Mycenaean Military

The Mycenaeans were Greece's first real military and economical powerhouse, who had many trade networks and military conquests. They had a lot of great happening during their ruling, however, just like the Minoans before them was sadly short-lived.

The Mycenaeans cities were remotely located and heavily fortified, throughout the Aegean region. Each city had it's own king, who was a member of the landowning aristocracy, which was also known as the wanax. Each king of each city controlled the land, trade, and all the economical functions of the city. The kings palaces were complex, they were all large with enormious walls and stone gates that were meant to be intimidating and impressing. Within all of these palaces were many burials which were normally found in tombs.

The Mycenaeans were a war-loving culture, who had many navy fleets which aided in their efforts to construct a trading network. They ended up succeeding , which made them able to import metals that were not availible in their home land, the metals they imported were gold and bronze. The Mycenaeans used these metals to become accomplished metal workers, making many different pieces of jewelry, funerary masks, and weapons.

Minoans Artwork

Early Minoan Crete

Minoan artwork tells a lot about it's history, for example Early Minoans Crete was characterized by it's burials, and a number of excavated settlement sites. These burials and sites indicate that advances in gem engraving, stoneworking, metalworking and pottery were made. It Also indicated that Terracotta bowls on high pedestals and burnishing tools were used as decoration.

Middle Minoan Crete

The Middle Minoan Crete took place during 1900 B.C. which reached it's highest peek of development within the civilization with the development of Palaces, which stood for political and economical power. Major palaces were built in Knosses and Millia in the northern part of Crete, at Phaistos in the south, and at Zakros in the east. These palaces were recognizable by the paved central court, not to mention the several guard towers that surround the palaces. The floors and walls of these palaces were usually painted colorfully of rituals and scences of nature. Along with the building of palaces they also built sanitary facilities.

The New Kingdom

The New Kingdom took place during the second millinnium B.C. which was a prosperous time for the Minoans. This was because of all the trade between civilizations around the mediterranean basin. The Cretan exports consisted of timber, foodstuffs, cloth, olive oil and lots of luxury goods. The Minoans imported tin, copper, gold, silver, emery, fine stones, ivory and some manufactured goods, even though they recieved these goods the Minoans were very self sufficiant. In the fact that they did all there own metalworking, pottery, granulated jewelry and carved seal stones, all of these crafts were made in all types of materials such as: clay, gold, stone, ivory and bronze.

The Mycenaean Artwork

The only difference between the Mycenaeans artwork and the Minoans artwork is that the Mycenaeans artwork was more war like. The Mycenaeans built huge gates and walls to keep out their enemy's and later on, once the Mycenaens had dissappeared the Greeks had no idea their civilization had existed and thought that the huge gates and walls were built by a mythical race of giants known as Cyclopes.

The Minoans and the Mycenaeans Civilization

The Minoans and the Mycenaeans were two cultures that the Greeks tracked their culture back too.

The Minoans

The first Greek civilization was The Minoans on the island of Crete just south of Greece. It was found that that Minoans were heavily influened by two older, Near Eastern civilizations, the Egyptians and Mesopotomians. By way of the Cycladic Islands, which formed natural stepping stones for the spread of the people of Greece and other civilization ideas from the Middle East. We don't really know the real name of the Crete civilizations the word Minoan comes from a myth concerning a legendary king of Crete, called Minos, who was supposed to have ruled a vast sea empire. Even though this is a myth, just like every myth there is a stream of truth, the Minoans were a seafaring people who depended on their navy and trade for their power and prosperity.

The Mycenaeans

The Mycenaeans were a Greek civilization that took advantage of the weakened state of the Minoans and assumed the Minoans dominance of the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. The Mycenaeans were a vigorous and active group of people that engaged in lots of trade and even piracy anywhere from southern Italy, into the west to Troy, and the Black Sea into the northeast. The Mycenaeans broke off into four city-states: Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns and Athens, the Mycenaeans tried to run these city-states just like the ones that existed with the Egyptians and Mesopotomians. No one really knows if all of these city-states relied on just one of them,however, the famous poem llaid written by Homer proves that The Mycenaeans could reunite in a common endeavor such as the Trojan War.The Mycenaeans were eventually conquered by sea people also know as Dorians which lead to a new period in Greek's history known as the Dark Ages.