Homeric world

• When did the Mycenaean age last from?

  1600 BC to 1150 BC
• Which civilisation is very similar to the Mycenaean civilisation?

  the Minoan civilisation
• what are the three periods that the mycenaean age has been divided into?

  the early period

  the palatial period

  the later period
• which king was Mycenae the home of?

  King Agamemnon
• what is the area like in Mycenae? (3 details)

  built on a hill - 40m above the surrounding land

  900m perimeter

  hills to the north and south, ravines surround the planes on 3 sides

  spring less than 400m away
• what is the citadel?

  means little city - ancient city built on higher ground and defended by walls
• when were the first mycenaean burials?

  around 1650 BC
• who first founded mycenae?

  perseus - the man who killed Medusa
• who gave perseus help to build mycenae?

  the mythical race of Cyclopes - they believed that no-one could have built such large structures
• who excavated mycenae? when?

  Heinrich Schliemann from 1876 - 1878
• how far is mycenae from tiryns?

  around 10 miles
• how big were the walls of tiryns?

  Up to 8m high and 13m thick
• what was tiryns famous for?

  it's palace, throne room, and arched galleries
• who was tiryns founded by?

  proitos - the brother of acrisius (the grandfather of perseus)
• where was hercules born?

  Tiryns
• where is troy found?

  in northwest turkey
• what are sally ports?

  A gap in the outer wall where defenders could surprise the enemy
• what is corbelling?


  a technique used to span a gap between two walls by placing increasingly larger blocks of stone onto each other, thereby creating a vaulted roof
• what is an example of corbelling?

  the passage which leads to the underground cistern and the roof of the Treasury of Atreus
• what was the layout of Mycenae like? (4 details)

  at the top of a hill - didn't have a flat top - had to be artificially levelled

  large terraces at the top which would be used for storage

  sally ports - one at north and one at south of city

  - use corbelling
• what is next to the northern sally port in Mycenae?

  a passage which goes under the perimeter wall and leads to an underground cistern
• what is a cistern?

  a tank used to store water
• what was the underground cistern like in Mycenae? (2)

  18m below ground level

  collected water through a series of clay pipes in the roof from the natural spring.
• what was the purpose of the underground cistern in Mycenae?

  if attackers laid siege to the city and tried to cut off the water supply, the mycenaeans would still be able to access fresh water
• what were the walls like in Mycenae? (3)

  original wall was enlarged to encompass the majority of Mycenae - finished by 1200 BC - 900m long
• where was the site of mycenae situated?

  northeast peloponnese, Greece
• what materials was the city of Mycenae made out of?

  limestone and conglomerate blocks
• what is the significance of the site of Mycenae?

  contains important frescoes, tombs and treasure
• when was Mycenae built?

  11th-17th Century BC
• what is the best preserved area of the wall in Mycenae like? (3)

  in the north of the city - 5.5m-7.5m thick

  estimated that the reached 12m tall.
• how tall is the section of the wall surrounding the lion gate?

  8.25m
• what were the cyclopean walls of Mycenae made of?

  limestone blocks - wall generally follows the contours of the hill
• what is the lion gate?

  Was visible in Troy, the symbol of the Royal family. Entrance to ancient Mycenae. The lion's gate showed architectural and artistic influence from the Hittites - recall the Hattusa had similar artifacts.
• what were the only 2 entrances to mycenae?

  the lion gate and the postern gate
• where are the oldest tombs found in Mycenae?

  in grave circle B
• what is Grave circle B like? (3)

  200m east of the city

  contains 24 graves

  enclosed within a stone wall - diameter of 28m
• who was found in Grave Circle B?

  tombs seem to be from the royal family

  tomb of clytemnestra was built over grave circle B 300 years later
• what are some of the graves in grave circle B marked by?

  Stelai
• what are stelai?


  stone slabs commonly used as tombstones - usually had patterns carved into them
• what does an uncarved stele indicate?

  the burial of a female