Aegean Civilization

I

Introduction

Aegean Civilization, term used to denote the Bronze Age civilization that developed (c. 3000-1200 bc) in the basin of the Aegean Sea, mainly on Crete, the Cyclades, and the mainland of Greece. It consisted of two major cultures: the Minoan, which flourished in Crete and reached its height in the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000-1450 bc), notably at Knossos and Phaistos; and the Mycenaean, which developed in the Late Bronze Age (c. 1450-1100 bc) at Mycenae and other centres on the Greek mainland, including Tiryns and Pylos.

II

The Discovery of Aegean Civilization

Ancient Greek writers had related stories of an ancient “age of heroes”, when the gods themselves intervened in great events and the endeavours of humans. The story of King Minos and the killing of the Minotaur by Theseus, related in Greek mythology, may be a faint echo of the battle for hegemony in the Aegean in which Mycenae gained control over Knossos. In the Iliad, Homer describes the Trojan War and the fall of Troy at the hands of the Greeks, as well as such sites as Mycenae and Pylos. However, no concrete knowledge about the existence of Aegean civilization emerged until the late 19th century, when archaeological excavations began at the cities of Troy and Mycenae, at Knossos, and at other sites.

In 1870 the German amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began excavating Hissarlik, a mound in Turkey, and found what are believed to be the ruins of Troy. In Greece he uncovered the sites of Mycenae in 1876-1878 and Tiryns in 1884. Finds of fortress palaces, pottery, ornaments, and royal tombs containing gold and other artefacts demonstrated the existence of a well-developed civilization that had flourished from about 1500 to 1200 bc. Schliemann’s work has been continued by numerous archaeologists in the 20th century.

In 1900 the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans discovered a huge palace complex at Knossos, Crete, that he associated with King Minos and the labyrinth. Evans also found baked clay tablets with two types of writing, now known as Linear A and Linear B, dating from the middle of the 2nd millennium bc. Linear B tablets from about 1200 bc have also been found at Pylos and at other Mycenaean sites. Michael Ventris deciphered Linear B and John Chadwick, a Classical scholar, proved that it is an early form of Greek. Linear A, the language of Minoan Crete, has not yet been deciphered. The discovery of Linear B on Crete supported the conclusion that the Mycenaeans from mainland Greece gained ascendancy over the Minoans.

The existence of a civilization that had connections with both the mainland and Crete is indicated by artefacts found in the Cyclades. Since the 1930s Greek excavations of a Cycladic settlement on the island of Thera, also known as Santorini, have uncovered frescos and artefacts similar to those of the Minoan civilization. Thera was apparently destroyed by a great volcanic eruption about 1625 bc. (Suggestions that the disaster may have been the basis for the writings by Plato on the lost continent of Atlantis can only be speculative.) More recent excavations on the islands encircling Delos have traced the Cycladic culture back to the 4th millennium bc, when merchants, in search of obsidian (a volcanic glass that is highly suitable for toolmaking), and fishermen established seasonal settlements there. Although no examples of writing have been found, Cycladic culture produced distinctive pottery, jewellery, and unique types of stylized marble figures, generally of women and often life-size in scale, that were often placed in burials.

III

The Development of Aegean Civilization

Recent archaeological discoveries, such as those at the village of Dimini in Thessaly, northern Greece, have produced material evidence of a cultural progression from the Neolithic (New Stone Age) to the Bronze Age, which began about 3000 bc and which can be divided into three periods: Early, Middle, and Late.

A

Early Bronze Age

In about 3000 bc a new people apparently arrived in the Aegean, perhaps from Asia Minor. They used bronze to make weapons and tools, and thus introduced bronze-working to the Aegean. On the mainland, their villages appear to have been small independent units, often protected by thick walls; on Crete and in the Cyclades, their buildings gradually became more complex. Burials were communal throughout the Aegean, but burial practices varied. On the mainland, pit graves and some of the more elaborate constructions were common. In the Cyclades, graves consisted of stone-lined burial chambers (cists). On Crete, burials were made in circular stone tombs, rectangular ossuaries (bone depositories), and caves. In all these burials, provision was made for the placing of cult offerings, and the dead were often buried with rich grave goods.