Week 4 Flashcards
The civilization for the Aegean area in the Bronze Age for scholars is called:
The civilization for the Aegean area in the Bronze Age for scholars is called:
- Cycladic (for the islands)
- Minoan (for Crete)
- Helladic (for mainland Greece)
- The late Bronze Age Period is also called Mycenaean
Minoan Civilization: Named after the mythical king Minos
- They had a complex form of social organization
- Minoan Crete: Had small independent city-states Islands and Civilizations
Crete in the “Palatial Period”
4 main points
- Centralized admisntration
-Writing system was devloped
-Istland was not politically unfiromed: each palace represented a small state
-LArge trade network that included Egypt and the Near east
In the second Millenium BCE large palace complexes were built, it
was the seat of a centralized administration.
● A writing system was also developed
● The island was NOT politically unified: each palace represented
a small state.
● After a period of crisis and destruction (likely due to an earthquake)
palaces were rebuilt and enlarged.
● The palaces became part of a large trade network that included
Egypt and the Near East
Mainland greece where can we see clear signs of social hierarchy, what was numerous?
- shaft tombs of Mycenae
- Weapons are numerous
Mainland Greece was more conservative, but in the 17th
century BCE clear signs of social hierarchy are seen in the
shaft tombs of Mycenae.
● These elite burials contain an exceptional number of
valuable items, including imports from Crete and other
areas of the Eastern Mediterranean.
● Weapons are numerous and suggest that warfare was
especially important to the elites of the mainland, and
perhaps one of the sources of their wealth
Mycenaen Greece
WHY was it called Mycenaen?
What were the centres of admsintratino?
What was used primary for paalce adminstration and what lanafuge was it
How do we know that social hierarhhcy with a ruler and numeber of offcials existed
- called Mycenaean after the site of Mycenae
- Palaces were the centres of admsintraiton
- A script was used primarily for palace administration. The language is an early form of Greek
- Texts on clay tablets confirm that the palaces collected, processed and redistributed resources and that there was a
social hierarchy with a ruler and a number of officials
In the context of ancient civilizations and archaeology, a “script” refers to a system of writing used to record information in a language. When the statement say
A complex society influenced by Minoan models developed in mainland Greece, called Mycenaean after the site of Mycenae.
*Palaces were the centres of administration.
*A script was used primarily for palace administration. The
language is an early form of Greek
*Texts on clay tablets confirm that the palaces collected,
processed and redistributed resources and that there was a
social hierarchy with a ruler and a number of officials
Crete and the Mycenaeans
when did create became part of the mycenaen world?
which palace remained in use for about a century?
Create also became part of the
Mycenaean world in the in the 15th c
BCE
● The palaces show signs of destruction,
and only the palace of Knossos
remained in use for about a century.
● Mycenaean script and Greek
language appear in this late phase of
the palace of Knossos, where there
are also changes in burial customs
Warfare on Minoan Crete
what did the burials of create include
how do we disubtisuh between a weapon and tool
what did every adult male carry?
- between the 3rd and early 2nd millennium BCE, before the construction of the palaces the burials on Crete included double-edged, bronze daggers.
● Having a double-edge is how we distinguish between what is a weapon and what is a tool.
● Every adult male carried a bronze dagger.
Warfare on Minoan Crete
crete in the bronze age has been traditionally described as
“peaceful” as opposed to the warlike society of the Greek mainland
● Closer examination tells us that violent conflict was present and
played an important social role from the earliest phases
The Rise of a Warrior Elite in the Aegean Bronze Age
In the period of Minoan paales, the first__ appear
which was also used in ___ and is found in ____
Swords wer enot a stanard weapon: they were only found in__
- In this period of Minoan palaces the first bronze swords appear (type A)
- This type of sword was also used in mainland Greece and is found in the shaft graves of Mycenae
- Swords were not a standard weapon: they are only found in elite
tombs and palaces
Their design is better suited to one-on-one combat than to
combat between groups of warriors in close formati
Swords and Rank
Uses of sowrd must have been___
Fighting skill in semi rituasied single combat may have been a component of ___
Long swords certainly had a __
What was the most presitougs weapon
what were the most common weapons of the minoan and mycenaen warriors?
The users of those swords must have been a
small group of specialized and skilled
warriors.
● Fighting skill in semi-ritualised single combat
may have been a component of elite status
and identity.
● Long swords are also prominent in scenes
when they are NOT used in combat so they
certainly had a symbolic and ceremonial
value.
● Swords were the most prestigious weapon
Spears: we’re the most common weapons of the minoan and mycenaen warriors
Naval Warfare
why was it important
In the Aegean area, the sea is the most important connection between territories, while land travel was
more difficult.
Visual evidence, especially from Thera (Santorini) shows that ships must have been regularly used to transport troops to islands and distant destinations for raids and possibly larger campaigns.
Sword vs spear
which is more dominant and whos rank higher would use a different rank
The sword is clearly the dominant weapon and
those who use it rank higher than other warriors
● In ALL man-to-man combat scenes a swordsman
defeat a spearman with a large shield.
● In art the two opponents are not represented as
equal in combat skills and courage: the
swordsman moves forward and attacks boldly
while the spearman backs up and tried to hide behind his large shield
A war of elites
images of the aegean bronze age focus on__ rather than__
they emphasize __
warfare is sued to construct ___
what builds presitge
The images of the Aegean bronze age focus on duels rather than
large scale battles.
● They emphasize the superiority of the heroic swordsman who
is clearly a member of the elite.
● Warfare is used to construct status and hierarchy.
● To some of the elites it is clear that war what somewhat of a
ritualized activity
● An arena for posturing and building prestige through display
of superior fighting skills and valor.
A War of Elites
Armies of the Aegean Bronze Age
Representations of large scale units of soldiers are ___
which is__
which is why it is reasonable to assume __ exitsedted but still sizeable and much more diverse than art shows
Representations of large-scale units of soldiers are practically absent.
● This is not a realistic representation of warfare: art was made for the elites and reflects their views and preferences
● Representations are selective and idealized.
● Iti is reasonable to assume that there armies existed,
although possibly not very large, but still sizeable and much more diverse than art shows.
New weapons
New types of swords appear in the __
and the new swords have
The Naue II Sword
The advantages of a shorter sword
New types of swords appear in the LAST period of Mycenaean palaces
They have shorter blades with parallel edges tapering to a sharp point
he Naue II Sword
● The last and most important
development
● Probably has a central European
origin
● The design was so effect that the
iron version became virtually the
only sword used in the Aegean
during the subsequent Early Iron
Age
The advantages of a shorter sword:
● Increased mobility in a crowded
space.
● For fighting larger-scale battles with
standardized equipment.
● Dueling is replaced by battles
The fall of hero warriors
-Ritualized forms of combat based on great skill and respect of set of rules and exist only in__
- When did warrior elites have seriosu problems
- Th fall of the palaces is accompanied by__
- imagery from the end of the Mycenae period shows these ___
Ritualized forms of combat based on great skill and respect of set
of rules and exist only in a closed system
● The warrior elites have serious problems when they face opponents who do not follow the same “etiquette” and use different weapons and tactics
● The fall of the palaces is accompanied by a new style of combat
● Imagery from the end of the Mycenaean period shows these new
types of armour and weaponry.
The FALL of Hero Warriors
The collapse of palace society
when did it happen
- Around 1200 BCE the palaces show clear signs of
destruction and palace administration collapses, causing
the disappearance of written documents.
● Different forms of social organization develop in smaller
sites with simpler forms of economy.
