Exploring Mycenaean Greece – Culture, Kingdoms and the Historical Context of the Trojan War

In this video we'll journey back to the late Bronze Age and explore Mycenaean Civilization in Greece and the wider Aegean world. We'll also delve into the historical events that may have led to armed conflicts between Mycenaeans and Hittites and that may have ultimately served as the basis for Homer's great epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Contents:

00:00 Contents and Introduction
02:43 Helladic Chronology Explained
03:42 Discovery of Mycenaean Culture
05:35 Geography of Greece
07:28 Early Mycenaeans
10:58 “Mycenae, Rich in Gold”
13:32 Linear B
16:54 Mycenaean Society and Material Culture
21:21 Mycenaean Palatial Centers and Major Kingdoms
23:39 Orchomenos
25:30 Gla
26:00 Thebes
27:00 Athens
29:10 Tiryns
29:49 Pylos
31:15 Daily Life, Food and Economy
36:41 Importance of Bronze
38:08 Warfare and Weapons
40:25 Hunting and Horses
41:47 Roads
42:26 Religion
45:28 Minoans and Maritime Trade
48:07 Earthquake on Thera
49:26 Mycenaeans on Crete
52:22 Mycenaean Political Unity?
53:31 Ahhiyawa and the Hittites
55:31 Attarissiya of Ahhiya
57:55 The Assuwan Confederacy
1:00:10 Piyamaradu and the Tawagalawa Letter
1:05:16 Alaksandu of Wilusa (Troy)
1:08:29 Ahhiyawa and Tudhaliya IV
1:11:20 Are Mycenaean Greece and Ahhiyawa the Same?
1:13:07 Mycenaean Trade with the World
1:15:08 The Uluburun Shipwreck
1:18:01 Fear and Dread
1:23:15 Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
1:25:53 Possible Theories for the Fall of Mycenaean Civilization
1:27:24 End of an Era
1:28:54 Thank You and Patrons

Related Videos:

The World of Neolithic Greece - The First Seafarers, Traders and Farmers of Prehistoric Greece

The Bronze Age in Paradise: The Early Societies of the Cyclades (Early Cycladic Culture)

The Hittites

Machinimas created using Total War: Rome 2 Age of Bronze mod

Sources and Suggested Reading:

The Mycenaeans - Louise Schofield
Mycenaeans - Rodney Castleden
In Search of the Trojan War - Michael Wood
The Iliad - Homer (translation by Peter Green)
Dawn of the Gods: Minoan and Mycenaean Origins of Greece - Jacquetta Hawkings
The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age - Edited by Cynthia W. Shelmerdine
Mycenaean Greece and the Aegean World: Palace and Province in the Late Bronze Age - Margaretha Kramer-Hajos
The Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age: A History - Jean-Claude Poursat and Carl Knappett
Mycenaean Messenia and the Kingdom of Pylos - Richard Hope Simpson
Mycenae: A Journey in the World of Agamemnon - Alkestis Papadimitriou and Elsi Spathari
Mycenae: A Guide to the History and Archaeology - Elsi Spathari
A Historical Greek Reader: Mycenaean to the Koiné - Stephen Colvin
A Companion to Linear B - Edited by Yves Duhoux and Anna Morpurgo Davies
A Mycenaean Fountain on the Athenian Acropolis - Oscar Broneer
The Oxford Handbook of the Aegean Bronze Age - Edited by Eric Cline
The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe - Barry Cunliffe
Warriors of Anatolia - Trevor Bryce
Letters of the Great Kings of the Ancient Near East: The Royal Correspondence of the Late Bronze Age - Trevor Bryce
"A Mycenaean Sword from Boǧazköy-Hattusa Found in 1991" in The Annual of the British School at Athens, Vol. 89 (1994), pp. 213-215 - O. Hansen
"Aššuwa and the Achaeans: The 'Mycenaean' Sword at Hattušas and Its Possible Implications" in The Annual of the British School at Athens, Vol. 91 (1996), pp. 137-151 - E. H. Cline

Shout out to ARCAS Travel for arranging visits to many of the sites seen in this program. Their team went above and beyond what was expected, and I couldn’t have visited all of these places without their help!

