Mycenaean qualities than the mask of Agamemnon. Most of the Mycenaean metal works were not made of pure gold. Like the inlaid dagger, most of them were mixed with metals like silver. They are both inlaid but the dagger has signs of the Mycenaean convention of depicting animal scenes. It is believed that the funerary mask Schliemann found is a forgery. The funerary mask does not look like some of the other Mycenaean gold funerary mask. A local reporter of the Argolis News reported the “mask had no mustache”.

Compared to figure two found in shaft grave A, the facial features on mask of Agamemnon does not match all the others. It is believed the facial hair does not look Mycenaean. According to Harrington Spencer the mouth on figure 2 is short and thick with ill defined lips and no discernible chin, but the mask of Agamemnon has a wider mouth, thin lips and a well define chin. The eyes on the mask of Agamemnon are different from the other masks found in the shaft graves of Mycenae. The eyebrows on figure two are not shown in detail, but the eyebrows on the mask of Agamemnon the look as if they have been engraved on the mask.

The eyelids on the mask of Agamemnon seem to be open, while those on figure two are closed. Schliemann edited the mask because it does not have any similarities with other metal work found in Mycenae. The mask looks too perfect compared to the other masks found in the grave it looks like it was made at a later date. It is not severely faded like the other artworks found in the shaft graves of Mycenae. The Mycenaean’ did not make their metalwork purely out of gold. Most of their artwork was made with different metals, such as silver and bronze.

I believe the mask was edited because the mask of Schliemann found was believed to be made of pure gold and according to Calder “no ancient object was ever made of pure gold”. Some scholars like David Traill, have questioned the authenticity of the mask of Agamemnon and requested for the object to be tested. Traill has asked for it to be tested to see if the mask is really made of gold but his request has been denied. If the mask is said to be authentic, then why has it not been tested? The answer is not known.

If the mask is believed to be an authentic piece, then it should be tested. Testing the mask to know if it is pure gold does not ruin the mask instead testing it will enable scholars to find out the truth about the mask’s authenticity. Some Scholars believe Schliemann planted the mask. The dates at which the mask was found bring about questions as to whether the mask is a forgery or not. According to Calder “the Mycenae excavations took place between August seventh and December third 1876, the mask was discovered November 30. Only three days before the site was closed”.

It seems like the mask was planted in the grave to be found. Why would Schliemann close the site right after he found the mask of Agamemnon? It might be that he planted the mask in the grave so he would become famous for finding the mask of Agamemnon. It could have been that Schliemann was looking for a plan to advance his career and in order to do that he planted the mask and got his fame from supposedly finding it. It is claimed the excavations were closed on November 26th and 27th. His absence could have made it possible for him to plant the mask.

Some archeologists do not believe that Schliemann planted the mask, instead they claim that “it is difficult to see how the insertion of the mask could have been achieved when Schliemann was working under the constant supervision of Panagiotis Stamatakis the director of Antiquities, who was assisted from November 28 by other archeologists sent from Athens, and by a guard of Greek soldiers on the site”. Under this strict supervision it is highly doubtful that Schliemann planted the mask in the grave so he could find it.

Due to the reasons stated beforehand, I believe the mask of Agamemnon was edited because it does not relate to other Mycenaean art. It is different compared to the other artworks found in grave A and B. The mask of Agamemnon does not follow the convention of Mycenaean art. Traill states that “the mask of Agamemnon does not show any trace of Mycenaean norm or convention”. According to Calder “the mask of Agamemnon is stylish and innovative. It is far away from the Mycenaean convention and looks fairly new.

I believe the mask of Agamemnon was altered by Schliemann. There is not much prove that shows that it was edited, but the mask does not look authentic. William Calder and David Traill try to prove that the mask is a forgery, but they do not have substantial evidence to support their argument. It looks like it was made in a hurry, and ancient artworks were not made purely of gold. I also believe the mask was edited because Schliemann was not an honest man, he admitted that he bought some of the objects he claimed to have found.

The mask of Agamemnon should be removed from textbooks because archeologists do not have enough information on it, it is based on observations and on an individual’s perception of it. It should not be added to art history books before it is tested. I believe for something to be studied, one should have background knowledge of the object. Figure 1 Mask of Agamemnon 1550-1500 BCE Figure 2 Funerary Mask from Shaft Grave IV 1550-1500 BCE Found in Grave Circle A by Schliemann and his workers. Figure 3 Inlaid Dagger Blade, 1550-1500 BCE

Dagger from grave circle A at Mycenae. Found in the national archeological museum, Athens. BIBLIOGRAPHY Christopulous, George A, and John C Bastias. Prejistory and Protohistory. University park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania state univveristy press, 1974. Dickinson, Oliver. “The ‘Face of Agamemnon. ‘” Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 3rd ser., 74 (July-August 2005): 299-308. Accessed May 2, 2011. http:/www. jstor. org/stable/ 25067959.

