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The Mycenaeans (Peoples of the Ancient World)

by Rodney Castleden (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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Following on from Rodney Castleden's best-selling study Minoans, this major contribution to our understanding of the crucial Mycenaean period clearly and effectively brings together research and knowledge we have accumulated since the discovery of the remains of the civilization of Mycenae in the 1870s.

In lively prose, informed by the latest research and using a full bibliography and over 100 illustrations, this vivid study delivers the fundamentals of the Mycenaean civilization including its culture, hierarchy, economy and religion. Castleden introduces controversial views of the Mycenaean palaces as temples, and studies their impressive sea empire and their crucial interaction with the outside Bronze Age world before discussing the causes of the end of their civilization.

Providing clear, easy information and understanding, this is a perfect starting point for the study of the Greek Bronze Age.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0415363365
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0415363365
  3. Publication date
    April 22, 2005
  4. Part of series
    Peoples of the Ancient World
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.67 x 9.21 inches
  7. Print length
    296 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rodney Castleden has been actively involved in research on landscape projects and prehistory for the last twenty years. His published works include Minoans and Atlantis Destroyed.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge (April 22, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 296 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0415363365
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0415363365
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.46 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.67 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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Rodney Castleden

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
18 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

AUNYC
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific reference
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2014
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Terrific reference -- includes excellent maps and a great section on everyday life for the general population (not just the elites).
2 people found this helpful
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Alan U. Kennington
5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and credible window into pre-900BC Greece
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2017
This book stretched my window into ancient Greece to almost 1000 years earlier than I had thought possible. It astonishes me that so much is known of the "dark ages" about 1150-900 BC and the centuries before that. It is strong on detail and credibility. It's also very nicely printed, although sadly there's no color.

Before I bought and read this book in 2009, I had thought that almost nothing was known about the Greek-speaking world before about the 9th century BC, which was when things starting coming within the scope of written history. (I'm assuming that Homer's works were not strictly speaking "history".) I knew that the deciphering of linear B had opened up some kind of window onto the palace cultures (basically just book-keeping) from about 1500 to 1000 BC, and that there were some hints in the Hittite records of the existence of Greek culture in Anatolia. But this book gives so much detail, I wonder why so many other books give the impression that not much is known about the time before the Greek alphabet (including vowels) was introduced.

There are very numerous illustrations, including maps, photos, floor plans, and 3-d reconstructions of buildings and people. Only a small minority of openings are without illustrations. All in all, "The Mycenaeans" by Castleden is an exceptional book. Flipping through the pages for this review is strongly tempting me to read it again!
3 people found this helpful
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AlexNarmer
4.0 out of 5 stars In most aspects brilliant in a few flawed
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2019
I like:

The detail on some aspects of the mycenaean culture and drawing parallels between archaeology and homer.
The mycenaean kingdom organization is extensively covered as the hittite-mycenaean interractions.

I disliked the fact that the author puts some of his own extremely unaccepted theories throuought the book. That is especially annoying with his insisting and naming the mycenaean palaces as temples through the entire book. That seriously flaws the otherwise great and very informative book.
3 people found this helpful
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Howard Schulman
3.0 out of 5 stars could have been better?
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2009
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My biggest problem with Rodney Castleden's "Mycenaens" is that the book is poorly illustrated. Too many times he's talking about a topic, when a photograph or well-designed map would have helped, tremendously. There were some sections that were interesting, but also other sections that were dry.

Part of the problem may be that not a whole lot is truly known about these people. Apparently, even thought they were literate in what we now call Linear B, which we can read, they only wrote to document inventories, etc, and not to record literature or narratives.
8 people found this helpful
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Charles D. Gilliland
5.0 out of 5 stars A good overview ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2006
Castleden has done a very good job synthesizing the archeological evidence and presenting a look at Mycenean society, the people and their interactions with their neighbors while comparing it with the traditional legends that had come from that time. The book is well written with easy to follow text and discourse, and is filled with illustrations and annotations of artifacts, maps, floorplans of extant buildings, and pen & ink representations of wall paintings and artifacts.

Since Castleden is well versed in Minoan studies he is quick to point up just how much the Myceneans had appropriated from this island culture: Their art, their dress, and eventually their trade routes and craftsmen. However, he also points up the Mycenean accomplishments as well, expanding out of the Polyponese where most other books focus, and into the northern territories dominated by Orchomenos and Thebes. He looks at their engineering feats and discusses how they might've been influenced by Hittite and Egyptian cultures as well.

These people were bureaucratic, they were not afraid to attempt to change the landscape to suit their needs, diverting rivers, and draining shallow lakes, and they were militaristic. The author addresses the various other interpretations put forth and comes forward with his own take on the material. By and large, presenting a well-reasoned and supporting argument for his interpretations. He discusses the daily life of the common people, and puts forth a hypothetical reconstruction of the trade routes of the various Mycenean cities with their overseas trading partners, and presents the various hypotheses of what happened to bring this age crashing down. The biggest issue brought forth by him is the reinterpretation of the citidels which were argued to be the Palaces of the Kings to actually be the temple centers of the kingdom, akin to the acropolis in classical athens, but temples that took a more active role in administering to the material being of the kingdoms.

All in all, I found this volume very enjoyable and informative.
20 people found this helpful
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Ballet Fan
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2013
This is a very readable, highly informative scholarly overview of the current state of knowledge about the history and culture of the Mycenaeans, the warriors of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. It is based largely on archaeological evidence and on translations of Linear B tablets and of cuneiform Hittite archival documents. His discussion of the Mycenaean citadels as "palaces" versus "temples" leaves the question open. An enjoyable read, with an excellent bibliography of scholarly and popular sources.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Richard
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on November 24, 2017
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Great book. Easy to read but packed with information and all sourced!
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Michael Watts
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it
Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2014
Verified Purchase
Excellent overview of the Mycenaean era. Seems to be very well researched. MW
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