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# Mycenaean Civilization

## Overview
The Mycenaean civilization (~1600–1100 BCE) was the first major civilization on mainland Greece, known for its warrior culture, palatial centers, and connection to the Homeric epics. @t[1600 BCE..1100 BCE]

## Key Facts
- Region: Mainland Greece, Crete (after ~1450 BCE), Aegean islands @t[1600 BCE..1100 BCE]
- Period: ~1600–1100 BCE @t[1600 BCE..1100 BCE]
- Major sites: Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Athens, Midea, Gla, Orchomenos, Argos, Sparta [^3]
- Writing: Linear B (deciphered by Michael Ventris in 1952 as early Greek; adapted from Minoan Linear A) [^1]
- Society: Warrior aristocracy ruled by *wanax* (king); palace economy with centralized storage and redistribution [^3]

## Achievements
- Massive Cyclopean fortification walls up to 13 m high and 8 m thick at Mycenae, Tiryns, and Thebes [^3]
- Lion Gate at Mycenae (~1250 BCE) @t[~1250 BCE]
- Tholos tombs including the Treasury of Atreus (~1500–1400 BCE) @t[~1500 BCE..~1400 BCE]
- Megaron hall — precursor to later Archaic and Classical Greek temples [^3]
- Extensive trade networks reaching Egypt, the Levant, Cyprus, Anatolia, Sicily, and Italy [^3]
- Shaft graves at Mycenae (Grave Circle A, discovered by Schliemann 1876) containing gold death masks and ceremonial weapons @t[~1550 BCE] [^3]
- Likely historical basis for the Trojan War tradition; possibly reflecting real Mycenaean–Hittite conflicts [^2]

## Religion and Culture
- Religious practices included animal sacrifice, communal feasting, libation pouring, and offerings [^3]
- Minoan religious symbols (double axe, horns of consecration) adopted and adapted [^3]
- Fresco art depicted warriors, chariots, bull-leaping, griffins, and battle scenes [^3]
- Earliest evidence of a cult to Dionysos dates to ~1350 BCE in Mycenaean culture @t[~1350 BCE] [^3]

## Decline
Collapsed in stages from ~1230 BCE to ~1100 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, leading to the Greek Dark Ages (~1100–800 BCE). @t[1100 BCE..800 BCE] Causes debated: Sea Peoples, internal conflict, natural disasters (earthquakes), regional climate change, systems collapse. [^3]

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[^1]: Chadwick, J. *The Decipherment of Linear B* (Cambridge, 1958)
[^2]: Latacz, J. *Troy and Homer* (Oxford, 2004)
[^3]: Cartwright, M. "Mycenaean Civilization." *World History Encyclopedia*, 2 Oct 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/Mycenaean_Civilization/