Fall of Mycenae

Late c. 13th century BCE

We saw that the greatest megarons were surrounded by massive Cyclopean walls that seemed to outshine any other structures of its time. But why did they create such large walls? What frightened them so much that they needed to construct walls so large that only giants could have built them?

And suddenly - nothing.

For a period of approximately one hundred years in the late 13th century, main Mycenaean citadels seemed to collapse simultaneously and mysteriously. Little is known about the reason, but archaeological evidence shows that the Mycenaeans seemed to prepare for an oncoming decline by creating of a series of building fortifications around cities and the Isthmus of Corinth. Great Cyclopean walls sprung up around treasured citadels. Yet, several houses surrounding main cities in the mid-century were destroyed. Populations of the 12th century decreased and dispersed away from megaron living and Mycenaean record keeping fell out of style.

But how?

The cause of this collapse is unknown but widely speculated. Egyptian and Hittite documents make mention of land and sea raiding. Some scholars point to the invasion of the Dorian people from the north as one of the potential causes. Archaeological evidence suggests inward fighting between Mycenaean settlements. Some scientists have found proof of flooding or other environmental disasters.

Troy: Myth or History?

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Kerstiaen de Keuninck, The Fall of Troy, Belgian, 1560–1633, oil on canvas.

Archaeological evidence seems to confirm the existence of a wealthy, multi-layered city at the mouth of the Hellespont and have identified this city as the Homeric Troy. Scholars have also identified this period as the time of the Trojan War depicted in The Iliad. However, it was unlikely that the war was as large-scaled as Homer explained.

Troy was a large city made wealthy by its strategic position at the mouth of a river central to trade into the Black Sea. It had plentiful fishing spots and fertile fields. It made a tempting bounty to the Mycenaeans. Archaeological digs of the site of Troy confirm that the city burned to the ground during the time of turmoil on the mainland. Even so, a ten-year siege with an army thousands-strong is unlikely.

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CRITICAL THINKING:

How does a culture lose the ability to read and write?

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