It was a civilization based upon a warrior society, with massive palaces, and great wealth. The Mycenaean Greeks were fond of adventure and traveling, and believed that all of the Mediterranean should be explored.
Most of the Mycenaean area holds great amounts of history and myth, making it sometimes difficult to tell what was (and what wasn't) reality for them. Many Classical Greek myths came from the time of the Mycenaeans. Most famously known are the Trojan war and the Labours of Herakles. It was a time of kings, remarkable architecture, and war throughout the vast lands of the Mediterranean. The Mycenaean palaces were protected by fortification made out of giant boulders. The Classical Greeks described the remains of the Mycenaean palaces as being "Cyclopean." The walls were meters thick and anywhere from 6 to 9 meters in height. It was for this reason that the Classical Greeks believed the palaces must have been built by giants (Cyclopes).
Mycenaean pottery had its own distinct look. The shapes were decorated with a brownish glaze and the background was very light. Many of the shapes were taken from the Minoans living on the island of Crete. Thus, marine animals such as the octopus were popular.
The well known gods of Olympia, such as Zeus and Hera, were worshipped by the Mycenaeans. However, unlike the later times in Greek history, worship did not take place in large temples. Instead, there were small alters where people could go and offer sacrifices. Small terracotta statues were given to the gods as gifts.
The Mycenaeans had various levels to their society. A wanax, king, was at the top of the social heirarchy. They were a society made up of warriors. Some engraved artwork on graves show scenes of warfare. Tombs were found full of armour, swords, and daggers (many of which were made out of bronze). Their helmets consisted of leather caps that had boars' tusks sewed on them.
The Dissolution of the Mycenaean World
Ancient sources point to the migration of the Dorians as being the reason why the Mycenaean world fell. It was said that these "descendants of Herakles" returned to the north to claim the land that was rightfully theirs. For a long time archaeologists accepted this idea. After all, archaeologists found features that led them to believe the claim was true. This included evidence of the introduction of iron in the region, the improvement of weapons, and new methods of burials (such as cremation). However, today it is thought that those improvements and inventions were not brought from the north, but rather the east. So, archaeologists took on the challenge of trying to figure out the real reason on why the Mycenaean world ended. New theories emerged, everything from earthquakes, to famines, to sea raiders. No answer is said to be more probable than another. This leaves the Greek's tale of the Dorian invasion as being a possible answer.
At the same time of the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization there were major disruptions in the Middle East. The Hittite kingdom in Asia Minor fell and ancient historians tell of a battle between the people of Asia Minor and "Sea Peoples." Could they have caused the downfall of the Mycenaean world? There are many questions that have yet to be answered, such as is there a link between the dissolution of the Mycenaean world and mass migrations of other Greeks to Asia Minor? What was so bad at the time that thousands of people felt they must flee their native land in Greece? One can only wonder...