Follow History with Cy:

#bronzeage #ancienthistory #greece

[utsteinproductions]

Ancient cultures have always fascinated me. The fact that we have anything from them at all is amazing.

[Avraham]

Cy, you truly have stepped in to take the place of History Channel for me. I just love the way you narrate and the flow you have to telling history that makes it come alive. However much careful planning you put into these videos really shows and is supremely appreciated.

[PathsUnwritten]

"What grand and majestic name should we give our new city?"
"GLA"
"Oh, I think he's puking"

[kephrekhtheunbroken]

So good to see so much detail in each city, must have been really tough to find info in such detail, thanks!

[jackdaly]

You have no idea how much I needed this, doing my classical civilisations gcse either this year or next, and I've been looking desperately for a reliable and interesting video on the mycenaeans.

[GLeibniz]

Ah the Mycenaeans: wonderful, alluring, enchanting and, to this day, enigmatic. Their civilization is utterly unique- thanks for this ep. on a chilly Sunday night! Be safe.

[adambabbs]

I would just like to thank this channel for the important content it offers. Informative and doesn't waste everyone's time with deceptive re-enactments, which are never adequate. Instead we are shown actual artifacts, with labels, along with the archaeology and locale. Graphics are of low quality, but that's almost the point. Thanks.

[nicolelaw]

I was like "only 10, 000 views?? how, this is gold!" and then I saw "posted 13 hours ago"

[ROBERTGOTSCHALL-ju]

My tour guide in the mountain view at 2:20 explained that the two peaks represented cattle horns. She went on to explain the old Greek culture here, but I'm only now understanding what she was talking about.

[Boatish]

I dont know how Cy does it. He keeps it interesting and entertaining in this one as always, his passion just bleeds through into it. Good work!

[Kariakas]

So happy to see new upload, now to sit back and enjoy.

[the_clawing_chaos]

Do I have an hour and a half to watch a video on Mycenaean Greece? Hell yeah!

[matthewwagner]

If I become a teacher, I may use your content, it’s well presented, well organized, and has a TON of valuable historical information. Keep it up Cy

[edgrundy]

Thank you Cy! I've amassed so many hours watching your Mesopotamian videos and more that at this point, frankly, it would just be a bit rude of me not to tell you that you're the bees knees of a Youtube Historian! Fascinating content, passionately curated and lovingly presented - much thanks from the UK!

[Oshidashi]

Thanks, youve become one of my fav history channels over the years

[lostboy]

You literally have been my go to for History ever since History Channel stopped showing actual History it is hard to find long videos featuring History. And fun fact yesterday I was looking at a recommended article saying that Minoan and Mycenaeen share common ancestors due to similarities in DNA they both descended from the first Neolithic farmers of western Anatolia and the Aegean but Mycenaeen people who are share DNA ancestry with the modern Greeks have an additional ancestry of Caucasus and Iran northern steppe populations.

[jayb-wickorsnow]

Yo you are a legend bro your videos always are top notch with detail of primary evidence and great narration of old texts. Your one of the best history channels on Youtube 1000%

[anitapollard]

Just yesterday, i was pining away about when is Cy our History guy ever going to give us more of his awwesome hard work and botta boom botta bing! Here's Cy the History guy 😁 with what looks like a well waited for epic!!! Thank you Cy!

[SqueeberDeeb]

Oh wow. I'm really going to enjoy this!
All of Cy's videos are incredible. Excellent narration, the maps/footage of the different locations just make it all a treat to watch.

[Aijia_Vance]

Cy, Ive been looking for consolidated information on mycenae for a bit now. Very glad youve made something