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what destroyed the mycenaean civilization

by Lou Simonis Jr. Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How is this related to climate?

  • Some researchers believe that the collapse of Mycenaean civilization was caused by large natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, evidenced by broken pottery and damaged walls. These disasters would have been devastating and volcanic eruptions could have impacted the climate.
  • Others proposed that the collapse was more directly related to climate change. ...

Some researchers believe that the collapse of Mycenaean civilization was caused by large natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, evidenced by broken pottery and damaged walls. These disasters would have been devastating and volcanic eruptions could have impacted the climate.

Full Answer

What may have caused the end of the Mycenaean civilization?

What caused the end of the Mycenaean age? New study finds: Ancient Mycenaean civilization might have collapsed due to uprising or invasion. For many years, the prevailing theory on how the Mycenaean civilisation collapsed was that devastating earthquakes led to the destruction of its palaces in the Peloponnese, southern Greece around 1,200 BC.

How did Mycenaean civilization affect the later Greeks?

When the Bronze Age system collapsed so too did the Mycenaean culture, but when classical Greek culture emerged several hundred years later it was clearly influenced by the Mycenaeans, especially in terms of language, religion, and economics.

What really happened to the Mayan civilization?

What Really Happened to the Maya Civilization? Maya civilization may have collapsed for a number of reasons . For example, new religious or prophetic movements may have damaged societal cohesion or threatened the established order, causing internal strife that was highly divisive. Corrupt or inept leaders may have lost legitimacy, leading to ...

What characterized the first Greek civilization of the Mycenaeans?

What characterized the first Greek civilization of the Mycenaeans? The Mycenaeans civilization was made of powerful monarchies. The Mycenaeans were, above all, a warrior people who prided themselves on their heroic deeds in battle. They also developed an extensive commercial network; of Mycenaean pottery.

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What people destroyed the Mycenaean civilization?

The Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations were destroyed by new arrivals from Macedonia and Epirus. This new group of Greeks, called the Dorians, settled in the war ravaged lands and developed their civilization. The Dorians had a well-developed dialect and settled into communities based on their “tribes”.

When was the Mycenaean civilization destroyed?

Mycenae and the Mycenaean civilization began to decline around 1200 B.C. Mycenae's people abandoned the citadel around 100 years later after a series of fires.

Who killed the mycenaeans?

They caused widespread destruction in Anatolia and the Levant and were finally defeated by Pharaoh Ramesses III in c. 1175 BC. One of the ethnic groups that comprised these people were the Eqwesh, a name that appears to be linked with the Ahhiyawa of the Hittite inscriptions.

What led to the end of the Minoan civilization?

Around 1,500 B.C., one of the biggest eruptions in Europe's history affected the Minoan civilization. The volcanic eruption in Thera, destroyed the Minoan settlement in Akrotiri, which had as a consequence the beginning of the end for the Minoan civilization.

What happened to Mycenaean civilization during the Dark Age?

This period is called the Dark Age because the palaces that ruled the Mycenaean age collapsed, and with them fell civilization in mainland Greece. Writing, fine art, massive architecture, trade, and luxury goods disappear from mainland Greece. But Athens survived the fall of the Mycenaeans.

Who overtook the Mycenaeans?

The similarities between the Minoans ans the Mycenaeans were so striking that the early archaeologist, Sir Arthur Evans, concluded that the palaces of mainland Greece had to have been conquered and occupied by Cretan kings.

How did the Dorians defeat the Mycenaeans?

The Dorians used iron weapons, and Mycenaean bronze, though more beautiful and artful, was no match for Dorian iron. Iron replaced bronze during the Dark Age. The Dorians had no need for the Mycenaean palaces and burned them down. The Dorians were now the masters of Greece.

How long did the Mycenaeans last?

Mycenaean is the term applied to the art and culture of Greece from ca. 1600 to 1100 B.C. The name derives from the site of Mycenae in the Peloponnesos, where once stood a great Mycenaean fortified palace.

When did the Mycenaeans start and end?

Mycenaean is the term applied to the art and culture of Greece from ca. 1600 to 1100 B.C. The name derives from the site of Mycenae in the Peloponnesos, where once stood a great Mycenaean fortified palace.

How many years did the Mycenaean civilization last?

…an earlier Greek civilization, the Mycenaean, toward the end of the 2nd millennium bce, when the Dark Age descended upon Greece and lasted for three centuries.

When did the Minoan civilization start and end?