Elliot, Alexander. The Horizon Concise of Greece. New York: American Heritage, 1972. Harrington, Spencer P. M. “Behind the Mask of Agamemnon. ” Archeology 52, no. 4 (July-August 1999). Accessed May 2, 2011. http:/web. ebscohost. com/ehost/ delivery? sid=1d53bfed-ae35-45c6-8097-2d4bcffa3301%40sessionmgr10vid=7hid=18. Hilson, Muriel. “Studies in Art Education. ” Neolithic Art and the Art History Clas 32, no. 4 (1991): 230-238. Accessed April 27, 2011. http:/www. jstor. org/stable.


Mycenae Mask of Agamemnon

The Golden Mask of Agamemnon, the King of Mycenae: The Mask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered in Mycenae in 1876 by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. This mask is made of gold and is a funeral mask found over the face of a dead body in a burial place at Mycenae. Schliemann thought that the body and the mask are of the legendary King Agamemnon.

However, modern researchers and archaeologists are of the opinion that the mask dates from an era much before the life and reign of Agamemnon. Whatever the case is, this mask is crafted out of pure gold and such masks were put on the faces of deceased kings and royal people.

According to Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the son of King Atreus of Mycenae and Queen Aerope. He was the leader of the Greeks during the Trojan War, as Mycenae was the most powerful Greek town at that time. He was also the brother of Menelaus and the husband of Clytemnestra. Agamemnon had three daughters and one son. One of his daughters, Iphigenia, was sacrificed to goddess Artemis so that the wind blows and the Greek ships could set sail to Troy. When Agamemnon returned to his kingdom after the end of the Trojan War, he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, in revenge for the sacrifice of Iphigenia.

The controversy and the doubt of authenticity over this mask remain till today. This golden exhibit is currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. In spite of all the doubts, this distinguished mask of gold which is about 12 inches in height is still known as the Mask of Agamemnon and is one of the most prized discoveries from the ancient Mycenaean ages.


Mycenaean Civilization

The first great civilization on mainland Greece actually bloomed in the demise of the Minoan Civilisation. The Mycenaean Civilisation (1900–1100 B.C.) is also known as the Achaean Civilisation. This is due to the Indo-European migrants, who not only settled on mainland Greece but also adapted to the Minoan way of living.

** The image above shows a death mask, known as the Mask of Agamemnon
By Xuan Che (Self-photographed (Flickr), 20 December 2010) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Independent city-states such as Pylos, Corinth and of course Mycenae which was the most powerful of them all, was a characteristic of the Mycenaean Civilisation. Mycenae was also the city of the legendary figure Agamemnon, who was one of the leaders who defeated Troy. These city-states were ruled by kings, whose palaces were on hilltops, enclosed within huge walls, which were very easy to defend.

Mycenae with its impressive Gate of Lions became the dominating power in the Peloponese. These palaces soon appeared all over Greece, but unlike those on Crete, these were all huge fortifications and much more difficult to penetrate. As with the Cycladic Civilisation, an impressive legacy was also left by the Mycenaean Civilisation in the form of gold jewellery and ornaments. A collection of these treasures can be seen at the National Archaeological Musuem in Athens.

The Mycenaean were also literate and wrote in a script known as Linear B. This script is an early form of Greek which is unrelated from Linear A from the Minoan Civilisation of Crete. It has however been deciphered. Other examples of the script Linear B have also been found on Crete, which has led to the possibility that the island may have been invaded by the Mycenaean people at around 1500 B.C.

At around 1400 B.C. the palace of Knossos was destroyed on Crete, as well as destruction all over the island. This wide spread destruction has led many to believe that Crete was not attacked by a foreign force, but that a revolt against the Mycanaean rulers had probably taken place.

Mycenaean artifacts have also been discovered in Italy, Eygpt, Asia Minor and North Syria. It is likely that they had permanent strongholds in some of these places as their influence seems so strong. The defeat of Troy was accomplished with the Mycenaean city-states joining together to protect their Black Sea trade routes.

