Mycenae was influenced by the early Crete civilization (2000- 1450 BC) and spread from the birthplace of Knossos in Crete to the wider Aegean Sea. Architecture, art and religious practice have been absorbed and adapted to better express Mycenae culture, which may be more militarized and severe. Mycenae began to rule most of the Greek mainland and several islands, and extended their trade relations to Cyprus, the Levant and other bronze age cultures in Egypt. This culture left a lasting impression on the later Greeks in ancient and classical times. The most obvious are the heroic myths of the Bronze Age, such as Achilles and Odysseus, and their achievements in the Trojan War.
Main Mycenae center
Mycenae are native Greeks, and they are likely to be influenced by the contact with Crete, Minos and other Mediterranean cultures, and develop their own more complex social and political culture. The main centers of Mycenae include Mycenae (Agamemnon's traditional residence), Sellins (perhaps the oldest center), Pailos (Nestor's traditional residence), Thebes, Medea, Guerra, Orjo Menos, Argos, Sparta, Corea and possibly Athens. With the passage of time, Mycenae even established his position in Crete, especially Knossos, thus in 6 BC.
The largest city (though not the capital) is Mycenae, which is built on an impressive castle and hills over 278 meters (9 12 feet) above sea level. There are the remains of large "palace" buildings and hundreds of tombs and shaft tombs, including 9 stone Tholos tombs (1600 to130). Other impressive relics include part of the fortification wall and the famous Lion Gate (BC 1250), with a pair of heraldic lions above the entrance.
Mycenae Megalon is the predecessor of ancient and classical temples in the Greek world.
Apart from trade relations, the exact political relations among the 100 Mycenae centers all over Greece are still unclear. It is not even clear what is the relationship between a single palace and the people around it, because the former seems to specialize in producing luxury goods, while the latter specializes in producing food, some of which are then stored in the palace. The political relationship between palaces and their villages or different palaces is not clear. Although it is not clear enough, there are many cultural characteristics in various places, which makes the word "Mycenae culture" very useful. These * * * features include architecture, murals, pottery, jewelry, weapons, and, of course, Greek and linear B figures (adaptation of Minos's linear A).
Mycenae architecture
Megalon
Large palace complexes have been found in many centers in Mycenae. These buildings not only show the unique development of some sites, but also show several important architectural features. These buildings are built around a huge rectangular central hall or a giant hall. Megaron in Mycenae is the predecessor of the late ancient Greek temple, which consists of entrance porch, front hall and hall itself. This is the center of the palace, with a large circular fireplace (usually more than 3 meters /9.8 feet in diameter) and four wooden pillars supporting perforated ceilings or light wells. It is also the throne room of the ruler or wanax. There is usually a second smaller hall (often called "Megaron of the Queen"), many private apartments and additional management, storage and manufacturing areas. The room is luxuriously decorated, with murals on the walls and plaster on the ground. From the material point of view, the rooms in the palace are all built with gravel filling and beam walls, then covered with plaster and covered with limestone blocks outside. Columns and ceilings are usually made of painted wood, and sometimes bronze is added.
The fortifications of Mycenae, Sellins and Thebes are in sharp contrast to the unguarded palaces of Minocrete.
One-eyed wall
The whole palace complex is surrounded by an unprocessed large defensive wall (known as cyclops because people believe that only a giant cyclops can move such a huge stone). The height of this wall can reach 13 meters (42.6 feet) and the thickness can reach 8 meters (26 feet). They are most conspicuous in Mycenae, Serin and Thebes, in sharp contrast to the unprotected palaces in Minocrete.
Ox-leg corridor-an arched corridor formed by gradually overlapping stones, a circular stone tomb with a cow-leg roof and a huge doorway with a embossed triangle are also the same features of Mycenae site. Other Mycenae structures include farmland terraces, the curse of flood management (especially in Thurlings), and small bridges made of rough stones. Again, this seems to be the work of a cyclops. Compared with these labor-intensive buildings, the non-elite class of Mycenae society lives in simple mud brick houses based on stone floors.