Minoan civilization, Bronze Age civilization of Crete that flourished from about 3000 bce to about 1100 bce. Its name derives from Minos, either a dynastic title or the name of a particular ruler of Crete who has a place in Greek legend.

What period occurred after the fall of the Mycenaeans?

With the mysterious end of the Mycenaean civilization and the so-called Bronze Age Collapse in the ancient Aegean and wider Mediterranean, there came the 'Dark Ages' (another extreme label for a period which was perhaps not as dark as all that) and, although some sites began to revive from the 10th century BCE, it ...

Which event was more likely to have initiated the fall of the Mycenaeans?

Those researchers believe that an uprising or invasion was more likely to have initiated the fall of the Mycenaeans.

How did copper affect the Mycenaean civilization?

Essentially, as Mycenaean culture was so tightly woven around itself—dependent on good relations with neighboring leaders and societies— any amount of internal unrest could negatively affect the Mycenaeans primary source of income . Financial devastation in the wake of internal warfare, external invasions, or natural disasters would have made recovery near impossible.

What was the Aegean Bronze Age?

The Aegean Bronze Age is predominately known as the period in which the battle-hardened Mycenaeans conquered the simple sea-trading Minoans and rose to become one of the most powerful trading powers in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Why did the Mycenaean culture go to its knees?

It has therefore often been assumed that the catastrophe that brought the Mycenaean culture to its knees was related to this preference for bloodshed—perhaps by themselves engaging in warfare – since the Mycenaeans were seen as a threat by neighboring empires.

What was the Mycenaean Union?

The Mycenaean Union of Religion, Politics, and Economics. Mycenaean culture was centered around large palatial complexes, in which religion, politics, and economics were intricately entwined. The disruption of one could lead to the disruption of many.

What countries were damaged by the Aegean?

Specifically, Anatolia (modern day Turkey, in which the mythological Troy existed), Egypt, and the Levant (modern day Iraq, etc.) were damaged by a chain of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that also rocked the Aegean. However, in 2018 a team of German researchers published a study countering this view, stating:

How many ships did Idomeneus sail to Troy?

As a result, to participate in the Trojan war (around 1200 BCE), the warlord of Crete Idomeneus sailed to Troy with no less than 80 ships, according to Homer.

What caused the destruction of the Mycenaean citadel?

In the 1980s several findings in the most recent archaeological excavations at Mycenaean Tiryns in the Argive Basin, Peloponnese, led the excavator to interpret undulating and inclined walls, fallen pottery, and human remains as signs of a devastating earthquake that destroyed the palatial buildings and other constructions within the Tiryns citadel. It was even speculated that this natural disaster dated to 1200 to 1190 BCE could have been a contributing cause for the decline of the Mycenaean civilization, and later by others that this event was part of a 50-years-lasting ‘earthquake storm’ in the Eastern Mediterranean.

When did the earthquakes destroy the Great Palaces of Mycenaean civilization?

For decades, archaeologists were convinced that large earthquakes destroyed the great palaces of the Mycenaean civilization in the Peloponnese around 1200 BCE. But new research and studies of the Earthquake Hypothesis conclude that it is unlikely that seismic activity would have contributed to the fall of Mycenae.

Why is the lower town of Tiryns more vulnerable to earthquakes than the Cyclopean palace walls?

Because of poor construction techniques and the associated site effects, the buildings in the Lower Town surrounding the citadel of Tiryns were more vulnerable than the structures within the Cyclopean palace walls, but evidence of an earthquake destruction stratum in the Lower Town has not yet been found.

Why are the buildings in the Lower Town surrounding the citadel of Tiryns more vulnerable than the structures within the?

The field work and results were supplemented by analysis of the individual damage descriptions and observations from the archaeological literature on which the hypothesis is based. Because of poor construction techniques and the associated site effects, the buildings in the Lower Town surrounding the citadel of Tiryns were more vulnerable than the structures within the Cyclopean palace walls, but evidence of an earthquake destruction stratum in the Lower Town has not yet been found.

What frequency is the Cyclopean fortification wall?

While the shallow double limestone knoll of Tiryns, which contained the Mycenaean palace and carries a massive Cyclopean fortification wall, shows only small site amplifications below a factor of 2 at frequencies between 2 and 10 Hz, the soft sediments in the surrounding area, where the peasant residences were located, show amplifications of 4 to 6.

What were the Mycenaean sites?

Observations at Mycenaean archaeological sites of tilted and curved walls, broken pottery, and human skeletons led to the hypothesis that these sites in the Argolid, Peloponnese, Greece, were destroyed in large earthquakes between the late palatial (thirteenth century B.C.E.) and postpalatial (1200–1050 B.C.E.) periods.