During 1200 B.C. the decline of the civilization had began, with many Mycenaean structures being destroyed. The situation now in Greece was very similar to the one that had happened on Crete following the destruction of Knossos. It is difficult to grasp at how all of the city-states actually declined.

Some have put forward that due to trade with the east stopping, many overseas settlements were lost. Others believe that along with factors such as famine and epidemics, internal battles and overpopulation, the reason was when the civilization was overtaken by the Dorians.


History

The people of Mycenae were Indo-Europeans who came to Greece between the 20 th and 16 th centuries BC. They spoke a language similar to what the future Greek dialect would be. The civilization flourished from the 16 th century to about the end of the 13 th century BC. The Mycenaeans were also successful traders and controlled trade routes to the Corinthian Isthmus.

The Mycenaean’s built palaces and fortified citadels. The citadel walls were built out of large stones, which are referred to as the cyclopean walls. Ancient Greeks believed the only way they could have been built was by cyclops, which is how the walls received their name. These kinds of walls were very common among other Mycenaean citadels as well.

At the back of the citadel there is a secret stairway that has ninety-nine steps leading down to a large container. This was connected to a spring by pipes in case in times of war everyone was trapped inside the city. At the highest peaks of the citadels, the king’s palaces were built. The planning of the palaces was similar to Minoan structures.The palace that was discovered at Mycenae matched the description of where Agamemnon lived, as described by the Greek poet Homer. This further added to ideas that Agamemnon was a real person and not just a king of myth. The citadels were also administrative headquarters for the rulers. The common people of the town lived at the foot of the citadels in the countryside. Experts can tell the difference in the society structure by the goods buried in the graves. This shows that there was definitely a lower class and ruling class. The political hierarchy consists of the king on top, who was the political and religious leader of the town. Underneath the king were the local chiefs who looked over administrative duties. The safety of the town was left up to the Lawagetas, the head of the army. Scribes overlooked economic production and transaction, allotted work and distributed rations. In Mycenaean economy there were two types of people: the ones who worked in the palace and the ones who were self-employed. Even the workers in the palace could be self-employed if they wished though.

The Mycenaens were a warrior culture as well as great engineers who built bridges, tombs, and palaces. They also invented their own script called linear B which was an improved version of Linear A or the Minoan language. From clay tablets we can tell that the agricultural economy was well organized and had well distributed. One of the most significant industries in their culture was the textile industry.

The preservation of the ruins can be contributed to the rapid decay that took place in the 12 th century BC because of the Doric invasion. The Doric invasion also ceased the building of new cities and quarters. How Mycenae came to a complete end is still a continued discussion because the acropolis shows signs of inhabitation until 468 BC, the year of destruction. The Doric invasion was not the end of Mycenae though. The first theory is population movement because the Dorian’s attacked. This hypothesis has been questioned because the Dorian’s had always been present in Greece around that time. It could have also been what the Mycenaens called the “Sea People.” The second theory is internal conflict. This is suggesting conflict between the rich and the poor because of the lower class becoming impoverished towards the end of the late Helladic period and rejecting the system in which they were governed. However when Mycenae came to an end, its demise started the Greek dark ages.


Scions of Agamemnon: Who Were the Mycenaeans? - History


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Was there a Trojan War?

Always be the best, my boy, the bravest, and hold your head up high above the others. Never disgrace the generations of your fathers. -- The Iliad (trans. by Robert Flagles). Hippolochus to his son Glaucus


7th century BC pottery depiction of the Trojan Horse

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Was there a Trojan War? The short answer is "probably." Though for most of modern history, archeologists believed that the war was just a legend, today it is accepted that there probably was such a war. The amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, using The Iliad and the The Odyssey of Homer as a guide, discovered the ruins of a powerful city in Asia Minor. The Ancient Greeks from the classical period thought the Trojan War was a historical event that had taken place in the 13th or 12th century BC, and believed that Troy was located in modern day Turkey and the Dardanelles. The city Schlieman found is where Troy would have been, and was destroyed at the end of the 13th century. Its location and apparent wealth suggest that it would have been a trade rival to the fpowerful Mycenaeans. The prize was control of the Aegean. Other parts of the poems appear to have had a historical basis. Archeologists discovered great bronze age cities on the mainland, the remnants of the Mycenaeans.

