The Minos and Mycenae Bronze Age Cultures

Discovery Heinrich Schleimann Arthur Evans 1871: discovered Troy 1876: discovered Mycenae Arthur Evans 1900: Knossos

Minoan Civilization Located on Crete By 2100 BC, small city-states populated the island Knossos is most well known palace complex (1700-1375 BC) “Redistributive” system Crossroad for Mediterranean trade

Linear A 1900, developed pictographic writing Developed into more advanced writing: syllabary writing system Used for management and economic records Not deciphered

Social Order Elite lived in palace area Unsure whether one person ruled all others Priest-king? Spacious villas in countryside that may have been for elite families as well Majority of people lived and worked in small villages Ordinary houses were roomier than those in Greece or in the Near East Fished, farmed, raised livestock Slaves worked in all areas of Minoan society

Religion Centered on fertility Private shrines in palaces, villas, and houses Communal rituals outdoors Bull-leaping Minoan “Lady”

Art and Architecture Reminiscent of Near East, but adapted to fit Minoan culture Serene, lighthearted, playful scenes Palace was decorated with many frescos Religious rituals, daily activities, animal or plant scenes Conveyed sense of movement and life Organic and colorful architecture

Minos, Theseus, and the Minotaur The Cretan Bull Struggle for power Poseidon sent a white bull as a sign of approval Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull but did not Poseidon caused Pasiphaë to fall in love with bull The Cow Suit Pasiphae made Daedalus craft a wooden cow suit for her She attracted the Cretan bull and the Minotaur was born The Labyrinth Constructed by Daedalus

Myth Continued Conflict with Athens Theseus Minos goes to war with Athens to avenge son (cause of death disputed) Defeats Athens Demands tribute of 7 young men and 7 young women every 9 years to be sacrificed to the Minotaur Theseus Son of Aegeus, king of Athens Volunteers to go on third sacrifice Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, falls in love with Theseus and helps him navigate the labyrinth with string Theseus slays the Minotaur

Myth Continued Journey Home Theseus abandons Ariadne on Naxos and Dionysus marries her Theseus had told his father that his ship would display white sails if successful He forgets and still has black sails Father throws himself off a cliff into the sea

The Destruction of the Minoans Trading with the mainland Greeks beginning in 2000 BC Greeks even borrowed writing system By 1450, the mainland Greeks had taken over and were living on Crete Most palaces burned to the ground Knossos remained center for Greek rule on Crete

Mycenaeans 1600-1200 Greeks on mainland Greece Period named for Mycenae Characterized by lots of wealth, gold, and war Trojan war heroes: Agamemnon, Menelaus, Odysseus, Achilles, Ajax, Nestor Mycenaean Towns: Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Athens, Ithaca, Argos, Troy, Thebes

Linear B Destruction of Minoans by the Greeks (Mycenaeans) is known because of tablets Unknown writing system - unsure what language it was representing Michael Ventris broke the code in the 1950s Realized that the Linear B writing system was representing the Greek Language These tablets asserted three things: Mycenaeans spoke Greek Mycenaeans adapted writing system from Minoans Mycenaeans controlled Crete by 1450s

Shaft Graves and Tholoi Shaft graves: rectangular pits that would hold multiple burials Filled with precious materials such as gold, silver, bronze, ivory Tholos tomb: large stone chambers shaped liked beehives Also filled with riches and gold Treasury of Atreus “Mask of Agamemnon” found within

Palaces Located on hills for defense Small and highly fortified Not as luxurious as Minoan palaces Martial decorative themes Palaces not unified Feuds, fragile alliances, battles Some towns may have been loosely connected with the ruler of Mycenae as the superior

Social Order Hierarchical society Wanax = the king War leaders under the wanax Priests and Priestesses Administrative officials, Religious Administrators Producers: farmers, herders, artiscans, fishermen, laborers Slaves Wanax and high ranked officals lived in citadel Lesser officials lived in lower town Most lived in country villages

Religion Not a lot known Names of major gods and goddesses of later Greeks appear often Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Athena, Artemis Maybe Apollo, Ares, and Dionysus Also worshipped other cult gods Not sure if the gods had the same role as they did in later Greek religion

Collapse of Mycenaean Culture By end of 1100, palaces had burned down, been abandoned, and razed to the ground A few towns remained as smaller villages beneath the ruined hill top citadel Greece was not alone in destruction - occurred all over Mediterranean region The “sea peoples”? Reported to have attacked Egypt as well Troy was also sacked during this time (1250-1200) Attributed to Mycenaeans, but may have been the sea peoples Natural Disaster? Dorians? Greek speak people from northern and western Greece