Mycenae trade
Mycenaean civilization has trade relations with other Aegean cultures, as evidenced by foreign commodities such as gold, ivory, copper and glass in Mycenaean settlements, and Mycenaean commodities such as pottery found in Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia, Sicily and Cyprus. There is no doubt that perishable commodities such as olive oil, sesame oil and wine are also important export products of Mycenae, but unfortunately, there are almost no surviving written records-for example, there are only about 70 linear B clay blocks from major sites such as Mycenae, which means that more details about interregional trade are lacking at present. The Ululong shipwreck was a ship in the 4th century BC/KLOC-and was found off the coast of Turkey. The ship was carrying raw material trade goods, such as copper and tin ingots, ivory and glass plates, which were likely to be sent to Mycenae's workshop in Greece before sinking.
Mycenae art
In terms of art, represented by murals, pottery and jewelry, Mycenae craftsmen also accepted Minos' love for natural forms and smooth design, but tended to be more concise and less realistic. This new style will become the dominant style of the whole Mediterranean. Geometric design is very popular, as are decorative patterns such as spirals and roses. The shape of pottery is very similar to that of Minoan, with the addition of goblets and alabaster, and the obvious preference for large pots. Terracotta warriors and animals, especially standing women, are very popular, as are small ivory sculptures, carved stone tools and complex gold jewelry. The murals depict plants, griffons, lions, jumping cows, battle scenes, soldiers, chariots, open shields and wild boar hunting, which is a particularly popular activity in Mycenae.
Mycenae religion
Apart from the importance of offering sacrifices to animals, banquets, pouring wine and providing food, people know little about Mycenae's religious customs. The existence of double axe carving and dedication angle in art and architecture shows that they are closely related to Minoan religion, although these symbols may be adopted because of their political * * *. Architectural features such as sunken basins and murals depicting altars indicate that Megaron may have religious functions. Many centers also have special places of worship, usually near palace buildings. Obviously, burial is an important ceremony, and the existence of the huge tholos proves this. Graves, famous cemeteries and a large number of precious objects buried with the dead-golden chrysanthemums, crowns, jewels and ceremonial swords and daggers.
Fold and leave
The reasons for the demise of Mycenae civilization began to appear in stages from BC. From BC 1230 to BC 1230, there was endless debate. We do know that between BC 1250 and BC 1200, several sites were destroyed, which ushered in the so-called post-palace period, and the centralized palace control system declined. There is evidence that different places have different degrees of damage, and some places are completely chaotic. Some sites were later inhabited, but sometimes the scale seems to be smaller and the wealth is less than before, while others are actually bigger and more prosperous than before. However, by about 1 100 BC, most Mycenae sites had been reduced to pure villages.
The suggestions put forward by scholars to explain the general collapse of Mycenae culture (and other contemporary cultures in the Mediterranean) include natural disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis), overpopulation, internal social and political turmoil and the invasion of foreign tribes, such as marine population, regional climate change or a combination of some or all of these factors. With the mysterious end of Mycenae civilization and the collapse of the so-called Bronze Age in the ancient Aegean Sea and the wider Mediterranean region, the "dark age" (another extreme label, perhaps not so dark) appeared. Although some sites began to revive from the 10 century BC, it will take several centuries for Greek culture to finally recover to the height of the late Bronze Age.
Mycenae civilization greatly inspired the ancient style and classical Greeks after the 8th century BC, so that the Bronze Age was regarded as the golden age. People worship gods, soldiers are braver, and life is generally less complicated and decent. Legends like Agamemnon, Menelaus, Achilles and Odysseus-all Mycenaean Greeks-will gain immortal life in sculptures, painted pottery and epic literary works, such as Homer's Iliad, which tells the story of the great Trojan War, probably based on the myth of real conflict or a series of conflicts between Mycenae and Hittites.