During the later Mycenaean centuries, shorter versions were adopted which were usually accompanied with small types of shields, mainly of circular shape. Spears were initially long and two-handed, more than 3 m (10 ft) long. Horse-mounted warriors were also part of the Mycenaean armies, however their precise role isn't clear due to lack of archaeological data. In general, it appears that during the first centuries (16th–14th century BC) chariots were used as a fighting vehicle while later in the 13th century BC their role was limited to a battlefield transport. The precise role and contribution of war chariots in battlefield is a matter of dispute due to the lack of sufficient evidence. The spear remained the main weapon among Mycenaean warriors until the collapse of the Bronze Age, while the sword played a secondary role in combat. Armed units became more uniform and flexible, while weapons became smaller and lighter. Later in the 13th century BC, Mycenaean warfare underwent major changes both in tactics and weaponry. Mycenaean armies shared several common features with other significant Late Bronze Age powers: they were initially based on heavy infantry, which bore pikes, large shields and, in some occasions, armor. įresco depicting a "figure-of-eight" shield, Mycenae Tactics and evolution The main divinities who appear to be of warlike nature were Ares (Linear B: A-re) and Athena Potnia (Linear B: A-ta-na Po-ti-ni-ja).
According to the records in the palace of Pylos, every rural community (the damos) was obliged to supply a certain number of men who had to serve in the army similar service was also performed by the aristocracy. The Linear B scripts also offer some detail about the organization of the military personnel, while military production and logistics were supervised by a central authority from the palaces. This impression of militarism is reinforced by the fortifications erected throughout Mycenaean Greece, the large numbers and quality of the weapons retrieved from the Mycenaean royal graves, artistic representations of war scenes and the textual evidence provided by the Linear B records. The presence of the important and influential military aristocracy that formed in Mycenaean society offers an overwhelming impression of a fierce and warlike people. Krater depicting marching soldiers, Mycenae, c. Moreover, most features of the later hoplite panoply of Classical Greece were already known at this time. Some representative types of Mycenaean armor/weapons were the boar's tusk helmet and the "Figure-of-eight" shield. In the 13th century BC, Mycenaean units underwent a transformation in tactics and weaponry and became more uniform and flexible and their weapons became smaller and lighter. Mycenaean armies shared several common features with other contemporary Late Bronze Age powers: they were initially based on heavy infantry, with spears, large shields and in some occasions armor. From the 15th century BC, Mycenaean power started expanding towards the Aegean, the Anatolian coast and Cyprus.
WARLIKE MYCENAEAN ART SERIES
Late Bronze Age Greece was divided into a series of warrior kingdoms, the most important being centered in Mycenae, to which the culture of this era owes its name, Tiryns, Pylos and Thebes. This militaristic ethos inspired later Ancient Greek tradition, and especially Homer's epics, which are focused on the heroic nature of the Mycenaean-era warrior élite. The Mycenaeans invested in the development of military infrastructure with military production and logistics being supervised directly from the palatial centres. 1600–1100 BC) in the Late Bronze Age is evident by the numerous weapons unearthed, warrior and combat representations in contemporary art, as well as by the preserved Greek Linear B records. The military nature of Mycenaean Greece (c. Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East during the 14th century (Mycenaean Greece in purple).
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