Classics - The Homeric World section
Key Sites 1
Mycenae 2
Tiryns 5
Troy 7
Life in the Mycenaean Age 9
Palaces 9
Hunting 10
Armour and weapons 11
Chariots 13
Clothing 13
Trade 15
Linear B tablets 16
Decorative Arts 17
Frescoes 17
Jewellery 20
Pottery 21
Animal/human figurines + votive offerings 23
Tombs, Graves and Burials 25
Structure and use of a cist grave 26
Structure and use of a shaft grave 26
Structure and use of tholos tombs 26
Structure and use of chamber tombs 27
The use of funerary objects 27
The Odyssey 29
Book 9: 29
Book 10: 31
Book 19: 33
Book 21: 35
Book 22: 36
Key Sites
The Mycenaean Bronze age:
- The Iliad and the Odyssey are set during this period
- Called this with the widespread use of bronze (an alloy of tin and copper)
- 1600 BC to 1150 BC - the Mycenaean Age (a period of the bronze age) - called this
because the city of Mycenae was the most powerful and famous of the cities in
Greece during this period
- Tiryns was also similar in culture, buildings and administration but each city was
independent
- ‘Minoan’ after the mythological king Minos - Mycenaean period also heavily linked
with the Minoan civilisation from 3500 BC to 1400 BC so they often overlapped
The Mycenaean Age has been divided into three main phases:
- Early period (1600 BC - 1400 BC) - shaft grave burials at Mycenae
- Palatial period (1400 BC - 1250 BC) - peak of the great palaces
, - Later period (1250 BC - 1150 BC) - attack on palaces, abandonment/ destruction of
the palaces
Why did palaces collapse?
- Sea people’s attacks (evidence from Egyptian records) or attack from elsewhere
(Hittite kingdom and Troy also destroyed at this point)
- The Mycenaean cities seemed to have strengthened their walls at this time perhaps
in fear of attack - evidence of many fires in Mycenaean cities
How can we find information from excavations?
- Dendrochronology - tree-ring dating - low cost, doesn’t require technology
- Carbon-14 dating - decay allows the accurate dating of archaeological artefacts
- Heinrich Schliemann - first excavator of Mycenae, Tiryns and Troy - interested in
finding archaeology of Homer’s Odyssey/Iliad
Date (BC) Major events in the Mycenaean Age Period
1675 First burials in Grave Circle B at Mycenae Early
1600 First burials at Grave Circle A Early
Destruction of Akrotiri
1400 Start of major building at Mycenaean sites Palatial
Treasury of Atreus built
Development of Tiryns
End of Minoan Age
1375 Shipwreck of UluBurun Palatial
1350 Tombs of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus built Palatial
Cyclopean Walls of Mycenae built
1300 Western wall of Mycenae strengthened Palatial
Eastern Gate and Palace built at Mycenae
1250 Further strengthening of walls and defences at Tiryns Later
Building of galleries at Tiryns
Lion Gate built
Destruction of Troy VIIa
Decline of major Mycenaean sites
1200 Destruction of Troy VI Later
Damage to Mycenae from fire
1075 Final destruction at Mycenae from fire Later
`
,Mycenae
- ‘Broad streets’, ‘golden’, ‘Agamemnon, lord of golden Mycenae’
- Founded by Perseus - helped to be built by the Cyclops - mythical race of one-eyed
giants - Greeks liked to connect their cities to myth - they can make their cities
connect to important and good myths to legitimise it and make it more popular and
powerful - explain main features of the cities like the Cyclopean walls
Measurements:
- On a hill, 40-50m above the plains around - can see enemies attacking easily
- Hills to the north and south and ravines surround the plains on three sides for natural
defences
- Spring less than 400m away and accessed through an underground cistern
- Fertile land - good farmland
- Controlled the easier routes to the Isthmus of Corinth
Key features:
Artificial levelled top of hill to build palaces:
- architecturally advanced enough and had enough knowledge to have thought up
such a clever design
- wealth and resources
- megaron positioned on the highest point on the hill meaning good defensive position
from enemies and last thing to be attacked if in a siege
- all the goods kept inside the megaron
- Large terraces at the sides which would have also been used for storage
Sally ports:
- Used to rush out on attacks
- Used corbelling - a technique used to span a gap between two walls by placing
increasingly larger blocks of stone onto each other thereby creating a vaulted roof
