Mycenaean Military: Weapons, Chariots and the Dendra Panoply | Early European History And Religion

MYCENAEAN MILITARY

marching Mycenaean soldiers of a krater from1200 BC

The military aspects of the Mycenaeans (1600–1100 B.C.) have been made clear by the numerous weapons that have been unearthed and warrior and combat representations in their art and Linear B records. The Mycenaeans developed an extensive military infrastructure with military production and logistics being supervised directly from the palatial centres of the warrior kingdoms of Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos and Thebes. [Source Wikipedia]

From the 15th century B.C., Mycenaean started expanding towards the Aegean, the Anatolian coast and Cyprus. At this time Mycenaean armies shared several features with other contemporary Late Bronze Age powers: they were initially based on heavy infantry, with spears, large shields and in some occasions armor. In the 13th century B.C., Mycenaean units underwent a transformation in tactics and weaponry and became more uniform and flexible and their weapons became smaller and lighter. Some representative types of Mycenaean armor/weapons were the boar's tusk helmet and the "Figure-of-eight" shield.

Most features of the hoplite armor of Classical Greece were already present in Mycenaean times. During the Mycenaean period the phalanx — heavily armed Greek-style- infantry formed by soldiers in close deep ranks and files; broadly — was first employed. The lasting impact of the Mycenaean was best represented by the popularity and last power of “The Iliad,” Homer’s account of the Trojan War.

There are few historical accounts of how the Mycenaeans actually fought. Research is often based on analysis of “The Iliad”, which does not provide a precise account of late Bronze Age warfare, which took place about 500 years before Homer wrote the epic poem, but it is regarded as “a rational starting point”. Based on this kinds of studies, it has been determined that soldiers fought on foot and on chariot, using spears and shields. They spent a lot of time walking and chariot riding. For nutrition they mostly consumed dry bread, goat cheese, green olives and red wine. [Source By Amanda Holpuch, New York Times, June 7, 2024]

Importance of the Military to the Mycenaeans

The military played a central role in Mycenaean society. Remains such as defensive architecture and weaponry indicated they invested heavily in military infrastructure. The value placed on warfare is also displayed in their artwork and the fact that elites were often buried with weapons. [Source Wikipedia]

Linear B texts indicate that military production and logistics were supervised by a central authority from the palaces. 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.

Mycenaean palaces were formidable defensive structures with thick walls. The principal Mycenaean centers were well-fortified and usually situated on an elevated terrain, This was the case with Tiryns and Mycenae as well as at Gla on coastal plains and best represented at Pylos with its Cyclopean style wall made of large, unworked boulders more than 8 meters (26 feet) thick and weighing up to 13 metric tonnes. See Pylos Under Mycenaean sites.

Mycenaean Weapons and Chariots

fresco with an image of a "figure-of-eight" shield, from Mycenae

Spears were the main weapon among Mycenaean warriors. Sword played a secondary role in combat. Archery was employed from an early period on the battlefield. Other offensive weapons used were maces, axes, slings and javelins. [Source Wikipedia]

Spears were initially long and two-handed, more than three meters (10 feet) in length. During the later Mycenaean period, shorter versions were adopted and typically accompanied by small circular-shaped types of shields. These short spears appear to have been used for both thrusting and throwing.

From the 16th century B.C. swords with rounded tips appeared and a grip which was an extension of the blade. These were 1.3 meters cm (4 feet) long and three centimeters (1.2 inches) wide, A single-edged sword made with a solid piece of bronze around 66 to 74 centimeters to 2.43 feet) long were also used. The shorter sword was most probably used for close-quarters combat. In the 14th century B.C., both types of swords were progressively modified with stronger grips and shorter blades. In the 13th century B.C., a new type of sword, the Naue II, became widepread in Mycenaean Greece.

The two-horse chariot appeared on the Greek mainland at least from the 16th century B.C.. According to Linear B texts from Knossos and Pylos, the Mycenaeans were able to field several hundreds chariots in a battle. Mycenaean chariots differed from contemporary Middle Eastern chariots. The most common type of Mycenaean one was the "dual chariot", which appeared in the middle of the 15th century B.C. In 14th century B.C., a lighter "rail chariot" appeared. It featured an open cab and was most probably used as a battlefield transport rather than a fighting vehicle.

The role of war chariots on battlefield is debated by scholars due to the lack of evidence. In general, it appears that during the 16th–14th century B.C. chariots were used for fighting while later in the 13th century B.C. they were were used primarily for battlefield transport. This was particularly the case for light chariots. Heavy ones where probably used with cavalry. Horse-mounted warriors were also part of the Mycenaean armies, but again the role they played isn’t precisely known due to lack of archaeological data.

