The Culture of the Achaeans

The Achaeans or Mycenaeans built great temples at Mycenae, Tiryns and Pylos. The Door of the two lions is another great work they have left for posterity and history, and expresses admiration uttered this animal in that realm. After the invasion of the Achaeans, Crete was contingent and dependent on mainland Greece. However, the pioneer of Schliemman had a larger exploration at Mycenae and Greece itself sleep; wanted to find the city of Priam, destroyed by the Achaeans.

After consulting many sources, he directed his search to modern Turkey, around Hisarlik, northeast of Asia Minor.After extensive excavations and the discovery of numerous findings on various stages of Troy, Schliemman give the mythical Homeric city, although it belonged to the stratum of Troy II, instead of Troy IV, as was originally thought.Furthermore, this enthusiastic archaeologist digs rescued many jewelry and pottery, now guarded first by the Berlin Museum and subsequently by Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Shortly thereafter, the exposed layers gave to light many Troyas.
Back to Mycenae, Schliemman found new archaeological sites, which made up an entire Acropolis, and a town at the foot of the walls. At the Acropolis residing kings and court officials and servants, and in case of danger, all city residents took refuge behind the walls; while in the city found at Mycenae tanks where supplies were stored, plus an aqueduct that assured water supply were found. Outside the walls domed tombs, which housed the bodies of the kings of Mycenae were found. Schliemman also found evidence of large looting of the inevitable grave robbers. However, their findings and enthusiasm were rewarded, and after donating the findings of the National Museum of Mycenae, was set in a beautiful villa in Greece, which was a kind of private museum dedicated to Greek culture, managing to arouse interest in this culture and history.

Before delving into the invasion of Troy, talk a little about the Mycenaean culture itself. Usually its highest representation is based in the recent Helladic, during which the Mycenaeans were beyond the Cretans in various areas. Among his advances include the use of the megaron, the construction of the Acropolis, the Greek language, mythology, the emergence of city-states and the habit of draining swamps. The Acropolis and cities were built on a promontory, highlighting the palace and temple, which gave a place to both their sovereign as their god. The king would become the high priest and his home place of worship, the most famous and symbolic of all, the Acropolis of Athens. This was already standing from predóricos times and was a place dedicated to the worship of Athena.

The splendor of the Mycenaeans did not occur in the islands, but in the same Greek soil. Among other contributions, the Achaeans brought with them an architectural innovation: the Megaron, a long rectangular two-piece construction with open lobby and facade columns to support the roof on the main piece. By this time, praising mythological Greek gods whose cult shared with Crete; indeed, the people of Knossos worshiped Athens, Poseidon, Pean and Enialios, former name of Ares, the god of war. In other tablets the names of the gods that the offerings were addressed, being among these Zeus, Hera and Dionysus, god does not appear in the stories of Homer, so it seems like a divinity of East coming down. In Mycenaean times the ancient Greeks inherit religion, tightly bound to the political system.

Because the tablets from Pylos had a commercial, not mentioned a strong literary tradition and others; only the Homeric poems seem to be the exception these were transmitted orally or simply disappeared or been found. While with the passing of the years have been finding more and more tablets, some British researchers were able to reach the so-called Linear B syllabic script and interpret, all much more modern lights Linear A used by the Cretans. The English came to the conclusion that at this stage the language had come to resemble rather the Greek of Plato. Latest tablets of Knossos, in recent times the great temple around 1400, also have this feature.

The Mycenaeans were very close trade and competed pair to pair with the Phoenicians. Found ornaments and vessels that consumed much gold, metal coming from Egypt and Nubia. But Mycenae also maintained relations with the North, acquiring tin brought from England and ivory from Africa, that served to create pottery and other ornaments. Gradually, the Greeks were extending their areas of commercial influence, reaching Sardinia, Sicily and the southern coast of Spain.

Regarding cultural expressions such as sculpture, not create them out for large sizes. However, it is important to mention the sculpture called Divine Triad, two goddesses and a child, who may perhaps representing divinities; in painting were closely related with the Minoans, and also have murals depicting scenes of daily life and some myths. Among other findings, found some armor and weapons such as shields and spears, javelins and different types of swords, which have inspired to illustrate the uniforms of the Achaeans during the Trojan War, as those used in film adaptations.

Finally, a widespread practice burial was conducted under the same houses, usually if they were nobility, but also the people could. Among the highlights we found tombs at Mycenae, dubbed Tomb of Agamemnon and others like Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. The appointment of these tombs is that, judging by the treasures found there were graves of nobles.

Approximately 1300 to 1250 BC would the Trojan War, we will detail in the next chapter along with their respective legend. After the war, surprisingly, the Achaeans fell into decay. Indeed, many myths that speak of the end of this civilization, although not reach a particular conclusion. Some refer to earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters, judging by the great destruction Central Mycenae and mainland Greece. What we can say for sure is that after this period of decline followed a decrease of settlements in Greece and after the rise of cultural expressions a major change is seen with the insertion of elements barbarians , thus it is estimated that the region received foreign migration. Also, mass immigration is possible as well as the typical internal conflicts.

The Dorian invasion meant the destruction and the end of the glory of Mycenae and Tiryns, as is the Achaeans had done to Troy. After the arrival of the Dorians were produced numerous migrations: the Ionians came to Attica, Euboea and Cyclades, while the Aeolians Thessaly and Boeotia; other migrants chose to go to Asia Minor, constantly surrounded by Greeks still not Indo-European peoples. So then, with the arrival of the Dorians, roughly around 1200 BC, it begins the Dark Age of Greece, subject of the next chapter.