The Mycenaeans 1650 B.C.E. – 1200 B.C.E.

The Mycenaeans Influenced by the Minoans Term coined from the archaeological site Mycenae First Greek speaking people Originally inhabited in the Great Plains & were Herdsmen & Horsemen Demos = Common people (labour force) Wanax = The king & military commander Cities were heavily protected Invented the chariot, which was often used in battle

Trade Became wealthy because of Trade. They exported wheat, barley, wine, olive oil, figs, wool & linen They imported metals, ivory, semi-precious stones, copper, tin and gold In addition to trade, they were warriors & mercenaries

Excavation of Mycenae Founded by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876 King was Agamemnon Located on a steep hill on the Plains of Argos- natural fortress Lion’s Gate was 2 lions facing each other on a sacred stone. Lions meant courage & strength. Royal cemetery with shaft graves (vertical) and men’s faces had death masks

The Mycenaean Civilization

Homer (800 B.C.E.) What we know about the Mycenaeans comes from the blind Greek poet called Homer. We wrote the long epic poems called The Iliad & The Odyssey These were oral stories that were passed down from generation to generation until Homer recorded them.

The Trojan War

The Iliad King Agamemnon of Mycenae Went to war with Troy because Helen was kidnapped. (Agamemnon’s sister in-law) Famous Heroes = Achilles & Ajax of Greece; Hector of Troy Last 10 years The Greeks tricked the Trojans by using a wooden horse The Greeks defeated the Trojans

The Odyssey About King Odysseus’ long journey home after the Trojan war to his kingdom in Ithaca. His journey lasted 10 years He had trouble getting home because the Gods were angry with him & he did not respect their power. 1 st he sailed from Troy with many ships and a lot of gold and slaves

The Odyssey He had trouble sailing because of the god Poseidon Athena helped him to get home. When he arrived home, he found out that his house had been taken over by suitors who wanted to marry his wife, Penelope. But with the help of his son Telemachus, he killed all the suitors and slaves who helped and finally went back to ruling his kingdom.

Loosely Based on Stories from “The Odyssey” The Cyclops Cave: After Odysseus and his men had been at sea for a while, their supplies began to dwindle. Odysseus and some of his men landed on shore to look for food. They found a cave, full of sheep! They cooked some sheep and stuffed themselves full. Unfortunately, the sheep belonged to a Cyclops. A Cyclops is a one-eyed giant! When the Cyclops returned to his cave, he was furious. He locked Odysseus and his men up so they could not get away. Using trickery, Odysseus managed to get the Cyclops drunk. Odysseus sharpened a stick and blinded the Cyclops. The Cyclops tried to find Odysseus and his men, to eat them. But Odysseus and his men crawled under the sheep. Making bah-bah sounds, they crawled safely out of the cave and got away!

Loosely Based on Stories from “The Odyssey” The Sirens: Not too long after that, Odysseus and his men ran into the Sirens. The Sirens were magical sea creatures that looked rather like mermaids. They were known for their beautiful singing voices. The music they made was so hypnotic that sailors stopped sailing their ships, to listen. With no one in charge, the ships crashed into land, killing everyone on board. When Odysseus heard the beautiful music, he was suspicious immediately. He had had quite a few adventures already. He was beginning to be a bit suspicious of everything! To be extra safe, he stuffed his crewmen’s ears so they could not hear the music. He tied himself to the ship’s mast. That way, in case the gods decided to be helpful, he wanted to be able to hear them. But, since he was tied tightly, he would not be able to jump off the ship or swim to shore, or to do anything else that might endanger himself or his crew, when he heard the magical music. It worked! Odysseus is still the only man in the world who ever heard the Sirens sing and lived to tell about it!

Decline & Collapse They ruled for only 200 years Dorians invaded in small waves Mycenaeans began fighting each other

Activities 1. Complete the worksheet called The Early Period: The Mycenaeans 2. Watch the movie Troy and complete the movie assignment