Mycenaean Culture Flashcards
Describe the lion dagger
- ornamental dagger
- intricate image of lion hunt
- three lions, four people (one dead on floor)
- using spears, shields, bow and arrow
Where and when was the lion dagger made and found? What is it made out of?
- 16th century BC
- Grave 4, Grave circle A, Mycenae
- gold, silver, niello
What would the lion dagger would have been used for?
- ornamental object
- almost certainly belonged to king as status symbol
Why were lions hunted?
- hardest challenge hunter could face = thrill of doing something dangerous
- military training (practice strategy)
- show of status
Describe the fresco found in Tiryns depicting hunting
- vivid blue background
- three dogs with brown spots chasing golden brown boar through a field
What were boars hunted for?
- tusks to make jewellery/ helmets
- meat for food
- threat
hunted by less wealthy Mycenaeans
Describe the signet ring
- two people on a chariot
- one archer, one driver
- hunting deer
What does the signet ring show about hunting in Mycenae?
- deer hunted for food
- large portions of meat
Describe the drinking cup
- one side cows being driven into nets
- other side cows are domesticated, calm around farmer
What does the drinking cup show us about hunting in Mycenae?
- cows are hunted
- domesticated for farming tasks (ploughing)
- milk production, consistent food source (made into cheese)
- cows used for cow jumping
- leather for armour, shields, shoes
Which two pieces of armour changed significantly over the Mycenaean period?
- helmets
- shields
What was the difference between older and newer shields?
- older shields = figure of eight + tower shields
- larger
changed- too heavy, would bang knees on shield
What were shields made of and why?
- leather to stop arrows, slides off (cheap)
- bronze (expensive)
- some had bronze boss to hit people with
Describe the boar tusk helmet
where was it found?
- layers of boar tusks with leather base for comfort
- boar tusks = strong
chamber tomb in Mycenae
What are the disadvantages of using a boar tusk helmet?
- each helmet used the tusks of at least ten wild boars
- hard/ dangerous to hunt (Odysseus got hurt hunting a boar in book 19)
What is fullbody armour found in Dendra called?
- Dendra Panoply
What are cons of using the Denra Panoply armour?
- expensive (need to be quarried and hunted for) - made of bronze + boar tusks
- big bronze plates down to knees = rigid, hard to run in
- made of bronze = heavy
What are the pros of using the Dendra Panoply amrour?
- fullbody protection = shoulder guards + down to knees
- likely owned by rich person to show off - unlikely to fight
Describe the Dendra panoply armour
- hinged together using strips of leather
- made of 15 plates of bronze
- found with boar’s tusk helmet, greaves, wrist guard
How did the Illiad describe helmets?
- having animal skin liners for comfort + some added protection
- often had throat straps
- animal hair plumes on top (identifiable/ look impressive/ intimidation)
Mycenaean wall paintings regularly show plumed helmets
Describe the Warrior Vase
- line of almost identical soldiers marching
- carry long spears (thrusting, not throwing)
- small round shields
- carrying knapsacks on spears = supplies/ rations, long journey
- in chitons
- wearing breast plates and greaves for protection
- woman shown to be bidding farewell (mother)
- other side = spiky helmets and shorter spears
When was the Warrior vase made, where was it originally and what was it used for?
what is it made of?
- 14th century
- house of the warrior, Mycenae
- clay
- used as krater (mixing wine with water)
What were spears like?
- wooden handle
- bronze spearhead fitted onto it
When and how did the spears change in appearance and function?
- 12 century BC
- shorter = thrown