MYCENAE Flashcards
Why was Mycenae a good place to build a city?
Situated on a hill – good for defence
Surrounded by ravines – makes it almost impossible to attack
Plains on three sides – good for farming
Spring which supplied water 400 metres away – drinking, agriculture
Near sea – good for trade
Hills north and south of the citadel
Family tree of how Tiryns and Mycenae was found?
there are 2 brothers Proitos and Acrisius. Proitos founded Tiryns (the birthplace of Heracles)
Acrisius’ daughter, Danae slept with zeus and had a son Perseus, who founded Mycenae
what are the main features of Mycenae?
- 40- 50 metres above plains (on a hill
- Surrounded by hills
- ground artificially levelled
- Cyclopean walls made out of limestone (900 m long, 12 m high, 5.5 – 7.5 m thick)
- Lion Gate
- Sally Ports
- Corbelling (North and south)
- Cistern (water tank)
- Graves
what are the main features of Troy?
- high walls around 7 metres high VI
- towers VI
- wealth VI
- 10,000 population VI
- Partial human remain found Viia
- Fire Viia
- Storage jars Via
what are the main features of Tiryns?
- built on a hill, 18 metres above land
- Citadel 400 m long and between 45-100 m wide
- gates were 7-10 m wide and ‘Cyclopean’
- Corbelled galleries
- megarons and rooms around it
- cyclopean ramp
when is the lion hunt dagger from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 16th Century BC
Location: Grave Circle IV, Grave Circle A, Mycenae
Material: Gold, Silver, Niello (appears black made of silver, sulphur, copper, lead) – the dagger itself is bronze
Techniques: inlay
Significance: shows use of weapons and armour, evidence of trade and hunting
when is the fresco of a Mycenaean lady holding a necklace from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 13th Century BC
Location: House of the Chief Priest, Mycenae
Significance: fresco colours and styles of female clothing hand hairstyle, jewellery
What it shows: although she is dressed as an ordinary Mycenaean woman, many believe that the necklace could’ve been a gift, and therefore she is a goddess/priestess. She’s in a linen/silk/woolen short sleeved blouse, elaborate thin robe, intricate hair, jewellery, shows she’s wealthy.
when is the fresco of a Mycenaean warrior vase from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 13th Century BC
Location: House of the Warrior, Mycenae
Material: Clay
Original purpose: Krater
Significance: weaponry and armour of Mycenean soldiers
when is the death mask of Agamemnon from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 16th Century BC
Location: Grave Circle V, Grave Circle A, Mycenae
Material: sheets of gold
Techniques: hammering, repoussé
Original purpose: death mask (image-face of the deceased)
Significance: shows techniques in metalworking and burial customs
when is the Gold Rhyton (bear) from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 16th Century BC
Location: Grave IV, Grave Circle A, Mycenae
Material: sheets of gold
Techniques: hammering, granulation, repoussé
Original purpose: container for pouring wine
Significance: shows techniques in metalworking
when is the Gold pyxis from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 16th Century BC
Location: Shaft Grave V, Grave circle A, Mycenae
Material: wood and gold
Images: lions chasing animals, heads of cattle, spirals
Techniques: repoussé, filigree
Original purpose/Function: to hold cosmetics or jewelerry
Significance: shows technique in metal working
when is the Linear B tablet showing the word ‘tripod’ in syllabic and ideogram forms (number 641) from? where is it from? what is it made out of? what techniques? what is its significance?
Date: 13th Century BC
Location: Archive room, Palace of Pylos
Material: clay
Techniques:
Original purpose:
Significance: shows various syllables and ideograms, including the word for tripod
What it shows: shows ideograms for tripod and goblet, mentions wine – celebration?/meal?/ sacrifice?/ceremony?
What does the dagger blade showing a hunting scene show us?
expensive materials show that the owner is extremely wealthy
Level of detail, precision, and workmanship also indicate wealth
Suggests the owner hunts himself – indicating he had free time, and leisure showing his wealth
The image shows people hunting lions, which weren’t used for meat but for hide – glory, status symbol, had to have the resources necessary, high risk, coming of age (hunting was a proof of manhood)
Buried with the person itself, showing they were wealthy enough to have it sit underground
Materials imported from near east (Turkey, Lydia), indicating that there was a ‘king’ in charge of trade
Why was hunting so important?
