We know from the extant Linear B archives, primarily from the archives found at Pylos and Knossos, that the Mycenaean city centres were, like the Cretan centres, centralised spaces for the redistribution of goods and had areas for the storage of oils and grains, and rooms for specific crafts.
The enormous size of the fortification walls led the earlier Greeks to call them 'Cyclopean walls' since they could have only been built by the race of one-eyed giants, the cyclops. The ruins of the palace of Nestor provide evidence of small fortifications a fair distance from the city centre, as opposed to other cities like Mycenae and Tiryns. The Mycenaean palatial centres are similar but smaller than Minoan centres and were almost all heavily fortified, except for Pylos. This conforms to the Minoan preference for free-flowing scenes and their superior craftsmanship. The calm bull scene is well-executed and freeform, with the handles placed on top of the design, seemingly as an afterthought. With one cup being named the quiet or calm cup and the other the violent cup, it seems as though the similarity in the bull scenes may have been planned by the same person but executed by different people the calm bull scene by a Minoan craftsman and the violent bull scene by a Mycenaean. At first glance they seem identical, however, with greater analysis, they not only convey two entirely different scenes but also represent different aesthetic styles, which suggests two different craftsmen. This LH II tholos tomb presented two gold cups known as the Vaphio cups. The best example for the contrast of artistic styles of the Minoans and Mycenaeans is displayed through the two gold cups found at the Mycenaean Vaphio tomb. The Minoans were known for their free-flowing artistic decoration and showed a preference for marine and plant life. The Mycenaeans not only expressed their preference for Minoan craftsmanship but incorporated common Minoan iconographical motifs such as the octopus from the iconic Marine Ware into their own, more structured and geometric-style art. The Minoans are known for their intricate, high-quality pottery and craftsmanship, and the numerous burial goods of Cretan provenance and Minoan influence on mainland Greece suggests there was a high demand for it in the elite Mycenaean society. Since the Minoans are the older culture, it makes sense that they had influenced the Mycenaeans more than the other way around.
This shipwreck carried artefacts and raw materials from Egypt, Cyprus, the Greek Mainland, Crete, and the Levant it was the pottery on board which aided in the dating of the ship. The well-known Uluburun shipwreck capsized off the southern coast of Anatolia and dates to either the late 14th century of the early 13th century BCE. Due to their capsizing, the organic materials onboard the ships have preserved better in water than if they had been buried. The understanding of Bronze Age trade and active networks is informed largely by multiple shipwrecks which have been excavated by underwater archaeologists. This theory is corroborated through artefacts such as an ostrich egg, known from Egyptian craftsmen but found in a Mycenaean burial with Minoan embellishments, suggesting Minoan interference before its interment with a Mycenaean elite. This theory has been addressed by Burns who commented: “not only was Minoan Crete a major source for prestige items in the Shaft Graves, but many of the materials and items imported from the eastern Mediterranean seem to have come through Minoan intermediaries” (76). The Minoans may have been working as intermediaries between the Mycenaeans & other cultures, such as Egypt.Īrchaeological finds from Mycenaean sites such as Mycenae and Pylos indicate that the Minoans may have been working as intermediaries between the Mycenaeans and other cultures, such as Egypt, in their well-established trade networks.
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