Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsSir Arthur EvansKnossosPalace Economy

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsReview: Sir Arthur EvansKnossosPalace Economy

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsReview: Sir Arthur EvansKnossosPalace Economy

Bronze Age

Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsToday:1. The end of Minoan

civilization: other sites and religion

2. Mycenaean civilization: graves, palaces, writing, and collapse

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsOther sites include-- Palace sites (Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia)-- Towns (Gournia)-- Burial sites

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsOther sites include-- Palace sites (Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia)-- Towns (Gournia)-- Burial sites

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsOther sites include-- Palace sites (Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia)-- Towns (Gournia)-- Burial sites

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsOther sites include-- Palace sites (Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia)-- Towns (Gournia)-- Burial sites

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsOther sites include-- Palace sites (Phaistos, Zakros, Mallia)-- Towns (Gournia)-- Burial sites-- small palaces-- sanctuaries (peak and cave sanctuaries)-- temples

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMinoan religion

Places of worship

Aegean religion

The main purpose of Aegean religion (and very similar to later Greek and Roman religion): to secure the survival of the community

Raises the question of connections

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations • Early Minoan: 3000 – 2000 BC

• Middle Minoan: 2000 – 1550 BC• Late Minoan: 1559 – 1100 BC

Pre-palace Period: 3300-1900 BCOld Palace Period: 1900-1700 BCNew Palace Period: 1700-1450

BCPost-palace Period: 1450-1100 BC

Mycenaean civilization

1. Signs of progress on mainland prior to 1600 BC

2. Minoan influence on the mainland and Minoan collapse

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationThe megaron

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationWriting: Linear B

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationShaft graves (and tholos tombs)

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationThe PalacesMycenaeTirynsPylosThebesCitadel at Gla

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationThe PalacesThe megaron has evolved to become the central focus

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationThe PalacesThe megaron has evolved to become the central focus

Bronze Age: Minoan and Mycenaean civilizationsMycenaean civilizationThe PalacesThe megaron has evolved to become the central focus

The end of Mycenaean civilization

Collapse of the Mycenaean Palaces Indications of trouble: -fortification walls extended and strengthened -fortified gates added, such as the postern gate

at Tiryns -water supplies secured -wall built at the Isthmus of Corinth -fortress at Gla in Boeotia built

The end of Mycenaean civilizationThe Destruction-nearly every Mycenaean site shows that a catastrophic destruction

occurred around 1200 BC-some sites were destroyed, reoccupied and attacked again; others

were destroyed and never reoccupied (e.g. Pylos)-all sites, except Athens, were all ultimately destroyed-this devastation was not limited to Greece:-Hittite Empire collapsed just after 1200 BC due to famine, unrest and

rebellion-Troy was destroyed ca. 1250-1200-Egypt suffered from a series of invaders-Cyprus, parts of Palestine and Syria were also attacked

The end of Mycenaean civilization

C. Reasons for such widespread destruction:-external causes (invasions, migration, raiding)?-internal conditions due to stresses within the

Mycenaean political and economic system?-collapse of mainland palaces must be viewed in

context of entire Mediterranean

The end of Mycenaean civilization

Possible Reasons:- Dorian invasion?- Sea Peoples?- Climate change? - War between Mycenaean kingdoms?- System collapse?- Multiple causation?