- one of the north and one on the south
, Underground cistern:
- water source 18m below ground levels
- water was collected at nearby spring and conducted to the cistern through pipes
covered in clay
- Helped the Mycenaeans to have a water source if in an attack or siege and the
enemy cut of their path to the spring
Cyclopean perimeter walls:
- 5-7.5m thick in places
- Estimated they reached about 12m in height
- huge blocks of limestone fitted together by mortar which the myths explained were
summoned by Perseus and lifted and placed by Cyclops as humans could never
move blocks that easily
Lion Gate:
- impressive sculpted scene, huge and lions to symbolise power - the two lions are
carved in relief - their heads haven’t survived so probably not made of limestone
- corbelling where smaller blocks are used below and bigger at the top
- Area surrounding the Lion Gate was built with conglomerate which would provide an
effective contrast with the limestone around the rest of the site and conglomerate
was smooth and shiny
- limestone blocks with gaps filled with mortar
- The gate had large blocks at either side (the jambs) and above (the lintel) and above
the lintel is a corbel arch and they would have been able to lock the gates
Grave circle A:
- (enclosed with walls)
- also surrounded by a stone wall (diameter 28m)
- Also thought to be for ruling families as the wealthy objects found within it are similar
to those dated to the 16th century BC in Egypt
- 6 shaft graves in which a total of 9 women, 8 men and 2 children were buried - these
shafts are deeper and larger of those in Grave circle B
Grave Circle B:
- (outside the city walls 200m to the west)
- 24 graves enclosed within a stone wall (diameter of 28m); 14 shaft graves and 10 cist
graves
- at least half of these graves are thought to have been royal burials due to the objects
found in them
- 35 bodies of men, women and children have been found - male burials are signified
with a carved stele; female burials with an unmarked stele
Tholos tombs:
- Built around 14th century BC
- Tombs of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (although never housed these rulers) -
situated to the west of the city - diameter of 13m - no treasure remained due to grave
robbers
- Treasury of Atreus: further away from the city then the tombs of C and A - huge
corbelled dome, largest lintel in the world, embellished facade, long dromos -
diameter of 13m and 13m high
Postern Gate
- alternative entrance/exit
- similar structure to the Lion gate
Key Sites 1
Mycenae 2
Tiryns 5
Troy 7
Life in the Mycenaean Age 9
Palaces 9
Hunting 10
Armour and weapons 11
Chariots 13
Clothing 13
Trade 15
Linear B tablets 16
Decorative Arts 17
Frescoes 17
Jewellery 20
Pottery 21
Animal/human figurines + votive offerings 23
Tombs, Graves and Burials 25
Structure and use of a cist grave 26
Structure and use of a shaft grave 26
Structure and use of tholos tombs 26
Structure and use of chamber tombs 27
The use of funerary objects 27
The Odyssey 29
Book 9: 29
Book 10: 31
Book 19: 33
Book 21: 35
Book 22: 36
Key Sites
The Mycenaean Bronze age:
- The Iliad and the Odyssey are set during this period
- Called this with the widespread use of bronze (an alloy of tin and copper)
- 1600 BC to 1150 BC - the Mycenaean Age (a period of the bronze age) - called this
because the city of Mycenae was the most powerful and famous of the cities in
Greece during this period
- Tiryns was also similar in culture, buildings and administration but each city was
independent
- ‘Minoan’ after the mythological king Minos - Mycenaean period also heavily linked
with the Minoan civilisation from 3500 BC to 1400 BC so they often overlapped
The Mycenaean Age has been divided into three main phases:
- Early period (1600 BC - 1400 BC) - shaft grave burials at Mycenae
- Palatial period (1400 BC - 1250 BC) - peak of the great palaces
, - Later period (1250 BC - 1150 BC) - attack on palaces, abandonment/ destruction of
the palaces
Why did palaces collapse?
- Sea people’s attacks (evidence from Egyptian records) or attack from elsewhere
(Hittite kingdom and Troy also destroyed at this point)
- The Mycenaean cities seemed to have strengthened their walls at this time perhaps
in fear of attack - evidence of many fires in Mycenaean cities
How can we find information from excavations?
