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MYCENAEAN C

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Myc

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MYCENAE REACHED THE PEAK OF ITS GLORY IN 1350 BC

The citadel and the lower town had 30.000 inhabitants and covered a space of 32 hectares

SUCCESSFUL MERCANTILE ENDEAVOURS

The leadership of mighty men

The contacts with the flourishing Crete and the advanced Eastern countries made them acquire supplies and new materials and the knowhow for their workshops get acquainted with the latest technological and intellectual advancements

STRICT ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH

The Mycenaean palaces were the focal points of every entrepreneurial activity.

The specialized craftspeople worked within the palaces and under the kings’ orders.

They were the centres of gathering and distributing agricultural products

They were the centres of world trade

SEA FARERS

They travelled to Cyprus, Palestine, Egypt, Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia Spain even to Afghanistan

And up to northern Europe, to Britain and the Baltic countries

TRADING PRODUCTS

T H E Y I M P O R T E D

metals like gold, pewter, electron

ivory

stones

T H E Y E X P O R T E D

olive oil, perfumed oils and wine

timber (especially to Egypt)

manufactured goods like pottery and fabrics

people (mercenaries for slaves)

THE PALACE: AN ECONOMICAL CENTRE

Very well organized system of storing and redistributing of farming produce

The products transported to the palaces were cereals, olive oil, wine, herbs, spices and honey. Sheep wool was also important and of course livestock

The palaces could redistribute further some products acting as intermediaries

THE PALACE AS THE PROTECTOR OF “FINE ARTS”

The workshops are in the palaces and the craftsmen take orders from the rulers and create for them

Kings also provide artists with the materials they need to work on

Artists both make artifacts of everyday use and really refined, luxurious works of art

ART FORMS

Painted murals, frescos

Murals: a manifestation of social status and prestige

We also find frescos in tombs and sanctuaries

Very skilled technicians worked on wet surfaces

POTTERY

Pottery construction went through many different stages and styling that pinpoint, in detail, the period the artifacts come from

A dating method for various historical periods

WORKING ON IVORY

A shield

This art depended totally on the influence of the palace

The palace imported the materials from Egypt or Syria

The artists were called palatial (wanakatero, in their language)

WORKING ON METALS

Another art protected by the palace

Metals were extremely useful for the construction of tools, weapons and other utensils

Precious metals like gold, silver, platinum or niello (an alloy of copper, silver, lead) were used for jewellery and fine artifacts

Gold is referred in Mycenaean texts either by an ideogram or by the word kuruso and the artists are called kurusowoko

WEAVING, FABRIC MAKING

the oldest fabric on greek mainland

On murals we have the depiction of a variety of fabrics regarding their patterns and technique

Very specialized workers on fabrics, basically women (threaders, trimmers, weavers, tanners)

The central rulers undertook and supervised their training

SCULPTURING OF STONES

It was used for house utensils, tools, weapons, knives, razors, pestles and mill stones

They used limestone, basalt, alabaster or quartz. Using precious stones they manufactured magnificent pieces of jewellery and stamps with miniscule detailed engravings.

STAMPS

They were widely used to secure the contents of their trading containers

Stamps were worn as jewellery – talisman along with beads and necklaces or as rings

INTELLECTUAL ACQUISITIONS

a syllabic writing system : Linear B’

The texts found are basically lists necessary for the financial administration and the better organization of commerce and storage of goods

We get from them information concerning the trades of the period, institutions and social ranking

The weights and measurements were symbolized by special signs

They had numbers following the decimal system

HABITATION

CITADEL

They chose to build their cities in fertile areas near water sources and close to sea ports to enable their trade activities

Cities were built in citadels behind strong Cyclopean Walls

In Mycenae the main entrance to the acropolis was in the North West, the Gate of the Lions, which was constructed in 1250 BC and it’s the first sample of monumental sculpture in Europe

The inner part of the acropolis was very well organized having a complicated system of corridors, stairs and ramps that enabled the circulation and at the same its division in various functional zones

The palace was built on the highest point of the citadel. It consisted of the king’s private apartments,

a big court and the guesthouse. His mansion had the room of the throne and a hall before it

Around the palace there were the houses of the superior officials, the priests, the crafts people and the artists. Nearby there were the quarters of the king’s guards

There, one could find also the workshops and the storage rooms with the big amphorae

In the North Eastern side they had constructed an underground water spring to secure water supplies during sieges

Strange enough, within the walls, in the west, there was a burial ground, circle A, and in the south there was the religious centre

The Mycenaean palaces were destroyed almost at the same time at around 1200 BC.

Mycenae, in specific, was destroyed from 1200-1100 BC first by a massive earthquake and then by a fire

Excavations started as early as during the Turkish occupation, but actually it was looted

Mycenae since 1999 is one of the monuments protected by UNESCO.

Material adapted from

“The history of the Greek Nation”, k. Paparigopoulos, 2009

“Golden Mycenae”, Georgios E. Mylonas, 1983