 Cretans began trading with inhabitants of southern and central Greece around 2000 BC, and the mainland Greeks adopted wholesale the model of the Minoan state, replicating their palaces for their own use.  The great palaces at Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos, on the Peloponnesus, were built around  “Mycenaean” civilization emerges, and the decorative features of their palaces closely followed the Minoan styles.

 However, Mycenaean culture is distinct in certain key respects.  Mycenaean palace complexes were smaller, less well built, and usually located on a commanding hill and fortified by high, thick walls, unlike the Cretan palaces.  In place of the open paved courtyard of Cretan complexes, the Mycenaeans made the megaron, a large rectangular hall, the focus of their palaces.  “Linear B” tablets found at the palace of Pylos reveal the economic and administrative structures of Mycenaean palace life.

 Minoan—Mycenaeans?  By 1450, Mycenaeans living in Minoan palaces. By 800 at least, Crete entirely Greek.  Debt: Mycenaeans adapted art, architecture, writing, trading routes from Minoans.  Sources? Site of Mycenae: very wealthy—no comparison in Aegean. But Late Bronze Age— especially by 1450—apex of Mycenaean civilization.

Figure 1.10c. The “Lion Gate” entrance to the citadel of Mycenae.

 Shaft graves—inhumation with grave good— bronze goods, pottery, little good or jewelry.  Some sites with multiple burials much wealthier—goods such as alabaster and amber indicate trading networks from Mesopotamia to n. Europe.  Wealth? Around 1600 most Mycenaean sites small—why are graves so rich?  Explosion of palace complexes comes 1450

 First shaft graves  1450 new burials  Tholos, tholoi  Beehive shaped tomb structures built into a hillside.—perhaps indebted to a Minoan model? But Mycenaean ones larger and much more impressive.  --bronze doors, stone passageways.  Wealth? Most looted in Antiquity.

Figure 1.9a. Plan and cross section of a Mycenaean tholos tomb.

 Minoans dominant  Colonies, trading routes, influence in Cyclades, Egypt most Minoan palaces torched.  Knossos recovered, was rebuilt and became the center of Greek rule of Crete.  Hence Linear B at Knossos

 1939 Excavation of Pylos—Nestor’s palace.  WW II Carl Blegen excavated site—over 600 Linear B tablets.  Enough to decipher? Early 1950s Michael Ventris, amateur linguist and cryptographer attempted to break code.  Assumptions:  1. syllabic  2. early Greek

 Syllabic: ti –ri-po = tripous (tripod). Working with Classicist John Chadwick published findings.  1. Greek was the Mycenaean language  2. Mycenaeans adapted Linear A in order to keep palace records  3. Myceneans ruled in Crete by 15 th c. B.C.

Figure 1.10b. View of the ruins of the megaron hall of the Mycenaean palace at Pylos, thirteenth century BC.

 Fifteenth c. B.C.—fusion of Mycenaean-Minoan cultures; Mycenaean rulers in Knossos; population Minoan. Other independent palace centers absorbed.  Short lived though Knossos sacked (probably by other Mycenaeans)  Although palace continued to be occupied, Crete declines economically and culturally  After 1375 cultural shift to mainland.

 Mycenaean golden age  Many palace complexes  Trade with New Kingdom Egypt, Hittites  Expansion—sites in Asia Minor (Miletus)  Mycenaean artifacts in Sicily  Expanded Minoan trading networks  Safety? On periphery of civilized world.

 Huge walls—Cyclopean; smaller than Minoan complexes  Usually fortified site—hill, Acropolis.  Instead of large open courtyard— megaron — large hall with chimney, anteroom—where king would receive guests, feasts, councils— ceremonial center of palace.  Megaron would survive later as chieftains house.

 Adapted from Minoan themes (slaves?)  But paintings unMinoan themes—personal combat, sieges, hunting scenes—much more warlike.  People dressed in Minoan attire.  Alternately men in linen tunic; women in larger version of the same tunic.  Why and how?

 Many palaces—each ruled by a wanax ?  Rival states that sought domination e.g., around Argos ten Mycenaean sites, two fortified palaces at Mycenae and Tiryns. Wanax of Mycenaea ruler of area, other areas dependent states.  Pylos—ruled about 1,250 sq. miles in s. Greece.  Competition amongst palace centers; no Mycenaean empire”

 Trading all throughout Mediterranean— Sardinia, Sicily, southern Italy, Hittites  Trading posts throughout Asia Minor, Cyprus  --in arena of int’l. politics—second rate compared to Egypt and Hittites but respected.  Hittite documents= Ahhiyawa = Achaean  Refer to “king” of Ahhiyawa, disputes over Milawata (Miletus) and Ilios (Troy);  Document to Syrian state—Hittite mentions mentions king of Ahhiyawa as an equal.

 Pylos—1,250 sq. miles  State divided into 2 provinces—subdivided into districts.  Korete, prokorete = governor of a district and his deputy.  Qasireu = official in charge of affairs at village level.  Wanax = king; lawagetas = second to wanax “leader of the people”—war leader?  Dozens of titles for administrative officials, military subordinates, religious administrators— priests and priestesses. Hierarchical.

 Very class based  Aristocracy—furniture, palaces, villas, tholoi  People—lived in villages or outside palace walls.  Slaves—lots of examples—Pylos 600 slave women and children—ground grain, bath attendants, flax workers, wove.  Gods and aristocracy owned slaves

 Raw materials from countryside—palace officials would collect “taxes” in produce and livestock.  Vast array of specialists at palace—bronze workers, goldsmiths, leather workers, armorers, perfume makers.  Palace-based economy. Goods consumed or exported.

 Indo-European + incorporation of some Minoan elements.  Snakes, bulls, double axe.  Know of 30 Mycenaean gods, goddesses.  Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena, Artemis, Apollo.  Like in Crete, palace controlled religion; donations, offerings, slaves.  Was wanax divine? No evidence.

 Tactics from artwork: frescoes and pottery.  Naval battles—mass production of bronze armaments.  Swords, bronze greaves, daggers, spears  Helmets of bronze, boars’ tusks, shield—ox hide over wood.  Battle chariot—ancient nuclear weapon.  Ramses II possibly defeated 3,500 Hittite chariots at Kadesh 1274 B.C.

 At the apparent height of its prosperity, the Mycenaean civilization suffered a fatal blow.  Beginning a little before 1200 BC, the palaces were consumed by fire one by one.  The devastation began a rapid downward spiral, the palace system effectively collapsed within a century, and small villages huddled beneath the ruined fortifications of once mighty palaces.  However, the entire eastern Mediterranean region was overwhelmed with similar calamities at the same time.