- Dendrochronology - tree-ring dating - low cost, doesn’t require technology
- Carbon-14 dating - decay allows the accurate dating of archaeological artefacts
- Heinrich Schliemann - first excavator of Mycenae, Tiryns and Troy - interested in
finding archaeology of Homer’s Odyssey/Iliad
Date (BC) Major events in the Mycenaean Age Period
1675 First burials in Grave Circle B at Mycenae Early
1600 First burials at Grave Circle A Early
Destruction of Akrotiri
1400 Start of major building at Mycenaean sites Palatial
Treasury of Atreus built
Development of Tiryns
End of Minoan Age
1375 Shipwreck of UluBurun Palatial
1350 Tombs of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus built Palatial
Cyclopean Walls of Mycenae built
1300 Western wall of Mycenae strengthened Palatial
Eastern Gate and Palace built at Mycenae
1250 Further strengthening of walls and defences at Tiryns Later
Building of galleries at Tiryns
Lion Gate built
Destruction of Troy VIIa
Decline of major Mycenaean sites
1200 Destruction of Troy VI Later
Damage to Mycenae from fire
1075 Final destruction at Mycenae from fire Later
`
,Mycenae
- ‘Broad streets’, ‘golden’, ‘Agamemnon, lord of golden Mycenae’
- Founded by Perseus - helped to be built by the Cyclops - mythical race of one-eyed
giants - Greeks liked to connect their cities to myth - they can make their cities
connect to important and good myths to legitimise it and make it more popular and
powerful - explain main features of the cities like the Cyclopean walls
Measurements:
- On a hill, 40-50m above the plains around - can see enemies attacking easily
- Hills to the north and south and ravines surround the plains on three sides for natural
defences
- Spring less than 400m away and accessed through an underground cistern
- Fertile land - good farmland
- Controlled the easier routes to the Isthmus of Corinth
Key features:
Artificial levelled top of hill to build palaces:
- architecturally advanced enough and had enough knowledge to have thought up
such a clever design
- wealth and resources
- megaron positioned on the highest point on the hill meaning good defensive position
from enemies and last thing to be attacked if in a siege
- all the goods kept inside the megaron
- Large terraces at the sides which would have also been used for storage
Sally ports:
- Used to rush out on attacks
- Used corbelling - a technique used to span a gap between two walls by placing
increasingly larger blocks of stone onto each other thereby creating a vaulted roof
- one of the north and one on the south
, Underground cistern:
- water source 18m below ground levels
- water was collected at nearby spring and conducted to the cistern through pipes
covered in clay
- Helped the Mycenaeans to have a water source if in an attack or siege and the
enemy cut of their path to the spring
Cyclopean perimeter walls:
- 5-7.5m thick in places
- Estimated they reached about 12m in height
- huge blocks of limestone fitted together by mortar which the myths explained were
summoned by Perseus and lifted and placed by Cyclops as humans could never
move blocks that easily
Lion Gate:
- impressive sculpted scene, huge and lions to symbolise power - the two lions are
carved in relief - their heads haven’t survived so probably not made of limestone
- corbelling where smaller blocks are used below and bigger at the top
- Area surrounding the Lion Gate was built with conglomerate which would provide an
effective contrast with the limestone around the rest of the site and conglomerate
was smooth and shiny
- limestone blocks with gaps filled with mortar
- The gate had large blocks at either side (the jambs) and above (the lintel) and above
the lintel is a corbel arch and they would have been able to lock the gates
Grave circle A:
- (enclosed with walls)
- also surrounded by a stone wall (diameter 28m)
- Also thought to be for ruling families as the wealthy objects found within it are similar
to those dated to the 16th century BC in Egypt
- 6 shaft graves in which a total of 9 women, 8 men and 2 children were buried - these
shafts are deeper and larger of those in Grave circle B
Grave Circle B:
- (outside the city walls 200m to the west)
- 24 graves enclosed within a stone wall (diameter of 28m); 14 shaft graves and 10 cist
graves
- at least half of these graves are thought to have been royal burials due to the objects
found in them
- 35 bodies of men, women and children have been found - male burials are signified
with a carved stele; female burials with an unmarked stele
Tholos tombs:
- Built around 14th century BC
- Tombs of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (although never housed these rulers) -
situated to the west of the city - diameter of 13m - no treasure remained due to grave
robbers
- Treasury of Atreus: further away from the city then the tombs of C and A - huge
corbelled dome, largest lintel in the world, embellished facade, long dromos -
diameter of 13m and 13m high
Postern Gate
- alternative entrance/exit
- similar structure to the Lion gate
