Mycenaean Civilization: what was it and what were its characteristics?

The one rich in Gold, that's what they call her in Homer's texts. And after the decline of Crete, the Mycenaean civilization emerged as the most important culture in the Mainland Greece, which soon extended its rule to the Aegean islands thanks to its enormous commercial and warrior.

We know little about the Mycenaean civilization. Before the excavations that were carried out in the area in the 19th century, only what the Homeric epic told about it, closely linked, of course, to mythology and legends. Who were, really, the Mycenaeans or Achaeans? What are the characteristics of your refined civilization? In this article, we invite you to take a journey through one of the most relevant cultures of archaic Greece.

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The Mycenaean civilization, between reality and legend

The songs attributed to Homer, the Iliad and the Odyssey, were composed some centuries after the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, as they correspond to the 9th century BC. c

. At that time, continental Greece was beginning to emerge from the so-called dark period, a time between the fall of Mycenae and the rise of other city-states, such as Athens or Sparta.

During those dark years the writing is lost and, therefore, we know little or nothing about what happened. Why did a civilization as important and refined as the Mycenaean disappear from history? What caused its collapse and that of the rest of the cultures of continental and insular Greece? Is it true that the invasion of the so-called sea people was responsible for its end?

After the long centuries of silence, the voice of the bard Homer emerges, singing the stories of Agamemnon, the legendary Mycenaean king who came to Troy to support Menelaus, the monarch mocked by Paris and his wife Helena. But, To what extent can we take the Iliad as a historical fact?

In the first Renaissance the idea of ​​searching in contemporary Greece for some vestige of what the Homeric poems sang of began to emerge. A little later, around the year 1700, the engineer Francesco Vandeyk discovered the Lion's Gate, which allows us to locate, for the first time since ancient times, the location of the citadel.

However, it would not be until the 19th century, especially with the research impetus of Heinrich Schliemann. (1822-1890), which will begin to conscientiously trace the vestiges of the ancient civilization. The German's disputed archaeological methods (which, apparently, included explosives that destroyed strata of the city) have caused a lot of talk, but the truth is that, since his arrival in the area, interest in Mycenae grew considerably, which allowed intense archaeological activity to develop after his death. Today, we know much more about this fascinating civilization, which is beginning to take shape as the last great civilization of preclassical Greece..

The rich in Gold: the commercial boom of Mycenae

During the second millennium BC. C., the citadel of Mycenae, located in a strategic location in the south of the Peloponnese, acquires true relevance in the Greek cultural panorama. The city's cultural and commercial influence not only extends north towards the rest of mainland Greece, but also across the Aegean islands. Around the year 1300 BC. C., Mycenae enjoys undisputed preponderance in the eastern Mediterranean.

Some years before, around 1450 BC. C., another of the great civilizations of the Aegean had collapsed: the Minoan civilization. Located in Crete, it takes its name from the legendary King Minos who, supposedly and according to myth, ruled the island in ancient times. The Minoan culture had a refinement unparalleled among the peoples that surrounded it.

It was famous for its ceramics, the sophistication of its palaces and the exquisiteness of its frescoes, jewelry and everyday objects, which the vestiges found in Knossos can still attest to. It was precisely from this extraordinary culture that Mycenae took its sophistication; The evident influence that the Minoan culture had on the Mycenaean culture can be seen in the frescoes of the palace of Mycenae, directly inspired by Cretan paintings.

Rich funeral complexes

The origins of Mycenae are unclear. Legend attributes the founding of the city to Perseus, the Greek hero, but the reality is more prosaic. The area was inhabited long before the Bronze period, and the period known as the protopalatial era (around 1650 BC). C.) date the collective tombs found in the so-called circle A. These primitive burials are simple holes in the ground, in which several corpses were located. accompanied by the necessary funerary trousseau, which became more complicated as Mycenae gained importance and wealth.

From the palatial period (14th century BC). C.) date back to the first tholoi (the plural for tholos), much more complex burial mounds. The reason why, after the last tomb in circle A, they begin to be built in a immediate these funerary manifestations, although it is believed that the aristocratic elite had a lot to do with with that. The tholoi were much more sumptuous and laborious (it is estimated that, to excavate one of them, the workers took at least a year), which resulted in the ostentation of the wealth of their sponsors.

