The Bronze Age Meanwhile In Greece …
Mar 26, 2015
The Bronze Age
Meanwhile In Greece …
BackgroundBegan to coalesce into a heterogynous but
identifiable people about the time of the first Olympics (776 B.C.).
Backstory is important to understanding themMinoan PeriodMycenaean PeriodDark Ages
Minoan Period
Palatial PeriodsPrepalatial Period (3200-2000 bc)Protopalatial (2000-1720 bc) – palaces
destroyed by earthquakes about 1720ishNeopalatial (1720-1550 bc) Final Palatial Period (1550-1350 bc) -
Mycenaeans take over
Minoan (?)Sir Arthur Evans responsible for much of
what we know about the Minoans (about 1900)
Name is recent descriptive termKing MinosCity of KnossosMinotaur
Known by the Egyptions as the KafteoKnown by the people is Western Semitic
lands as the Kaftor or Kaftoreans
King MinosThe legendWhere does such a story come form
Mixture of history and mythDominated Greek islands, Mycenae and required
tribute (Thucydides says Minos first king to have a navy)
PalacesFunctioned as storehouse as well as home for
rulerRubble from the palaces looked like labyrinth
Arthur Evans Reconstruction as an analogy for how we do historyPalaceDolphin FrescoGriffin flanking throneDuplication of snake goddess figures
How Advanced?Indoor plumbingGlass windowsSkilled artistsWriting – Linear A
Traded throughout MediterraneanPottery jars from Minos found in Egypt and
in the Western Semitic territoryAlabaster jar lid in Knossos marked with
name of third Hyksos kingHyksos palace in Avaris includes a fresco of
the Minoan styleGilgamesh’ fight with Bull of Heaven may
reflect Minoan influence in Mesopotamia
Religion – Sacred Bulls (Apis)
Religion – Human SacrificeStory of Minotaur eating 14 victimsSacrificial site at Knossos includes human
sacrifice and indicates ritual feasting on the dead
Probably rare – maybe related to Earthquakes suffered by island and attempts to appease Poseidon/Earthshaker
Religion – Snake Goddesses
Sacred War Axe
Why Did Minoan Civilization Fade?Possible Answers
VolcanoEarthquakeMyth of Theseus and the Minotaur points to
the animosity between Mycenae and Knossos
Mycenae (1700-1200 BC)Immigrated from the NorthMycenae gives its name to the civilizationBy 1500, Tribute and culture flowed from
Mycenae to Knossos
Heinrich SchliemannSelf-financed / self-style archaeologistWhere is ancient MycenaeLooking for grave of Agamemnon discovers
the shaft grave inside the lions gate.
The Lion’s Gate
“I have gazed on the face of Agamemnon…”
Commerce & TradeStrong naval power with much sea tradeSunken ship found with merchandise from
no less than seven countries; Egypt, Canaan, Asia Minor, Italy, Cyprus,Baltic,etc.
Linear B used primarily for accounting purposes but it mentions the gods.Decoded by Michael Ventris a WWII
codebreakerEarlier form of Greek
ReligionSnake goddesses (with bodice closed)Worship of the Greek gods (Zeus, Hera,
Athena, Poseidon, etc.) goes back to the second millennium BC on the mainland.
Time of prosperity, until …
Greek Dark AgesCirca 1200-800 bc.Cities abandonedWriting ceasesArt and culture fade awaySophisticated architecture disappearsTrade with foreign nations stops
Vanish from records of other nations
Why Dark Ages?Possible Answers
EarthquakesFamine and PlagueThe Sea Peoples Invasion of the Dorians
thick fortified walls around palacesArt depicts them fighting barbaric peoples, chariots,
armamentTrojan WarAll of the above
Trojan WarAbout 1250 BCPrimary sources
Homer’s Iliad - OdysseyVirgil’s Aeneid
10 Year Siege(compare with Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan)
Was there a Trojan WarHeinrich SchliemannCalvert – American vice-consulNine layered cities
“The Greeks raise a mighty army because of a woman . . . And then invaded Asia and destroyed Priam and his forces. Ever since then, the Persians have regarded the Greeks as their enemies…. They date their hostilities towards Greece from the fall of Ilium.” (Herodotus)