
The palaces were destroyed, and their system of writing, their art, and their way of life were gone. The causes of their decline are not entirely clear. According to Greek legends, they were replaced by half-civilized Dorian invaders from the north.
What happened to the Mycenaean civilization?
Around the year 1200 BCE the Mycenaean civilization shows signs of decline. By 1100 it was extinguished. The palaces were destroyed, and their system of writing, their art, and their way of life were gone.
Did an earthquake trigger the end of the Mycenaean period?
Our results indicate that the hypothesis of a destructive earthquake in Tiryns and Midea, which may have contributed to the end of the LBA Mycenaean palatial period, is unlikely.” Those researchers believe that an uprising or invasion was more likely to have initiated the fall of the Mycenaeans.
What caused the collapse of the Aegean?
The precise reasons behind the Bronze Age Collapse of the Aegean will likely never been known; too many factors working in conjunction with one another could have had any number of negative impacts on the centralized international trade centers of the Mediterranean. The Mycenaeans' downfall, however, might have a light at the end of the tunnel.
Were the Mycenaeans the real victims of the Trojan War?
So Mycenaeans were among the “Sea Peoples” who invaded Egypt around 1000 BCE, only to be defeated, and as a consequence the “Dark Ages” suited. The irony is that the Trojan refugees were perhaps the real victors of the Trojan war, if it is true that after a long wandering they became the ancestors of the Romans, as the later were proudly claiming.

What came after the Mycenaeans?
The Greek Dark Ages is the period of Greek history from the end of the Mycenaean palatial civilization around 1100 BC to the beginning of the Archaic age around 750 BC.
What did the Mycenaeans do after they defeated the Minoans?
After the Mycenaeans defeated the Minoans, they adopted elements of the Minoan culture. there were no written records.
What was the significance of the end of the Mycenaean civilization?
The researchers argue that the long period of drought following the palace's destruction led to the end of the “Mycenaean way of life in Pylos,” as agricultural surpluses were eliminated thus making it difficult “for social elites to re-form and for the palatial system to be re-established.”
What was an outcome of the dissolution of the Mycenaean government?
The dissolution of the centralized Mycenaean government led to the development of fiercely independent city-states. The decline of literacy led to the creation of The Iliad and The Odyssey.
What period occurred after the fall of the mycenaeans describe this period?
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 ...
When did the Mycenaean civilization end?
Fall of Mycenae 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. It's unclear what caused the destruction of Mycenae, though theories abound.
What did the mycenaeans accomplish?
The most significant Mycenaean achievement was the invention of a new writing system, the syllabary named Linear B. The decipherment of this writing verified that the official language of the Mycenaean palaces was the Greek language. This ascertainment shifted the Mycenaean period from Prehistory to Protohistory.
Who defeated the mycenaeans?
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.
What happened to the Mycenaean civilization during the Dark Age?
The Dark Age era begins with a catastrophic event: the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, when all major Mycenaean regional centres fell out of use after suffering a combination of destruction and abandonment.
Where did the mycenaeans go?
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. Mycenae is celebrated by Homer as the seat of King Agamemnon, who led the Greeks in the Trojan War.
How did the Minoan civilization end?
Volcanic explosion. Three and a half thousand years ago, the tiny Aegean island of Thera was devastated by one of the worst natural disasters since the Ice Age - a huge volcanic eruption. This cataclysm happened 100km from the island of Crete, the home of the thriving Minoan civilisation.
Did the Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans?
Mycenaeans. The Mycenaean civilization developed in the 1500s bce, when Greek-speaking people settled down on the Greek mainland. The Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans in about 1400 bce. Their civilization is named after Mycenae, its most important city.
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 tablets were baked around the time of the collapse?
The well-known Linear B tablets, Mycenaean records, and the undeciphered Linear A tablets of the Minoans were likely baked around the time of the collapse, thus preserving them for future decoding.
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.
Did the Mycenaeans let the Minoans die out?
Their extensive borrowing of Minoan art forms, palatial complex structures, and language indicates that assimilation went both ways—the Mycenaeans did not let the Minoans die out.
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.
How was the Palace of the Holy Sepulchre destroyed?
The palace was destroyed by an invasion from the sea. Most of the tablets recovered there describe preparations for the attack. The first attack involved attacks on the priests but no burning. The scribes had a chance to write about it before the 2nd attack which destroyed the palace.
Why did the kings of Mycenae fight?
The kings of Mycenae always had to fight to retain their positions. They engaged in constant warfare with each other and the long Trojan War may have weakened their power. The great workshops were the first to disappear. By 1200 there were no more luxurious weapons and vases.
What was the purpose of the Sea Peoples?
The only strangers for which we have good evidence are the Sea Peoples and their main goal was to stop the advance of the new philosophy of the jealous male gods, and not to take slaves or even to plunder , which was incidental.
What happened to the Mycenaean civilization in 1200 BCE?
By 1100 it was extinguished. The palaces were destroyed, and their system of writing, their art, and their way of life were gone. The causes of their decline are not entirely clear.
Did the first attackers burn the priests?
It was all to no avail. The first attackers appear to have targeted the priests but did no burning. This allowed the scribes enough time to describe the attack on their tablets when the second wave of attackers arrived who devastated the palace with fire and beat anyone they could find.
