The Mycenaeans

Named after Mycenae, the legendary city of Agamemnon first excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in his search for the Greek heroes of the Trojan War, the Mycenaeans were the creators of a vibrant and powerful Aegean civilization which rose and fell between about 1600 and 1100 BC, during the Late Bronze Age.

Schliemann's discovery of shaft graves belonging to a warrior elite, many of whom were buried wearing striking gold death-masks, sparked off serious investigation into the complex, wealthy and influential culture of this previously forgotten people who were ancestors of the Classical Greeks.

This book, based on the latest research, traces their development and describes where the Mycenaeans came from, their major achievements, and assesses what we really know about their daily life and times.

Much can be learned of their religion, political and social hierarchy, military and trading activities.

Also surviving are striking painted pottery and other fascinating artefacts, architectural remains of fortress-palaces, and shrines and votive offerings.The book investigates its legendary links with the Trojan War and the various explanations for the eventual destruction of Mycenaean civilization and its decline into the 'Dark Ages'.