What are notable Mycenaean archaeological artifacts?

Mycenaean Greece represents the final phase of the Bronze Age in mainland Greece, lasting from roughly 1750 to 1050 BC. The civilization was characterized by palace-centered states, a warrior elite, and a distinct artistic and writing tradition. Major archaeological artifacts from this period, including works of art and written records, are preserved and housed in major institutions like the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

What we know

• Mycenaean Greece spanned from approximately 1750 to 1050 BC as the last phase of the Bronze Age in ancient Greece. [3]
• The National Archaeological Museum in Athens contains the richest collection of Greek Antiquity artifacts worldwide. [2]
• The Mycenaean civilization used a syllabic script known as Linear B, which offers the first written records of the Greek language. [3]
• Mycenaean society was dominated by a warrior elite and a network of palace-centered states headed by a king known as a wanax. [3]

Still open

• The exact causes of the collapse of Mycenaean civilization remain a matter of various theories, including the Dorian invasion, Sea Peoples, natural disasters, and climatic changes.

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat caused the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization?
• what followedHow did the Greek Dark Ages follow the Mycenaean period?
• how it workedHow does Linear B provide written records of Mycenaean Greece?
• compared withWhat can we learn from Minoan civilization artifacts?
• whereWhere is the National Archaeological Museum located in Athens?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Minoan Crete influence Mycenaean culture?Mainland Mycenaean Greeks were likely stimulated by their contact with insular Minoan Crete to develop their own sophisticated culture, and later even dominated Minoan Crete politically or culturally.

Sources

• [1]National Archaeological Museum of Athens (Wikidata Q637187) · CC0 1.0
• [2]National Archaeological Museum, Athens · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Mycenaean Greece · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Artifact (archaeology) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Minoan civilization · CC BY-SA 4.0