What is the city of Heracles linked to?

In ancient times, the city was linked to the myths surrounding Heracles, with some sources citing it as his birthplace.

What was the fall of the Mycenaean civilization?

Around 1200 BC the fall of the Mycenaean civilization began. The fall of this great civilization was known as the Dark Age. According to the Mycenaean civilization history, the Dark Age included declining in population and declining of the settlements. The Mycenaean civilization began spreading widely around 1600BC. This civilization advanced by conquest unlike Minoans who advanced with trade. The Mycenaean civilization had defeated Minoans and captured their lands. Archaeologists got to know a lot about the history of the Mycenaean civilization when they discovered their buried Nobel in beehive tombs. The beehive tombs were large circular cylinder shaped burial chambers with a high vaulted roof and a straight passage. The nobles were burned with masks made of gold, along with crowns, tiara, weapons embossed with jewelry and armors. The process of burying the Noble was that they were mummified and were buried in a sitting position.

What is the Mycenaean civilization known for?

The Mycenaean civilization was also known as Achaean civilization. Their civilization was the cultural period of the Bronze Age. Pylos, Corinth and Mycenae were independent city states were the strongest among the Mycenaean civilization. Mycenae was a city of Agamemnon (one of those leaders who defeated Troy.) the city states were ruled by kings. They had their palaces built on hilltops which were enclosed with giant walls, in case of attack; these walls helped them to defend. Mycenae was one of the dominating cities in the Peloponnese with their impressive gate of the Lions; they had huge palaces which were replicated in many parts of the Greece. The history of Mycenaean civilization is very rich. This civilization was known for their jewelry designs which are still stored in the National Archaeological Museum located in Athens. Apart from jewelry, other ornaments and artifacts are also displayed. According to Mycenaean civilization, the people of this civilization were literate and educated, they wrote in a script known as the Linear B. Apart from Greece, some traces of the Mycenaean civilization can also be found in Egypt, North Syria and Asia.

What were the main industries of the Mycenaean civilization?

The Mycenaean civilization had a special workforce; each worker belonged to a specific category and was assigned to specific places in the stage of production (which was all basically related to textiles). Textile was one of the principal sectors of the economy. The entire chain of production from the flock of the sheep to the stocking of the store rooms present in the palace, sorting of wools, shearing all was don’t in the workshops. There were 145 different types of textile in Mycenaean civilization, 550 textile workers worked in the palace of Pylos while 900 worked in Knossos. The Mycenaean civilization was very much involved in the metal industry. The smith used to make jewelry of bronze gold and other metals. They also used to make weapons such as swords, bows and archers. According to the history, Mycenaean was experts in making perfumes, artifacts and jewelries (which can still be found in different museums across the entire Greece land).

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1.Mycenaean Civilization - World History Encyclopedia

Url:https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/

31 hours ago  · The reasons for the demise of the Mycenaean civilization, which occurred in stages from c. 1230 BCE to c. 1100 BCE, are much debated. We do know that several sites were destroyed between 1250 and 1200 BCE, ushering in the so-called Post-Palatial period when the …

2.Collapse of the Mycenaean Civilization (1250-1000 BCE)

Url:https://www.science.smith.edu/climatelit/collapse-of-the-mycenaean-civilization-1250-1000-bce/

12 hours ago Some researchers believe that the collapse of Mycenaean civilization was caused by large natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, evidenced by broken pottery and …

3.The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the …

Url:https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-important-events/fall-civilization-mysterious-collapse-mycenaean-bronze-age-009367

25 hours ago Mycenae was burned and destroyed, perhaps by invading Dorians, about 1100 bce, but the outer city was not deserted, graves of the Protogeometric and Geometric periods have been …

4.New Findings: How the Mycenaean Civilization was …

Url:https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2018/04/10/mycenaean-civilization-earthquake-hypothesis-new/

23 hours ago The Fall of a Civilization: The Mysterious Collapse of the Mycenaean Bronze Age. Read Later. Print. "In most cases, collapse results from multiple, 'cascading' stress factors—politico …

5.Mycenaean civilization - Rise and fall - GreeceMe

Url:https://www.greeceme.com/mycenaean-civilization-rise-fall.html

14 hours ago  · For decades, archaeologists were convinced that large earthquakes destroyed the great palaces of the Mycenaean civilization in the Peloponnese around 1200 BCE. But new …

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