Archeologists discovered that there was a powerful city in Asia Minor where Troy would have been, which was destroyed at the end of the 13th century. There were many levels of cities on this site. The one which most likely corresponds with the great war of the Achaeans is Troy VII, which was destroyed in 1190 BC either by earthquake or by attack. Its location and apparent wealth suggest that it would have been a trade rival to the powerful Mycenaeans.The prize was control of the Aegean. Other parts of the poems appear to have had a historical basis. Archeologists discovered great bronze age cities on the mainland, the remnants of the Mycenaeans. Archeologists studying Troy found a Mycenean cemetery at Besik Bay, south of Troy, which may have been the Greek landing place - there were over 50 cremations with grave goods, so the Mycenaeans were there.

It is clear that Troy had contact with the Mycenaeans. Trojan pottery imitating the Mycenaean style has been found at the Troy excavations.

But the truth in the poems is only a kernel. Bards modified as they transmitted the poems through the dark centuries. The more interesting the poems, the more enthusiastic the response from their audiences, and the greater the stature of the poet. And the descriptions became more and more distorted, as features of the dark age culture became part of the poems. For example Homer speaks of iron in weapons, which was common in the iron age civilization of the dark ages, but which would not have been present in Mycenaean culture, a bronze age civilization. In The Iliad the leaders were cremated as they were in the Iron Age, while the Mycenaeans clearly buried their noble dead in tholos tombs.

The evidence indicates that the Mycenaeans probably did sack Troy in around 1250 BCE. But around 1200 BCE sees the the decline of the Mycenaeans. One theory of the Mycenaean fall may be found in Homer and Greek legends. The war took a toll on their civilization. When the kings returned they found their power weakened, and were engaged in power struggles. Odysseus, for example, when he finally arrived at Ithica, found his loyal wife Penelope hounded by suitors. She had reached the point where she had to accept one of them, who would then become the king. Other returning kings, such as Agamemnon, met bad fates. Do these stories have a kernel of truth too? Did the Mycenaean kings have to fight for their place when they came back from Troy? Were they so weakened by 10 years of war, that they never regained their prosperity and power?


Mycenae History

The Mycenaean period extends for over four centuries, after which Mycenae disappeared and fell into oblivion, to the point that many people even though it had never existed. Throughout the ages, the only testimony which confirms the existence of the Mycenaean empire is the myths and the literature sources. For example, the Mycenaean war against Troy was poetically told by Homer, although this was taken as fiction. The history of Mycenae was an important period for Greece and influenced the course of the country.

The amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the city of Troy by basing his investigation on the information given by Homer. Then, he discovered the legendary city of Mycenae in northeastern Peloponnese. These two excavations confirmed that the epics of Homer were not just fiction but contained a large amount of truth.

The monarchic organization of the Mycenaean society was characterized by the concentration of power to the kings. Unlike Minoan Crete, in Mycenae, this wealth was not shared with the rest of society. The Mycenaean kings were constantly at war, as this civilization had an important warrior profile, characterized by promoting battles and invading territories. According to the remaining records found in Asia Minor and the Middle East, the Mycenaean army was included in the raider lists of the Egyptians. Their war character was also shown when the Minoan civilization got weaker due to a series of earthquakes. Apparently, the Mycenaean warriors took advantage of this situation to conquer Crete.

The war profile of the Mycenaean culture is also depicted in the Cyclopean Walls, the huge walls made of gigantic stones that surrounded the Mycenaean towns for protection. The legend says that human was impossible to build these walls with the technology of that era, so the walls must have been constructed by Cyclops. This war environment had a deep influence in the art of Mycenae, which in this case was obviously characterized by warfare and hunting themes. This contrasts to the Minoan style and way of life, more dedicated to everyday life.

On the other hand, after the invasions over the Aegean populations, the Mycenaeans finally imposed their culture over them. Another activity, apart from war and invasions, was trading. The Mycenaean people developed trade, although not at the level of the Minoans. They usually traded oil, animal skins and other raw articles in exchange for fine objects like jewelry from Crete, Egypt, and Asia Minor, all of which used to stand out in the productions of such objects. However, as it was mentioned at first, the opulence provided by this activity was just enjoyed by the kings and a few well-off officials.

Such expensive and fine objects have been frequently discovered in the tomb of kings and other members of the royal family as offerings to the dead. The Mycenaean tombs, also known as tholos, had vaulted roofs and two rooms: one room for the dead and another larger room for the offerings. The most famous vaulted tomb is the Treasury of Atreus, located in a walking distance from the archaeological site of Mycenae, that is believed to be the tomb of King Agamemnon. It is quite interesting that the tombs of unwanted people or criminals were constructed outside the city gates.


Watch the video: Mycenae. English pronunciation