mistakes

Question 1

How safe do you think it would have been to have lived in Mycenae? Justify your response. (15)

Answer 1

Candidates might show knowledge and understanding of:
 Mycenae is built on a craggy hill
 two main entrances
 narrow paths surrounded by high walls at entrance
 Cyclopean wall
 walls surround the city and follow natural contours
 existence of sally port and underground cistern
 details about everyday life and tasks such as hunting
Mycenae as safe:
o hill location offers some protection and a good vantage point for defence
o only two entrances made defending the city easier
o narrow paths meant attacks could not charge in in large numbers
o entrances in allowed attackers to bombard invaders with missiles
o Cyclopean walls hard to knock down or get over
o all parts of the city secure thanks to surrounding walls
o sally port could be used for surprise attacks
o underground cistern could help defenders hold out in a siege
o longevity of walls suggest they were effective
o little evidence of siege equipment in Mycenaean warfare so sieges may
have been rare
 Mycenae as unsafe or dangerous:
o town seems rich as shown by artefacts of grave circles and this would
likely attract attacks
o Mycenaean kingdoms were ruled by warlords; weapons and scenes of
warfare on pottery daggers etc suggest a violent society
o evidence from Iliad suggests cities did attack each other (e.g. Nestor’s
tales)