We explain what the Mycenaean civilization was, its history and how it was discovered. In addition, what are its characteristics, architecture and more.
What was the Mycenaean civilization?
Mycenaean civilization was a civilization that developed in Greece between the seventeenth and twelfth centuries a. C.in the era prior to the civilization we know as ancient Greece. He receives the name for the powerful kingdom of Mycenae, who together with the rest of the Achaean kingdoms, managed to control the trade and politics of the Eastern Mediterranean.
For centuries, Modern society considered that Mycenaean civilization was a mythical cultureevoked by the Greeks of classical antiquity. However, in the nineteenth century, Heinrich Schliemann promoted a series of investigations that led to the archaeological discovery of the cities of Troy, Mycenae and the rest of the Achaean cities.
Characteristics of Mycenaean civilization are the legends of the Trojan War, which reached the Greeks of the classical era through myths and legends. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the poet Homer (8th century AD) told these stories and turned mycenaean civilization into a fundamental history of the Greek culture of the ancient world.
See also: Byzantine civilization
Culture of Mycenaean Civilization
The main cultural features of Mycenaean civilization are:
- Founding myth of Mycenae. According to classical Greek mythology, Perseus was a semi -son of Zeus, king of the gods, And Dánae was a deadly daughter of Acrisio, king of Argos. Perseus legitimately became the King of Argos when he killed his grandfather Acrisio by accident. However, Perseus rejected the throne and gave it to his uncle megapers. Instead of reigning on Argos, Perseo decided to found a new city, which he called Micenas.
- Writing. Mycenaean civilization developed a type of writing that historians call Linear b. On clay tablets they recorded the production and exchanges that were made from the palaces.
- Architecture. Mycenaean architecture was characterized by the fortification of urban centers. There was usually an acropolis, that is, an elevated part of the city that facilitated its defense. The palaces that were organized around a set of courtyards are also characteristic of this culture. The palaces were administrative centers that included, in addition to stores and workshops, a central hall where the throne was located.
- The Trojan War. The Trojan War was a war conflict between the peoples of the Greek Peninsula and the inhabitants of Troy, a city of Asia Minor. For centuries, modern civilization considered this fact as a myth. However, with the discovery of Mycenae, it was found that there was not only a warlike conflict between Greeks and Trojans, but a series of Greek expeditions towards Troy during the bronze age, between the twelfth and twelfth centuries. C. The Trojan War was narrated in the poems the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer, a poet who lived in the seventh century BC. C.
Geographic and temporary location of Mycenaean Civilization
Towards 1600 a. C., The Achaeans (a people of Indo -European origin) migrated to the Eastern Mediterranean region and settled in the Peloponnese Peninsula. Over time, they expanded in the region and began to dispute the commercial supremacy led by the Cretan kingdoms.
The kingdom of Micenas imposed itself as the most powerful among the Achaean peoples. Towards 1450 a. C., conquered Crete and seized the Palace of Cnostos, its main urban center.
For almost 200 years the Mycenaean civilization controlled the Eastern Mediterranean. In the mid -thirteenth century a. C., some Mycenaean kingdoms allied to conquer the city of Troy, which controlled the passage of the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, fundamental in the commercial network of the time.
However, A crisis disturbed the power of those in the region and led to the depopulation of several regions of Greece. Some historians believe that it was due to the entrance of the Dorio peoples and their military superiority (they possessed iron weapons). Others consider that disputes between the different Achaean kingdoms led to the weakening of their power.
Mycin political organization
Mycenaean civilization I was divided into a series of allied kingdoms But independent. The most important Mycenaean kingdoms were Mycenae, Tirinto, Orcomena and Pilos.
These kingdoms They were led by a warrior aristocracy and a set of officials. Wanax (King) was the most important authority of each kingdom and concentrated political, military and economic power. Was seconded by a military chief, known as Lawagetas And a military troop, called Eqetai. Next in the political hierarchy were the Teletai, that fulfilled administrative and military functions of lower rank.
Micianic civilization economy
The basis of the Mycenaean Economy It was organized around agriculture, livestock, crafts and trade. Production was made by free men, and the Palaciego group took care of registering and supervising, through its officials, all activities of the economic system.
The peasant population was dedicated to agriculture, mainly of cereals, olive trees and vineyards and the livestock of sheep and goats. Around the palaces the artisanal work was organizedwhich included textile and metallurgical production.
Mycenaean religion
Mycenaean religion He was polytheistic, that is, they believed in several gods. The representations of their gods were anthropomorphic: they resembled human beings and shared habits and behaviors.
While the Mycenaean pantheon is not known exactly, many gods that belonged to the posterior classical Greek culture were taken from this culture. According to mythology, Zeus reigned the divine pantheon from the summit of Mount Olympus. Each divinity represented a characteristic or attribute:
- Hermes: Olympus messenger
- Ares: God of war
- Athena: Goddess of war and the arts
- Dionisio: God of wine and pleasures
- Sagebrush: Goddess of Nature
Mycenaean society
Society was differentiated by their wealth and access to power.
At the cusp of the social scale it was he Wanax (King) with his court of officialslike the Lawagetasand the religious priests, called Teletai. These positions were occupied by an aristocracy that lived in the cities and was maintained through the taxes and commercial activity of the kingdom.
The rest of the citizens constituted the We give (town). Farmers had to respond to the authority of the Basileisthat were the leaders of the villages. In order to access the possession of the land, the peasants had to perform tasks to their order. In addition, there were artisans who worked for the palaces and the royal court. They stood out especially in the production of weapons and decorative objects.
Finally, There were slaves, which were not considered as part of the We give. They were prisoners of war and their descendants, and had no rights.
Mycenae’s discovery
Heinrich Schliemann was a Prussian millionaire interested in ancient history and archeology. Attracted by the history of the Trojan War, In 1870 he conducted research that led to the ruins of the city of Troythat until that moment the scientific community considered a myth.
Once the real existence of Troy, Schliemann continued his investigations in Greek territory To find Mycenae, the city where the expedition had originated to Troy.
In 1874 he made discoveries that confirmed the existence of a culture after the Minoic Apogeo and prior to the so -called dark age. For having been discovered in the city of Micenas, the culture was called Mycenaean.
Continue with: Greek civilization
References
- Pomeroy, S., Burstein, SM, Donlan, W., & Tolbert, J. (2003). The primitive Greece and the age of anger. Ancient Greece. Critical Editorial
- Fernández Nieto, FJ (2005). Prehellenic civilizations and the Mycenaean world. Ancient History of Greece and Rome. Tirant lo Blanch.
