Archaeological Museum of Thebes

Beginning in the 17th century BC, important changes took place in the social organisation and in art, signalling the transition to one of the most brilliant periods in the prehistoric Aegean. This was the period of the genesis of the Mycenaean Civilization (also known as the Late Bronze Age), which combines the Middle Helladic tradition with the strong influence of Minoan Crete on the Greek mainland. At precisely this time, the conditions emerged which, in the ensuing centuries. led to the appearance of Mycenaean palaces and the organization of the society around them.

Many settlements of this transitional period, such as Thebes, Orchomenos, Chaeronea, Aliartos, Eutresis, Kalami, Kleidi, and the Coast of Avlis, already existed in the region of Boeotia.

From the beginning, however, Thebes and Orchomenos stood out as preeminentplaces in which power and wealth were concentrated, presaging their later remarkable development. In Thebes, the centre of the settlement was located on the high south hill of Kadmeia, where habitation remains and richly gifted burials have been found. A similar settlement and cemetery have also been confirmed at Orchomenos, in the eastern foothills of Mount Akontion.

There are characteristic grave gifts from the luxury tombs of the era, such as the silver phiale from the grave of a warrior (showcase 36) and the gold jewellery-grave gifts that have been found in lavish tombs in Thebes.

A long sword, a spear head and a knife accompanied a Theban warrior to his final resting place.

The section closes with a number of typical drinking vessels from graves in Thebes including one from the Mycenaean period.

The period is characterized by multiple innovations: palaces were established, the first written form of the Greek language was used (Linear B script), the arts were developed and relations were strengthened with the empires of the eastern Mediterranean.

Thebes and Orchomenos were significant centres in Boeotia, Mycenae and Tiryns in the Argolid, Pylos in Messenia, Agios Vasileios in Lakonia, Volos in Magnesia, Knossos and Kydonia (Chania) in Crete. These were the seats of states, possibly as part of a broader political entity in the Aegean region, perhaps that which is referred to as Ahhiyawa in Hittite texts.

In section 5, the visitor has an opportunity to admire the splendid finds that document different aspects of the brilliant Mycenaean civilization in Boeotia. In addition to the major centres of Thebes and Orchomenos, secondary centres such as Eutresis, Avlis, Tanagra and Eleon developed around their peripheries, as did a multitude of smaller settlements. It is also surmised that the influence of Boeotia extended to Euboea, Attica, eastern Phokis and Lokris.

Thebes in particular, with its advantageous geographical location at the crossroads of land and sea routes, evolved into the seat of one of the most powerful palatial states of Mycenaean Greece, ruler of central Greece. Kadmeia, the acropolis of Thebes, had a strong Cyclopean wall that surrounded the settlement and the palace complex. Other known Boeotian settlements also boasted Cyclopean fortifications, such as Eutresis, Aliartos and Eleonas (today Arma).

The enormous fortification wall around the acropolis of Gla – which is associated with the major technical works entailed in draining Lake Kopais – is regarded as unique. This technical achievement, unprecedented in antiquity, proves the high level of technical knowledge that Mycenaean engineers had acquired.

A significant differentiation between the Mycenaean world and that of previous periods was the use of Linear B script, the first written form of the Greek language. It was derived from the older Linear A script of Minoan Crete which the Mycenaeans adopted and adapted to record their own dialect, known today also as Mycenaean Greek. Linear B script was used exclusively by the palace administration to record on clay tablets the products and raw materials in circulation.Despite their bookkeeping content, they provide a great deal of indirect information about the Mycenaean society, its administration, agricultural production, workshops and staff, its external relations, topography and worship.

Inscriptions in Linear B script have also been preserved on the large stirrup jars that were used for transporting olive oil and wine. Using a bone or metal stylus, scribes marked symbols on the damp clay of the tablets and on sealings. Then the inscribed objects were kept in special archives and have been preserved because they were fired in the conflagration that destroyed the rooms in which they were kept.

Around 1200 BC, the Mycenaean palaces suffered serious damages the cause of which is still unknown. There may have been general unrest in the eastern Mediterranean that cut off vital trade routes and markets. The political and social hierarchy and the centralized economy of the Mycenaeans were disrupted. In this process, writing and the fine arts were also lost.

In the same period, and while migrations of Boeotians from the north may have begun, life in Boeotia continued in various coastal settlements or on the fringes of the former palatial centres of Thebes and Orchomenos, at Eutresis, Eleon (Arma) and the territory of Tanagra. During the 11th century BC, it would appear that the migrations and turbulence of the previous years continued unabated.