Download - Golden mycenae, Greece
MYCENAEAN C
ENTRES
Pylos
, Tyr
inth
a, T
hebes
, Gla
, Orh
omen
os,
Iolk
os a
nd of c
ours
e m
ighty
Myc
enae
MYCENAE REACHED THE PEAK OF ITS GLORY IN 1350 BC
The citadel and the lower town had 30.000 inhabitants and covered a space of 32 hectares
SUCCESSFUL MERCANTILE ENDEAVOURS
The leadership of mighty men
The contacts with the flourishing Crete and the advanced Eastern countries made them acquire supplies and new materials and the knowhow for their workshops get acquainted with the latest technological and intellectual advancements
STRICT ACCUMULATION OF WEALTH
The Mycenaean palaces were the focal points of every entrepreneurial activity.
The specialized craftspeople worked within the palaces and under the kings’ orders.
They were the centres of gathering and distributing agricultural products
They were the centres of world trade
SEA FARERS
They travelled to Cyprus, Palestine, Egypt, Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia Spain even to Afghanistan
And up to northern Europe, to Britain and the Baltic countries
TRADING PRODUCTS
T H E Y I M P O R T E D
metals like gold, pewter, electron
ivory
stones
T H E Y E X P O R T E D
olive oil, perfumed oils and wine
timber (especially to Egypt)
manufactured goods like pottery and fabrics
people (mercenaries for slaves)
THE PALACE: AN ECONOMICAL CENTRE
Very well organized system of storing and redistributing of farming produce
The products transported to the palaces were cereals, olive oil, wine, herbs, spices and honey. Sheep wool was also important and of course livestock
The palaces could redistribute further some products acting as intermediaries
THE PALACE AS THE PROTECTOR OF “FINE ARTS”
The workshops are in the palaces and the craftsmen take orders from the rulers and create for them
Kings also provide artists with the materials they need to work on
Artists both make artifacts of everyday use and really refined, luxurious works of art
Murals: a manifestation of social status and prestige
We also find frescos in tombs and sanctuaries
Very skilled technicians worked on wet surfaces
Pottery construction went through many different stages and styling that pinpoint, in detail, the period the artifacts come from
A dating method for various historical periods
This art depended totally on the influence of the palace
The palace imported the materials from Egypt or Syria
The artists were called palatial (wanakatero, in their language)
Another art protected by the palace
Metals were extremely useful for the construction of tools, weapons and other utensils
Precious metals like gold, silver, platinum or niello (an alloy of copper, silver, lead) were used for jewellery and fine artifacts
Gold is referred in Mycenaean texts either by an ideogram or by the word kuruso and the artists are called kurusowoko
On murals we have the depiction of a variety of fabrics regarding their patterns and technique
Very specialized workers on fabrics, basically women (threaders, trimmers, weavers, tanners)
The central rulers undertook and supervised their training
It was used for house utensils, tools, weapons, knives, razors, pestles and mill stones
They used limestone, basalt, alabaster or quartz. Using precious stones they manufactured magnificent pieces of jewellery and stamps with miniscule detailed engravings.
They were widely used to secure the contents of their trading containers
Stamps were worn as jewellery – talisman along with beads and necklaces or as rings
INTELLECTUAL ACQUISITIONS
a syllabic writing system : Linear B’
The texts found are basically lists necessary for the financial administration and the better organization of commerce and storage of goods
We get from them information concerning the trades of the period, institutions and social ranking
The weights and measurements were symbolized by special signs
They had numbers following the decimal system
CITADEL
They chose to build their cities in fertile areas near water sources and close to sea ports to enable their trade activities
Cities were built in citadels behind strong Cyclopean Walls
In Mycenae the main entrance to the acropolis was in the North West, the Gate of the Lions, which was constructed in 1250 BC and it’s the first sample of monumental sculpture in Europe
The inner part of the acropolis was very well organized having a complicated system of corridors, stairs and ramps that enabled the circulation and at the same its division in various functional zones
The palace was built on the highest point of the citadel. It consisted of the king’s private apartments,
a big court and the guesthouse. His mansion had the room of the throne and a hall before it
Around the palace there were the houses of the superior officials, the priests, the crafts people and the artists. Nearby there were the quarters of the king’s guards
There, one could find also the workshops and the storage rooms with the big amphorae
In the North Eastern side they had constructed an underground water spring to secure water supplies during sieges
Strange enough, within the walls, in the west, there was a burial ground, circle A, and in the south there was the religious centre
The Mycenaean palaces were destroyed almost at the same time at around 1200 BC.
Mycenae, in specific, was destroyed from 1200-1100 BC first by a massive earthquake and then by a fire
Excavations started as early as during the Turkish occupation, but actually it was looted
Mycenae since 1999 is one of the monuments protected by UNESCO.