The Mycenaean civilization emerged during the Late Bronze Age that spanned from approximately 1750 BCE to 1050 BCE. The civilization derived its name from Mycenae, its main city in the Argolid region of the Peloponnese. When the society reached its apex between 1500 BCE and 1200 BCE, its influence spread widely across the Peloponnese region in Greece and throughout the Aegean. That said, a unique aspect of the Mycenaean civilization was their tombs.
How Did the Mycenaean Civilization Rise?
The Mycenaean civilization drew some cultural elements from the Minoan civilization that peaked from about 2000 BCE to 1450 BCE. The Mycenaeans are believed to have contributed to the downfall of the Minoan civilization as there are indications that they conquered the Minoans sometime around 1450 BCE. Over time, the Mycenaeans established dominance over much of mainland Greece and several nearby islands.
They additionally forged trade connections with other Bronze Age civilizations. The civilizations included those in Egypt, the Levant, and Cyprus. Beyond the Bronze Age, the Mycenaean legacy endured for many centuries through stories of mythical heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles whose heroic escapades such as the Trojan War continued to be a part of Greek culture. The tales grew in popularity because they were based on heroic Mycenaean figures in the Homeric stories, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
What Were Mycenaean Tombs?
The Mycenaeans had three main types of burial structures, and they were namely the shaft graves, and the chamber and tholos tombs. Shaft graves were among the earliest forms of burial place designs and were essentially rectangular graves that were dug a few meters into the ground. Usually, they had floors made of pebbles and a slab roof. Chamber tombs on the other hand were designed to resemble mini houses, complete with entrance passages, a doorway, and a chamber. However, compared to typical chamber tombs, tholos tombs were larger and had walls built using a construction technique called corbelling. The technique relied on using rows of corbels to enhance structural integrity.
Common Mycenaean chamber tombs were first used in Messenia towards the end of the Middle Helladic era (1600 BCE) and became common in the Late Bronze Age in the Aegean region (1700 BCE to 1000 BCE). Many of the chamber tombs that were built in the Late Bronze Age were built using rough slabs, rubble, and undressed stone.
What Were the Characteristics of Tholos Tombs?
The elites of Mycenae were buried in tholos tombs. These resembled regular chamber tombs but had several main differences. The first is that tholos tombs were round, dome-shaped tombs, many of which had a diameter of between 13 and 42 feet and were beehive shaped. Some of them additionally featured a side-chamber. Tholos tomb walls were also built using large stones and the spaces between them filled with mud. Unlike common chamber tombs, which were usually dug into hillsides, tholoi were built using stone blocks and then covered with dirt.
During burial, the doorway was usually blocked with a stone wall and the sloping entry passage filled with earth. That said, the deceased were also buried alongside items such as weapons and jewelry. The items varied according to the social status of the buried individuals. Unfortunately, many of the tombs were robbed long ago leaving little for archaeologists to study. Many of the tholos have been found to contain the remains of several people who shared the same lineage. As such, it is speculated that they were owned and maintained by elite families.
The Treasury of Atreus situated in Mycenae is the biggest and one of the most pristinely-preserved of the tholos tombs today. Its doorway is about 29.5 feet long. The main chamber is about 45 feet in height and 48 feet across. The tomb is made of 33 layers of stone and also features a smaller side-chamber.
What Types of Tombs Were Prevalent in the Palace Administration?
Mycenaean chamber tombs are strongly linked to the emergence of the palace government model that existed between 1400 BCE and 1200 BCE. This is based on the timing of their rise. Hundreds of regular Mycenaean chamber tombs have been found around Mycenae. Some experts contend that the tombs belonged to lower-ranking members of the palace administration, while the tholos tombs (dome-shaped tombs) were for the highest-ranking people of the society such as the rulers (wanax) and other key figures. One monumental tomb at Megalo Kastelli, for example, has been linked to Theban rulers.
After the end of the Bronze Age, the building of burial chambers in Greece mostly came to an end in tandem with the decline of the Mycenaean civilization. However, some graves continued to be used to commemorate important people and for rituals during the Greek Early Iron Age era.
