Transcript Minoans and Mycenaeans of Ancient Greece

Minoans and Mycenaeans of
Ancient Greece
A Land Called Hellas
 Peninsula and series of island in
the Aegean Sea
 Rocky, mountainous peninsula
with little natural running water
 Cyclades – Greek islands in the
Aegean
 Crete – largest island in the
Aegean
 Geographical fragmentation led to
political fragmentation
 Communication weak b/c of rough
travel between settlements
First Peoples of Greece
 Neolithic villages and farming sites on Crete and mainland –
but did not establish contact with each until 2000 B.C.E.
 Adoption of metallurgy increased prosperity – bronze tools
and weapons
 Central location of Crete allowed for trade and contact with
other civilizations – development of Aegean economy
 Center of Mediterranean trade
 These factors led to the rise of Minoan culture on Crete
The Minoans
 The name “Minoan” comes from the mythical King Minos (of
Minotaur fame…)
 Understanding of Minoan culture is limited b/c their literature
has not been deciphered – Linear A
 Instead, we examine the art and archeology!
 Minoan culture centered around the palace – political and
economic center of society
 Ex: Palace at Knossos
 Ruled by a king and his nobles
 Farmers, shepherds, artisans, merchants
 Slaves
The Minoan Frescoes
 Most prevalent form of Minoan
art
 Depict a variety of scenes…
 Women and men leading
religious activities
 Entertainment (i.e. bull
jumping)
 Sea life and natural world
 People hunting, in court, daily
activities
 Crete was possibly more
egalitarian than other ancient
cultures
Here come the Mycenaeans!
 Arrival of Greek speaking peoples around 2000 B.C.E.
 Three main groups – all considered themselves Greek
 Aeolians – Thessaly and Boetia
 Ionians – Attica and Euboea
 Dorians – Argos and Laconia (Sparta)
 Founded powerful kingdom at Mycenae – became the
Mycenaeans
 Also founded kingdoms at Thebes, Athens, and other sites
 Center of economic and
political life was the king and
palace
 Extensive division of labor
controlled by the palace
 Written language known as
Linear B
 Used to record economic
activity
 Recorded offerings to familiar
deities – Zeus, Apollo, Athena
 Linear B deciphered in 1950s
 Study of Linear B tablets
shows that Greeks brought
their religion and deities with
them when they migrated to
Greece
Mycenaeans vs. Minoans
 Contact between the two groups initially peaceful
 1450 B.C.E. Mycenaeans attacked Crete
 Destroyed many palaces – including Knossos
 Mycenaneans benefitted from the collapse of the Minoans
 Access to more Mediterranean trade – more money!
 Imported luxury goods
 Mycenaean ceramics widely distributed across Mediterranean
 Mycenaeans adopted many aspects of Minoan culture (ex:
Frescoes)
 Frescoes suggest more militaristic society – lots of warriors and
hunters
Fall of the Mycenaeans and Dark
Age Greece
 Between 1300 and 1000 B.C.E. Mycenaeans experienced attacks
from outside invaders – Sea Peoples or Dorians?
 Discord between kingdoms led to weak defense
 Part of larger collapse of societies at end of Bronze Age
 Fall of Mycenaeans ushered in Dark Age, 1100-800 B.C.E.
 Society was localized, poor, illiterate
 Widespread depopulation and migration
 Greek people spread to outlying parts of Greece, Asia Minor, and
Cyclades
 However, the Greek people and culture survived when other
empires collapsed
 Greek religious cults and small scale social organization
Ways of Interpreting Myth
 As a belief system
 As disguised history
 As disguised philosophy or
allegory
 As fables illustrating moral
truths
 As allegories of natural events
 As pre-scientific explanation
 As charters for customs,
institutions, or beliefs
 As religious power, or
metaphors for the unknown
 As expressions of religious
rituals
 As examples of psychological
archetypes
 As stories
 As embodying irreconcilable
structural conflicts in social
systems