Mycenaean Armor, Shields and Helmets

The most representative piece of Mycenaean armor is the Dendra panoply (See Below). Indicative pieces of Mycenaean armor have also been found in Thebes (c. 1350–1250 B.C.), which include a pair of shoulder guards, smaller than those from Dendra, with additional plates protecting the upper arms, attached to the lower edge of the shoulder guards. The use of scale armour is evident during the later Mycenaean centuries as depicted in art work and unearthed ar archaeological sites. Most features of the hoplite armor of classical Greek antiquity, were already evident in the Mycenaean period. [Source Wikipedia]

Early Mycenaean armies used "tower shields", large shields that covered almost the entire body. After bronze armor was introduced this type was less used. Later, "Figure-of-eight" shields became the norm. They were made of several layers of bull-hide and in some cases were reinforced with bronze plates. During the later Mycenaean period, smaller bronze shields were adopted. They were either completely circular or were almost circular with a cut-out part from their lower edge — predecessors of the early hoplon shields or aspis. These were made of several layers of leather with a bronze boss and reinforcements. They occasionally appear to have been made entirely of bronze. In the later Mycenaean culture, "crescent shields" were used by mounted soldiers, They curved around the body of a horse being ridden, and also covered much of the rider's body.

The most well-known Mycenaean military headgear was the boar's tusk helmet worn by elites. Each helmet required ivory from fifty to sixty tusks and was thus a sign of high status and strength. These helmets were widely used throughout the Mycenaean period, and are depicted frequently in ancient Aegean art. Helmets made entirely of bronze were also used and they became more and more common, finally relegated the boar tusk helmets to more ceremonial roles. Some bronze helmets had large cheek guards, probably stitched or riveted to the helmet, as well as an upper pierced knot to hold a crest. Small holes all around the cheek guards and the helmet's lower edge were used for the attachment of internal padding. Towards the end of the Mycenaean period, other types of helmets were adopted, including horned helmets.

Dendra Panoply — the Most Famous Mycenaean Armor

Dendra panoply, from 1400 BC

The most famous example of Mycenaean armor was called the Dendra panoply or Dendra armour. Dated to the late Mycenaean period (c. 1450–1400 B.C.) and uncovered in the village of Dendra in the Argolid, Greece, it was a full-body armor made of bronze plates and comprised of body cuirass, shoulder guards, breast plates, and lower protection plates. It was flexible and comfortable enough to be used for fighting on foot. Pieces of similar armor have been unearthed in Thebes, Mycenae, Phaistos and Troy. [Source Wikipedia]

A complete Dendra Panoply weighed 18 to 23 kilograms (40 to 51 pounds) and consisted of 15 separate pieces of bronze sheet, held together with leather thongs, that encased the wearer from neck to knees. The panoply included both greaves and lower arm-guards. The arm-guard was unique but greaves, probably made of linen, were often depicted in late Mycenaean art.

The panoply's cuirass consisted of two pieces, for the chest and back. These were joined on the left side by a hinge. There was a bronze loop on the right side of the front plate and a similar loop on each shoulder. Large shoulder guards fit over the cuirass. Two triangular plates were attached to the shoulder guards and gave protection to the wearer's armpits when his arms were in the raised position. There was also a deep neck guard.

The Linear B ideogram depicting armour of this type makes the neck guard clearly discernible, and protection by a high bronze collar was a typical feature of Near Eastern body armour. Three pairs of curved plates hang from the waist to protect the groin and the thighs. All these pieces were made of beaten bronze sheet and were backed with leather and loosely fastened by ox-hide thongs to allow some degree of movement. The complete panoply thus forms a cumbersome tubular suit of armour, which fully protects the neck and torso, and extends down to the knees. It appears that lower arm guards and a set of greaves further protected the warrior, all made of bronze, as fragments of these were also found in the grave at Dendra. Slivers of boars' tusks were also discovered, which once made up a boars'-tusk helmet.

Recreating What It Was Like Wearing 23-Kilogram Mycenaean Armor

In modern Greece, researchers have put soldiers to work recreating what it was like wearing 23-kilograms of armor 3,500 years ago. Amanda Holpuch wrote in the New York Times: One by one, Greek soldiers, bellies full from a breakfast of red wine and dry bread, armed and clad themselves in a bulky, buglike suit of armor as they prepared for battle. They aimed their spears at wooden targets, and their chariot was connected to a treadmill motor, but for 11 hours, these elite soldiers from the Hellenic Armed Forces pretended to fight as if it was the 15th century B.C. [Source By Amanda Holpuch, New York Times, June 7, 2024]

They had been recruited for a study to determine if the Dendra panoply could be worn in battle or if it was only ceremonial, as some scholars have previously argued.The soldiers wore a replica of the suit, and scientists tracked their blood glucose levels, heart rates and other physiological measures, finding that the men’s bodies could handle the strain of the armor, according to a paper published in the journal PLOS One on May 22, 2024.

Andreas Flouris, the lead author of the paper and the director of the FAME Lab at the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece, where the battles took place, said that the simulated combat, as well as other research components, showed that the armor would have been “a very advanced piece of military technology” at the time. “If you’re carrying a piece of wood or a stone or maybe something with a bit of bronze in the front, like a spear, somebody wearing this armor looks like a giant robot in front of you,” said Flouris, also a professor of physiology at the university.

