HISB10H3 Lecture 3: September 18
Early Greece and the Bronze Age: The Site of Mycenae
Grave Circle A
• Older than the citadel
• 6 shaft graves, all but one with multiple burials
• 19 burials
o 9 men
o 8 women
o 2 children
Cistern
• Extends from the citadel north underground beyond the wall
• Staircase covered with corbelled ceiling
• Zigzags left, then right with landings at changes
• Descends 18 metres
• Ends in a rectangular shaft supplied with spring water by clay conduits
• Explains why citadel walls were extended so far northeast
The Palace
• Occupied since EH (3rd millennium)
• Preserved from dates to LH IIIB (13th century)
• Megaron fronted by a large court
The Palace Megaron
• Components of megaron:
o Porch (entrance portico) with 2 columns
o Vestibule (prodromos, forehall or antechamber)
o Main hall (dromos)
• Dromos has a large circular hearth surrounded by 4 columns
• Throne would have stood in middle of south side (collapsed down hillside)
• Megaron destroyed by fire in 13th century, rebuilt more modestly in 12th century
The Cult Center
• Place of worship
The Cult Center Temple
• Built after the megaron
• Main room (18) has a central hearth and stepped platforms along back wall
• A staircase led to Room 19, where ritual objects including clay figures of humans and
snakes had been stored, perhaps following an earthquake
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• The doorway was blocked and plastered over before its destruction in LH IIIB2 (late 13th
century), ritually sealing the cache
The Cult Centre Fresco
• Largest in site Mycenaean fresco
• Fresco gives an architectural frame for the altar in front
• Upper register:
o Open doorway on left
o Cloaked woman holding a sword point downward
o floatig sall aked ale figures
o Woman in Minoan dress holding a staff
• Lower register:
o Woman holding sheaves of wheat (in Mistress of Animals pose?)
▪ Patnia of Grains?
o Behind her is a griffin
o Altar with Horns of Consecration
Minoan and Mycenaean Pottery
• Minoan Kamares ware jug
• Minoan-inspired Mycenaean marine style askos (flask) with two swimming octopi c.
1500-1450 BC (ROM 2009.81.1)
• Mycenaean stirrup jar from Cyprus, c.1130-1090 BC (ROM 2005.18.1)
Early Greece and the Bronze Age: Mycenaean Society
Aegean Bronze Age Writing
• Liear B talets foud at Meaea ad Mioa palaes
• An early form of Greek language
o Not related to Greek alphabet
• Syllabic script with ideograms and numbers
• Developed from the unreadable Linear A script used for the unknown Minoan language
• Deciphered by Michael Ventris in the early 1950s, and he also came up with 2
hypothesis:
o Linear B was Greek
o Instead of it being alphabetic, everything was ideographic (picture words) and
syllabic (represents sound)
Linear B Tablets
• Linear B tablets from Mycenaean-ruled Knossos
• Numbering system:
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o Circles: hundreds
o Horizontal lines: tens
o Vertical lines: units
Mycenaean Administration
• Wanax: King
o A warrior king who led his army in battle
• Lawagetas: Leader of the people (or army?)
• Qasireu: Village Chieftain
o This word became basileus, the later Greek ord for Kig
• Damos: Village
o This word became demos, the later Greek ord for the people
• Linear B tablets from Pylos show the organization of that Mycenaean kingdom
• Pylos was divided into 2 provinces on either side of the Aigaleon Mountains:
o Hither Proie
o Further Proie
• Each province included towns and villages, and Further Province had its own subsidiary
capital
Mycenaean Warriors
• Paprus fro Aara i Egpt shoig Meaeas, soe ith oars’ tusk helets
• Broze plate aror ad oar’s-tusk helmet from Dendra in Argolis (c. 1400 BC).
Nauplion, Museum
• Swords, spear (head and butt) and greaves from Kallithea
• Vase from the 13th century Mycenae, showing a line of ordinary soldiers on the march,
armed with helmets, shields, and long spears, and a mourning woman who watches
their departure. Athens, National Archaeological Museum
The Dark Age of Greece and the Eighth Century Renaissance: Decline and Recovery (c.
1200-900 BC)
Decline, Continuity, and Recovery
• In the two centuries after 1200 BC and all over the Greek world, towns and villages were
left abandoned, as the inhabitants died or wandered away from the settlements
• By 1050 BC, the population may have been as little as 30% of what it had been in 1200
• Nevertheless, some elements of Mycenaean civilizatio suried ito this Dark Age
• Iron working and pottery making (in the Protogeometric and Geometric periods)
continued
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Document Summary
Early greece and the bronze age: the site of mycenae. Grave circle a: older than the citadel, 6 shaft graves, all but one with multiple burials, 19 burials, 9 men, 8 women, 2 children. The palace: occupied since eh (3rd millennium, preserved from dates to lh iiib (13th century, megaron fronted by a large court. Minoan and mycenaean pottery: minoan kamares ware jug, minoan-inspired mycenaean marine style askos (flask) with two swimming octopi c. 1500-1450 bc (rom 2009. 81. 1: mycenaean stirrup jar from cyprus, c. 1130-1090 bc (rom 2005. 18. 1) Early greece and the bronze age: mycenaean society. Instead of it being alphabetic, everything was ideographic (picture words) and syllabic (represents sound) Linear b tablets: linear b tablets from mycenaean-ruled knossos, numbering system, circles: hundreds, horizontal lines: tens, vertical lines: units. Mycenaean warriors: pap(cid:455)rus fro(cid:373) a(cid:373)ar(cid:374)a i(cid:374) eg(cid:455)pt sho(cid:449)i(cid:374)g m(cid:455)(cid:272)e(cid:374)aea(cid:374)s, so(cid:373)e (cid:449)ith (cid:271)oars" tusk hel(cid:373)ets, bro(cid:374)ze plate ar(cid:373)or a(cid:374)d (cid:271)oar"s-tusk helmet from dendra in argolis (c. 1400 bc).