High risk and unnecessary and required resources which shows that people who went hunting, had time, leisure, money to do so
It was a status symbol
Showed glory, power, strength
Hide
Coming of age (e.g., Odysseus book 19 scar ekphrasis)
What does the dagger blade showing a hunting scene tell us about trade?
Gold imported from Lydia (region)
Dagger itself was made of bronze which can be made with copper and tin which had to be imported from different places (copper from Cyprus, tin from near East such as Iran)
Trade links (not just a bubble)
Shows how connected Mycenae was , a hub, in the middle of all trade links
Ornamental
Silver, niello on the dagger as well
How was hunting useful in general?
Food supply (Greece was mountainous and any flat land was used for crops)
Raw materials (animal hides used as leather for armour/ early shield coverings)
Status (frescoes and rings show the wealthy went hunting and was a status symbol as it showed them on hunting expeditions)
Rite of passage
What does the Mycenaean warrior vase tell us about warriors in 13th century BC Mycenae and development since the Mycenaean era?
They had developed weaponry such as armour, shields, helmets, spears
Shows it was an important part of society as they appeared on vases
There are tusks on the helmet but not entire boar tusks as there were previously
Overtime shields became smaller
Sack attached to their spears contain food which suggest a long journey expedition (war?), women are also waving them off
Matching kit indicates an army set up by the palace
Some scholars believe that this piece might belong to a later era as they have smaller rounder shields which belong more the the 8th cent. BC rather than 13th cent BC
where is the central hearth from?
Central hearth and two holes where there would’ve been pillars
Hearth from the megaron in Pylos
what can you say about trade in Mycenae?
Lots of copper and tin ‘ingot’ trade
Copper + tin = bronze (9:1 but copper was rarer)
Used for items and decorative items
Greece was in the middle of trade routes – explains partly why Mycenaeans were so wealthy, essential for M’s growth and survival as they didn’t have a plentiful supply of mineral resources and metals.
- evidence of trade form Linear B tablets and shipwreck
Suggested that merchants would island hop to drop off supplies
Items exchanged in a ‘Bartering’ system (trade, no money)
Bathroom in the Megaron (xenia) for incoming visitors/guests
Export of olive oil (possibly scented), pottery, mixing bowls for wine
Mycenaeans got amber, gold, ivory, Lapis Lazuli, silver, copper etc. form Denmark through to Afghanistan.
tell me about development in armour and weapons
- figure of 8 shields and tower shields were gradually being replaced by rounder shields
- older shields were usually made up of 8 layers of leather, and one of bronze
- helmets also changed a lot – made up of leather caps and boar tusks (10 boars needed for one helmet) , others were made of animal skin, throat straps, hair plumes
- spears and words also became shorter over time in Mycenae, which would have been more useful in closer combat
- soldiers wore tunics called chitons, breast plates, greaves for protection but earlier on they’d wear a heavy bronze breastplate
name 3 chariot sources. what do they say?
- image 1 -> Palace fresco, Tiryns c1400 shows 2 women in a procession/ritual. You can see animal hide, wood (heavy), the chariot is used for transport, used for roads/chariot race (trade?)
- image 2 -> Stele from GCA, Mycenae, c.1600 shows a man with a sword, fighting an enemy?, horses with reigns, wealthy owner and rare
-image 3-> Signet ring Tiryns 15th cent. BC made of gold shows men in chariot with arrows hunting , hunting scene, highlights importance
what is the palace fresco?
Palace fresco, Tiryns c1400 shows 2 women in a procession/ritual. You can see animal hide, wood (heavy), the chariot is used for transport, used for roads/chariot race (trade?)
what is the stele from GCA?
Stele from GCA, Mycenae, c.1600 shows a man with a sword, fighting an enemy?, horses with reigns, wealthy owner and rare
what does the signet ring tell us?
Signet ring Tiryns 15th cent. BC made of gold shows men in chariot with arrows hunting , hunting scene, highlights importance
Who used chariots in the Mycenaean era and what for?
- used by elite, wealthy for glory, status
- for hunting, racing, warfare, rituals, spectating
- many historians believe that it is unlikely that they were used for warfare as Greece had very hilly terrain and chariots weren’t suitable for this terrain however, they could have been used for generals or the wanax to be delivered to battlegrounds
What can you say about clothes in Mycenae?
