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After making astoundiding studies related to ancient Greece Heinrich Schlieman attempted a dig at Mycenae in August of 1876. The nature of his discoveries at Mycenae were so dramatic that Mycenaean became the name for the whole culture that spread across Greece. In 1952 Michael Ventris identified a decipherment of Linear B and new information became available about the nature of the Mycenaean culture. The texts turned out to be accounting lists rather than poetry or mythology. This writing system was probably confined to a minority of the population who were professional scribes. By correlating the information from clay tablet lists in linear B with archaeological information many facts about the Mycenaean culture are revealed.
One reason that Linear B was able to be deciphered is that the language of the Mycenaeans was an early form of Greek, while the language of the Minoans was not Greek. When the Mycenaean culture collapsed around 1000 BCE the Linear B writing was lost. The writing that then developed was based on the Phonaecian alphabet and included the unique feature of vowels. It probably was developed by Greek merchants who needed it to record transactions. But its usefelness quickly spread and the whole population became literate. By 800 BCE the myths had been recorded in the new script. The myths were based on the Mycenaean past but they had been preserved by itinerant story tellers who memorized the stories of their predecessors. It was common for them to use contemporary examples to make their stories more realistic. Thus the myths contain information about ancient Greece during a period of perhaps a thousand years before they were written down.
Until its conquest by the Mycenaeans the Minoan culture was dominant and many aspects of the Minoan culture were probably adopted by the Mycenaeans. This includes many names, crops, crafts, and even religion. The Greek language was in a formative period and when the Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans it was spread thoughout the Greek area. The Minoans were not interested in military lifestyles while the Mycenaeans were very interested in weapons and hunting. The Minoans focused on the sea while the Mycenaeans possessed a small horse which they rode on land. The Minoans developed a high culture which centered on their palaces while the Mycenaeans seem to have borrowed most of their culture from Crete. The Mycenaeans also developed a palace culture.
During ceremonies the dress of Minoans and Mycenaeans is similar but on other occaisions it differs. Clay figures are typically female and wear a polos, a tall headdress associated with divinities. Three female figures
The mycenaean economy was focused on wool. Many female slaves were acquired because of their ability to work wool.
Mycenaean goddess
Question: Aegean culture
Answer: Aegean Culture generally includes Minoan, Cycladian, and Mycenaean cultures. Minoan was named after King Minos of Greek myth, but probably refers to a culture which was before his time. Mycenaean refers to a culture which included the entire mainland of Greece but is was named after the ancient Greek City of Mycenae, which Agamemnon ruled. The Cycladean culture refers to an early culture located mainly on the Cycladean islands in the Aegean.
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