They could not wear the Dendra armor, which is dated to around 1450 B.C. Instead, the soldiers donned a replica with an alloy mostly made of copper, the closest to the original bronze that was available, the study said. Even though the soldiers were quite fit the exercise took its toll: The soldiers showed a high level of fatigue; sore upper bodies from the weight of the metal; and foot pain from walking, running, riding a chariot and fighting barefoot, according to the study.

reconstructed Mycenaean swords

Griffin Warrior

In 2015, archaeologists digging at Pylos, announced they had discovered the rich grave of a soldier that they dubbed the “Griffin Warrior” after images of griffins found on artifacts found in the grave. The grave was discovered by Jack L. Davis and Sharon R. Stocker, a husband-and-wife team at the University of Cincinnati who have been excavating at Pylos for 25 years.

The Griffin Warrior appears to have been a powerful man. Ángel Carlos Pérez Aguayo wrote in National Geographic History: Although the investigation is far from complete, initial analyses have determined that the Griffin Warrior was a man in his early 30s who stood somewhere between five and six feet tall. The causes of his death are unclear because of the poor state of the body. Wrapped in a shroud, the body was laid inside a wooden sarcophagus. The burial reveals that, contrary to descriptions of funeral rites in The Iliad and The Odyssey, Mycenaean funerary practices in that period consisted of burial, not cremation. [Source Ángel Carlos Pérez Aguayo, National Geographic History, August 5, 2022]

Jo Marchant wrote in Smithsonian magazine: “Analyses of the skeleton show that this 30-something dignitary stood around five-and-a-half feet, tall for a man of his time. Combs found in the grave imply that he had long hair. And a recent computerized facial reconstruction based on the warrior’s skull, created by Lynne Schepartz and Tobias Houlton, physical anthropologists at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, shows a broad, determined face with close-set eyes and a prominent jaw. Davis and Stocker are also planning DNA tests and isotope analyses that they hope will provide information about his ethnic and geographic origins. [Source: Jo Marchant, Smithsonian magazine, January-February 2017]

The Griffin Warrior was buried alongside 1,500 precious objects, including silver cups, bronze weapons, ivory combs, and gold rings.“Significantly, weapons had been placed on the left side of the warrior’s body while rings and seal stones were on the right, suggesting that they were arranged with intent, not simply thrown in. The representational artwork featured on the rings also had direct connections to actual buried objects. “One of the gold rings has a goddess standing on top of a mountain with a staff that seems to be crowned by a horned bull’s head,” says Davis. “We found a bull’s head staff in the grave.” Another ring shows a goddess sitting on a throne, looking at herself in the mirror. “We have a mirror.” Davis and Stocker do not believe that all this is a coincidence. “We think that objects were chosen to interact with the iconography of the rings.”

Weapons of the Griffin Warrior

The Griffin warrior was found in a very rare shaft grave, 5 feet deep, 4 feet wide and 8 long that was in remarkably good condition aside from a one-ton stone, probably once the lid of the grave, which had fallen in and crushed the wooden coffin beneath it. Ángel Carlos Pérez Aguayo wrote in National Geographic History: On removing the slab, the team found the quantity and quality of the grave goods far exceeded all expectations. Numerous bronze weapons were found by his side: a dagger, a long sword, what appears to be the remains of very deteriorated armor, a helmet made of boar tusks, and a large sword more than three feet long with a gold-plated hilt. [Source Ángel Carlos Pérez Aguayo, National Geographic History, August 5, 2022]

Among all the weapons laid next to the warrior’s corpse, the bronze sword stands out for its size—nearly three and a half feet long—and costly workmanship. The hilt, overlaid with gold, is as richly wrought as the best grave goods found in tombs across the Mycenaean world.

Archaeologists have noted that the weapons depicted on the Combat Agate found with the warrior exactly match objects exhumed in other Mycenaean tombs. The battle scene is also similar to ones depicted on other contemporary works of art, such as ceramics and frescoes in the palaces. The similarities support the idea that the Combat Agate’s creator, whom archaeologists believe was likely working in Crete, was familiar with these artworks and battle scenes. The overlap suggests a degree of intermingling between Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. The astonishing, millimetric precision of the work—most likely performed with the aid of a rock crystal magnifying glass—makes this item a masterpiece.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons, The Louvre, The British Museum except Iklaina and Iklaina tablet, Iklaina Archeological Project, teenager skeleton from The Guardian and skull from Archaeology wiki

Text Sources: Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Greece sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Hellenistic World sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; BBC Ancient Greeks bbc.co.uk/history/; Canadian Museum of History, Perseus Project - Tufts University; perseus.tufts.edu ; MIT Classics Online classics.mit.edu ; Gutenberg.org, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Live Science, Discover magazine, Natural History magazine, Archaeology magazine, The New Yorker, Encyclopædia Britannica, "The Discoverers" and "The Creators" by Daniel Boorstin. "Greek and Roman Life" by Ian Jenkins from the British Museum, Wikipedia, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, AFP and various books and other publications.

Last updated September 2024