Mycenaean Warriors of Bronze Age Greece

The Mycenaean culture lasted from 1600 BC- 1100 BC. At its peak, its warriors were clade in bronze armour, spears and shields. The fundamentals for the famous hoplite were set by these warlike people.

Here, we will talk about the culture and equipment of the Mycenaean warriors of bronze age Greece, who lasted from 1600-1100 BC.

Mycenaean Warrior Culture

Opening lines of the Iliad: “Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles, murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses.”

The clash of bronze and shouts of men in the fields of Greece. The age of bronze is ending, and the light of civilisation dims. The claws of a dark age grip the land. Ares looks over at the nation that has now plunged into war. Fear grips the hearts of men, and they raise their voices in pleas. Ares smiles and, with a spear in hand, answers the call of his name.

Within the hierarchical society of rulers, artists, farmers, and enslaved people, the warrior class held considerable power in Mycenaean society. Warfare, combat, and warriors were favourite topics in Mycenaean art.

Very often, warriors are the centre of attention. This would reflect a reverence for martial prowess, courage, honour and strength.

From literature like Homer’s Iliad and Odessy, it is clear that the later Greeks revered their warrior ancestors. The themes of bravery and honour are central to Homer’s poems.

Hunting And Its Importance in Mycenaean Greece

“I shall go after game, not like one unskilled or witless, but with all speed I will return.” – Homer, “The Odyssey”

Somewhat related, hunting was also popular in depictions of frescoes and pottery.

Hunting held an essential place in the hearts of the Mycenaean people. Hunting provided food and leather, demonstrating a symbolic and practical use.

Very often, bows and arrows, spears, and possibly nets or traps were used in their hunts for various animals, including deer, boars, minor game, and even lions, as seen above.

Hunting traditions of the Mycenaeans likely influenced later Greeks and helped contribute to the importance of hunting. Hunting held an even more critical role in Macedonia, where aside from hunting traditions, the tradition of warrior kings instead of democracy was still the norm, for which other Greeks would look down on them as being less “civilised” than other Greek peoples.

These great warriors were also hired by Egyptians as mercenaries to fight off the Libyans and Asiatics—a testimony to how great these fighters were.
Although they may have come as saviours to the pharaoh as mercenaries, they would soon return as invaders.

Mycenaean Armour In Bronze Age Greece (1600-1100 BC)

We have all heard about the three hundred Spartans and the conquests of Alexander the Great, but what about the Greek warriors that they looked up to and held in such high esteem? The great kings, the Mycenaean warriors of bronze-age Greece, were revered in Homer’s poems, the Iliad and Odyssey. Well, a warrior is not much without his gear and weapons, so let’s look at these Mycenaean warriors.

The early Mycenaean warriors of bronze-age Greece are depicted as having relatively little armour instead, having spears, towering shields and helmets made with the tusks of boars that were then strapped to their heads.

However, despite these earlier depictions showing little armour, armour has been found. The most recognisable is the Dendra panoply discovered in the village of Dendra, which dates from 1350-1250 BC. And there is evidence of segmented armour for the shoulders and arms. Also, a well-preserved and widely used boar tusk helmet was in the same tomb as the Dendra panoply.

Despite the Dendra armour looking bulky and weighing 18 kg, tests with reconstructions have shown it is very usable and accessible to fight with. An armour similar to the Dendra panoply has been found on stone tablets from Knossos on Crete, Pylos, and Tyrins on the Peloponnese. This tells us that this was not just a one-off, but many of these suits of armour were in production at that time.

However, this was not the only armour used during the Mycenaean times. But also lighter and more manoeuvrable cuirasses that use organic materials like leather.

Mycenaean Helmets In Bronze Age Greece

Despite the boar tusk helmet being the most well-known, the Mycenaeans had many variations of helmets that were in use.

Many helmets have plums and horse hair to decorate their helmets, like in later Greek and Roman cultures.

Armour seems to have become more widely available for the average person as the bronze age progresses. This may be due to contact with Egypt, the Levant, and the Mycenaean settlement of Cyprus in the 13th century BC, which significantly increased the flow of bronze into Greece.

Mycenaean Weapons In Bronze Age Greece

Spears, swords, and axes were readily available in the Greek arsenal, and they would use any of these implements to show their martial prowess. If you have read this far, you would have seen plenty of frescoes of warriors with spears.

Bows and arrows are strangely not as widely seen. However, the image of men hunting lions at the top shows a figure holding a bow.

The site Hellenic Armors does excellent reconstructions of bronze-age Greek armour and weapons, so check them out.

Chariots

Like much of the bronze age, the Mycenaeans also utilised chariots for increased mobility and shock tactics, ramming into and disrupting enemy lines. Sometimes, they would engage in range combat while moving, allowing them to strike the enemy before they reached them.

Outside combat, they could also be helpful for travel and transporting supplies.

But they also reflected wealth and prestige, a symbol of the elite, something significant in the Mycenaean world.

According to Linear B tablets dug up in Knossos (Crete), the Mycenaeans could field several hundred.

Decline

With the decline of the Mycenaean civilisation, the use of the chariot gave way to the rise of the heavily armoured Hoplite phalanx. However, the cost and maintenance of chariots were high, and their use had limits due to the country’s rocky and rugged terrain.

Although it did not happen immediately, cavalry units further cemented the death of the chariot in warfare as they were quicker, more mobile, and more flexible. However, chariots would still be in use in Greece as transportation.

“Then, Agamemnon rose, and he laid his hand on the head of the horses, and he swore: ‘Zeus the Highest, I call you to witness that no man alive honours his chariots like the one I honour, for they are both my pride and my joy.’ And Zeus, who listens to all, heard him, and he fulfilled his wish and his prayer.” – Homer, “The Iliad”

Collapse of The Mycenaean Civilisation

A dark cloud gathers over Greece, and the Dorians from the north now storm down to the Peloponnese. There is unrest and instability.

Invasions, possibly from the Dorians, economic decline, the breakdown of trade routes and environmental changes all contributed to the collapse of the Mycenaean world and brought a dark age over Greece for centuries.

It is a widespread belief that during the collapse of the Bronze Age, many Mycenaeans turned to piracy and would have been part of the mysterious sea peoples along with other Aegean peoples that ended the Bronze Age.

But the mystery is still unsolved.

But even as the Mycenaean world fell, their warlike minds would continue in the rugged warrior spirit of the later Greek people. The Mycenaean warriors, where valour, tradition, and martial prowess converged in a civilisation that shaped the ethos of ancient Greece. Their culture and heroic deeds are carved in many people’s minds as a great inspiration never to be forgotten. The Greek people continue to fascinate all who read about them. And we are sure they will continue this tradition in the future.

Tell me what you thought of this breakdown of the Mycenaean warriors. And what do you think about this great nation’s kings and warriors?