The Mycenaeans

The Mycenaeans
Vocabulary:
• Mycenaeans – People from the southern part of
Russia that settled in Greece around 2000BC
• Megaron – square room at the center of the palace
where the king would hold council meetings and
entertain guests
• Tenants – People who live and work on another
persons land, usually for a fee
• Trojans – People from a major trading city, Troy, in
Asia minor who went to war with the Mycenaeans
• Homer – blind Greek poet who wrote the “Iliad”
and the “Odyssey”, responsible for recording the
history of the Trojan War, combined history with
legend
• “The Iliad” – Poem written by Homer which tells
the story of the Trojan War
• “The Odyssey” – Poem written by Homer about
Trojan War hero Odysseus and his journey
• Civil Wars – wars between people in the same
country
• Dorians – group of people who forced the
Mycenaean people out of Greece and into Ionia
• “Dark Age” – a time period when culture and
advancements are lost
• Hellenes – (Greeks) name the Mycenaean people
took when they emerged from the dark age
I. Mycenaeans (Introduction)
• Group of people that moved from Russia to
Greece around 2000 BC
• Kings lived in fortress palaces at the tops of
hills
- the people of the kingdom took shelter
in these palaces when they were under
attack
- Also held meetings and entertainment in
the Megaron
I. Mycenaeans (Introduction) (Continued)
• Land was divided into large estates
owned by wealthy landowners
- farmed by slaves or tenants
- landowners gave the king valuable
items for protection
I. Mycenaeans (Introduction) (Continued)
• Hunters
- deer, rabbits, wild boar and bull, and
game birds
- Women would go along on chariot
hunts
- Used Greyhounds to hunt
- Trapped prey in nets and used spears
to kill the pray
II. Traders and Pirates
• Adopted many of the Minoan practices
including shipbuilding
• Grew rich off of Olive Oil
- Used for cooking, perfume, and lamps
• Warriors
- well equipped with animal hide shields
and bronze armor
- the Mycenaeans were famous for being
pirates
III. The Trojan War
• The city of Troy was charging the
Mycenaeans to transport goods to the Black
Sea, so they attacked them
• The story of the Trojan War is told in
Homer’s “The Iliad” (written 500 yrs after
the war)
- The reason for the war in his story
was a woman, Helen
- Why would Homer tell the story this
way?
III. The Trojan War (The Iliad)
• The war started when the Trojan prince,
Paris, fell in love with the Mycenaean
Queen, Helen.
• Paris kidnapped Helen, making the king
send the Mycenaean Army after them
• The Mycenaeans could not break through
the walls
III. The Trojan War (The Iliad)
• Odysseus, came up w/ the idea to build a giant
hollow horse that looked like a victory prize
• They then hid some of the Mycenaean troops inside
and send some of them home so that it looked like
a retreat
• The Trojans saw the boats leaving a pulled the horse
into the city.
• When night fell the Mycenaeans attacked killing the
king and taking Helen back to Greece
IV. A “Dark Age”
• Civil wars after the Trojan War weakened
Mycenaeans
• Dorians defeated the Mycenaeans w/ stronger
weapons
• Mycenaeans moved to Ionia
- Lost all cultural and technological
advancements
- Had to develop new communities
IV. A “Dark Age”
• The new people of the new civilizations began to
identify them selves as “Hellenes” or “Greeks”
• This new civilization lasted between 700BC until
336BC