Mycenaean_Greece2009

Historians regard Mycenaean civilization as the first authentically “Greek” state. The Mycenaeans began a line of civilizations that can be traced forward to classical Greece—and present-day Greece, for that matter. Mycenae, unlike Minoan civilization, existed on the Greek mainland. The Mycenaeans spoke an early version of the Greek language. They were as Greek as was it was possible to be between 1600 and 1100 B.C.—the period during which Mycenaean culture flourished.

Greek writing: The Mycenaeans wrote an early version of the Greek script, called Linear B. This script was difficult to master, and its complexity impeded literacy rates. Several hundred years after the fall of Mycenae, the Greeks adopted a simpler script based on the Phoenician alphabet. The new alphabet enabled the Greeks to spell any word in their language with a combination of 24 letters. Literacy in ancient Greece increased rapidly after the new script was adopted.

Mycenae is also a relatively recent addition to the history books. It was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann, an amateur German archaeologist, in 1870. He named the civilization after Mycenae, one of the cities of this ancient culture. Other Mycenaean cities include Tiryns, Pylos, and Orchomenos. All were located in southern Greece.

Mycenae was more of a loose federation than a single nation. Each Mycenaean city had a king, called a wanax. Below the wanax was a complex social hierarchy of generals, priest, bureaucrats, common soldiers, artisans, farmers, and slaves. These monarchs often cooperated with each other, but there is also some evidence of fighting between the wanaxes.

The Mycenaeans did not make good neighbors. Their society was based on regimented warrior cult; and they frequently engaged in military conquests. The Mycenaeans were willing to take to the sea in search of new places to conquer and pillage. They are believed to be responsible for a number of violent conquests throughout the Aegean Sea, including the aforementioned Minoans.

Of course, you can’t conquer everyone. The Mycenaeans were often conquerors, but they sometimes engaged in peaceful trade. They had commercial relationships with peoples as far away as Egypt, Sicily, and Syria. The Mycenaeans ultimately proved the old adage “He who lives by the sword, perishes by the sword.” Their downfall around 1100 B.C. has been attributed to invasions by other Greek-speaking peoples from northern Greece.



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	Mycenaean Greece Historians regard Mycenaean civilization as the first authentically “Greek” state. The Mycenaeans began a line of civilizations that can be traced forward to classical Greece—and present-day Greece, for that matter. Mycenae, unlike Minoan civilization, existed on the Greek mainland. The Mycenaeans spoke an early version of the Greek language. They were as Greek as was it was possible to be between 1600 and 1100 B.C.—the period during which Mycenaean culture flourished. Greek writing: The Mycenaeans wrote an early version of the Greek script, called Linear B. This script was difficult to master, and its complexity impeded literacy rates. Several hundred years after the fall of Mycenae, the Greeks adopted a simpler script based on the Phoenician alphabet. The new alphabet enabled the Greeks to spell any word in their language with a combination of 24 letters. Literacy in ancient Greece increased rapidly after the new script was adopted. Mycenae is also a relatively recent addition to the history books. It was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann, an amateur German archaeologist, in 1870. He named the civilization after Mycenae, one of the cities of this ancient culture. Other Mycenaean cities include Tiryns, Pylos, and Orchomenos. All were located in southern Greece. Mycenae was more of a loose federation than a single nation. Each Mycenaean city had a king, called a wanax. Below the wanax was a complex social hierarchy of generals, priest, bureaucrats, common soldiers, artisans, farmers, and slaves. These monarchs often cooperated with each other, but there is also some evidence of fighting between the wanaxes. The Mycenaeans did not make good neighbors. Their society was based on regimented warrior cult; and they frequently engaged in military conquests. The Mycenaeans were willing to take to the sea in search of new places to conquer and pillage. They are believed to be responsible for a number of violent conquests throughout the Aegean Sea, including the aforementioned Minoans. Of course, you can’t conquer everyone. The Mycenaeans were often conquerors, but they sometimes engaged in peaceful trade. They had commercial relationships with peoples as far away as Egypt, Sicily, and Syria. The Mycenaeans ultimately proved the old adage “He who lives by the sword, perishes by the sword.” Their downfall around 1100 B.C. has been attributed to invasions by other Greek-speaking peoples from northern Greece.