But what is a tholos? These are excavations that took advantage of uneven terrain, where a corridor was located that linked the entrance to the funerary chamber (thalamos), in which the bodies of the deceased were located. This chamber was covered by a false dome which, in turn, was covered with earth to reinforce its resistance.

In the city of Mycenae, no less than nine tholoi have been found, some of them frankly impressive.. Due to Homeric influence, the names of these funerary monuments take the names of characters mythological: Clytemnestra, Aegisthus or Agamemnon, the legendary king of Mycenae who went to the war of Troy. It is precisely this last tholos (also known as The Tomb of Atreus, the father of Agamemnon) one of the best preserved. It was erected around the year 1300 BC. C., and its privileged position (at the entrance to the city) made it easy for it to be looted on multiple occasions over the centuries.

Although hardly any remains of funerary goods have been found in the tholos of Agamemnon or Atreus (precisely due to the assaults of the tomb), in other burial areas in the area archaeologists have made truly exceptional discoveries. For example, in the aforementioned circle A (where the “simple” tombs excavated in the earth are found) was where Schliemann found the famous mask of Agamemnon, a magnificent funerary mask of embossed gold leaf that was found on the face of the deceased, whose identity the German archaeologist identified with the monarch of the Iliad. In other tombs, jewelry and utensils were found, also made of gold, such as the beautiful Cup of Nestor. All of this attests to the great wealth that the Mycenaean elites possessed in the splendor stage of civilization..

Palaces and temples

The grandiose palace of Mycenae, the center of administration and royal power, was built within the walls, in a privileged place, next to the centers of worship. It is estimated that its construction began around 1400 BC. C., after making a complicated retaining wall on which to build the artificial terrace that would serve as the base of the palace complex. A colossal work, as we can see.

Only a true power could take charge of such a building. The palace of Mycenae had a complex structure of rooms, patios and corridors, in which the megaron, a network of rooms that are structured around the throne room, where the monarch received visitors illustrious. Although little remains of this important room, experts believe that it must have been impressive, decorated with beautiful frescoes and supported by thick columns. In the center a fireplace measuring 3.5 meters in diameter was burning, so it is believed that the space had a smoke outlet.

One of the best preserved Mycenaean frescoes is the one found in the main temple, precisely in the so-called Fresco Room. In the space, located at the bottom of the building, a bathtub has been found, which probably had a ritual use. In the fresco on the wall we can see three women carrying offerings; The Minoan influence is evident both in the technique and in the costumes worn by those represented.

On the fresh stucco, the artist drew the contours with thick black lines, and then filled the spaces with bright colors. As in the frescoes of the Minoan culture, the skin of women was painted white, while a reddish tone was used for men. This aesthetic distinction between sexes is inevitably reminiscent of Egyptian paintings, where women were always represented with much lighter skin than men.

Votive statuettes of anthropomorphic idols were found in an upper room of the temple, giving a clue to the beliefs practiced by the ancient Mycenaeans. However, unfortunately, we can know little more. It is known, from the preserved frescoes, that votive processions were frequent, as well as offerings and sacrifices to the gods. Some of these divinities are unknown to us, but others remained in the classical Greek period, such as Poseidon, the god of the sea (very important in a civilization dedicated to commerce) and Zeus, the father of the gods.

But, nevertheless, the most important fragment of the Mycenae complex is, without a doubt, the famous Lion Gate, built around 1250 BC. c. as a consequence of the expansion of the wall. These works attest to the importance that, in the 13th century BC. C., had the city of Mycenae, since the walled perimeter was considerably expanded.

The Lion Gate is named after the rampant lions that stand majestically on the lintel. Between their claws they shelter a column, which experts have interpreted as the symbol of Mycenaean power, a fact that testifies to the antiquity of the symbology of the lion as guardian and protector. The debate about the sex of animals is curious, since their heads have not been preserved (those can be seen today are later), which opens the discussion of whether they are lions or lionesses.

Around the year 1200 BC. c. a series of fires occur, the origin of which is unknown, which coincide with the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization. Is this, in fact, an invasion? After the collapse of Mycenae, the Dark Ages arrived, which lasted for several centuries, until Homer gave his voice to the Mycenaean epic.