- can’t say a whole lot as no actual clothing remains because it has decayed
- However, we can understand a lot form frescos, pottery, other art
- most garment made out of wool, linen, and were then dyed and then the colour would eb locked in with urine or vinegar to preserve the dye.
- Rarer garments made out of silk
- women regularly shown in wrap around skirts made of several thin layers
- young children had their heads shaved
-men depicted as red
What were different dyes made from (yellow, red, blue, purple, and colours for frescoes?
Yellow-Onion, saffron (spice) – clothes, Ochre -frescoes (used to depict flowers)
Red-Insect eggs, madder ( plant) – clothes, Haematite – frescoes (used to depict men’s skin)
Blue - Indigo (a plant) – clothes, Copper – frescoes (used to depict monkeys, water, sky)
Purple-Shellfish ink – clothes
Black-Carbon – frescoes
White-Lime – frescoes (used to depict women)
Green-Malachite – frescoes (used to depict grass)
What can you say about textiles in Mycenae?
- industrial activity?
- carried out in workshops for royalty and export, as well as the rest of society
- those who made the clothes were payed in food
- shows Mycenae was an organized, complicates system, where people had specific roles
What is the Uluburun shipwreck? When was it? What does it show?
- from the shipwreck: 345 copper ingots, 40 tin ingots (to make bronze), glass ingots ranging in colour (Egyptian), ivory ostrich eggs, gold, pottery, Egyptian jewelrry, Cypriot bowls, Scarab (beetles) made of gold, fayence vessels (glass work), food (almonds, olives, figs, pomegranate), 24 anchors.
- showed a wide trade network, and alliances (with the Hittites, Egyptians
- shows Mycenaeans had something to trade back with (textiles, potentially mercenaries, olive oil in pottery)
- large quantity of pottery with olives on them which is potentially Mycenaean found it Egypt
- from c1400 BC (firewood found dated back to 1318BC)
- hard to tell where it originated from due to variety of cargo
Where were these different imported items (gold, amber, ivory, lapis lazuli, silver and lead, copper, ostrich eggs, tin, glass) from?
Gold-Macedonia, Egypt, Thasos
Amber-Denmark , N Europe
Ivory-Africa, Syria
Lapis lazuli-Africa, Afghanistan (?)
Silver, Lead-Attica (Athens)
Copper-Attica, Syria, Cyprus, Sardinia
Ostrich eggs-Africa
Tin-Britain, Turkey, Afghanistan, Spain
Glass-Egypt
What do Linear B tablets tell us about Mycenaean society, its structure, and religion?
- kept record of how city run
- semi-permanent record – snapshot of Mycenaean life
- names of religious leaders shows which reflect names of ancient Greek Gods such as Zeus and also how there were offerings (58 litres of oil to the Gods?, food, spices, gold (to Zeus)) - Linear B tablet (Pylos) Tn 316 mentions Z, Hera, others and also mentions people suggesting human sacrifice or someone concluding sacrifice (?)
- horses used for military equipment – organization
- shows class system (wanax etc) and mentions jobs
- over 1000 found in Pylos
- used ideograms and symbols to write – sophisticated
- tell us about farming, food production, wine production (420 vines, 14,000 litres in storage)
How are frescoes made and who for?
- made using thick lime plaster on top of straw which was then covered by a thinner layer. This would then be painted on quickly before it dried.
- expensive (dyes), had to be skilled, high status
What does the gold ring from Tiryns tell us? What does it show? When is it from?
- gold ring, Tiryns, 15th Cent BC (3.5cmx5.7cm)
- in the top part you can see the sun, moon, wheat – connection to rituals?
- on the left you can sea a priestess or goddess seated, which shoes power.
- There is an eagle behind her – power?
- she has a foot rest
- griffins are approaching her with what seems to be offerings/libations in long necked jugs (supernatural)
- to do with harvest? Is the Goddess demeter?
- made for a wealthy person – hequetai/local wanax or priestess/priest
What were figures used for? What were they?
Suggested to have been used for religious prayers or other religious significance (offerings, worship, votive offering to Gods)
They were small enough to be held in your hand
Could’ve also been used as a toy
Different styles were easily recognized
made of clay, ivory, could be carved
What is a votive offering?
A kind of gift to the Gods in hope that a prayer will be fulfilled
