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EnglandClassical Civilisation

The Homeric World: Culture

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What do Mycenaean art and treasures reveal about their wealth, skills and way of life?

Mycenaean art and material culture: the gold of the shaft graves (including the so-called Mask of Agamemnon), frescoes, decorated pottery, weapons and armour, and the tholos tombs such as the Treasury of Atreus, and what they reveal about Mycenaean wealth, beliefs and craftsmanship.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Mycenaean art in The Homeric World. Covers the gold of the shaft graves (the Mask of Agamemnon), frescoes, decorated pottery, weapons and armour, and the tholos tombs such as the Treasury of Atreus, and what they reveal about Mycenaean wealth, beliefs and craftsmanship, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

What do the great Mycenaean citadels reveal about the Bronze Age world behind Homer?

The major Mycenaean sites and citadels: Mycenae (the Lion Gate, the grave circles and the citadel walls), Tiryns and Pylos, their fortifications and architecture (Cyclopean masonry), and what they reveal about Mycenaean power and society.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Mycenaean sites in The Homeric World. Covers the major citadels of Mycenae (the Lion Gate, grave circles and walls), Tiryns and Pylos, their Cyclopean fortifications and architecture, and what they reveal about Mycenaean power and society, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

How was Mycenaean society organised, and what do the palaces and Linear B tablets tell us?

Mycenaean society and the palace: the role of the king (wanax) and the social hierarchy, the megaron at the heart of the palace, and the evidence of the Linear B tablets for administration, economy, religion and trade.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Mycenaean society in The Homeric World. Covers the role of the king (wanax) and the social hierarchy, the megaron at the heart of the palace, and the evidence of the Linear B tablets for administration, economy, religion and trade, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
16 min answer →

Why did the Mycenaean world collapse, and what did its fall leave behind?

The decline and collapse of Mycenaean civilisation around 1200 to 1100 BC: the destruction of the palaces, the possible causes (invasion, internal conflict, natural disaster and wider Mediterranean upheaval), the loss of writing and the coming of the Dark Age, and how the memory of the Mycenaeans survived into Homer.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of the collapse of Mycenaean civilisation in The Homeric World. Covers the destruction of the palaces around 1200 to 1100 BC, the possible causes (invasion, internal conflict, disaster and wider upheaval), the loss of writing and the Dark Age, and how the memory survived into Homer, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
15 min answer →

How did Troy, Knossos and trade connect the Mycenaeans to a wider Bronze Age world?

Troy and its identification with Homer's city, Knossos and the relationship between the Mycenaeans and the earlier Minoan civilisation, and the evidence for Mycenaean trade and contact across the Bronze Age Mediterranean.
An OCR GCSE Classical Civilisation (J199) study of Troy, Knossos and trade in The Homeric World. Covers Troy and its identification with Homer's city, Knossos and the Mycenaeans' relationship with the earlier Minoan civilisation, and the evidence for Mycenaean trade and contact across the Bronze Age Mediterranean, with the source and essay skills the J199/21 paper rewards.
15 min answer →