Book on Mycenaean Culture

[Jona Lendering]

I know next to nothing about the Greek Bronze Age, except that archaeologists and Hittitologists continue to add information. Recently, an acquaintance asked me for a good synthesis that was accessible to the interested outsider; so, does anyone know a good book? (I promise I will also buy a copy for myself.)

[Dan Howard]

A good introduction is Chadwick's The Myceanean World

[Jona Lendering]

A good introduction is Chadwick's The Myceanean World

Thanks; yes, that's a good one. I own a copy (and read it); but isn't there something more recent?

[bachmat66]

salve,
this not directly on the subject but perhaps a bit of an addendum to the whole Bronze Age world subject matter since the Chadwick's one is rather an elderly book - dr Anthony's "The Horse, THe Wheel and Language" - basically a splendid review of Russian and earlier Soviet archeology of the Great Eurasian Steppe and parts of Central Asia.
In this instance the following chapters: 14, 15 and 16 deal with the spread of horse husbandry, chariot warriors and metallurgy from Pontic steppe to the Ordos and Mongolia. Especially Shintasha and Srubnaya cultures are discussed in lot of detail, some Bactria-Margiana (BMMC), Andronovo etc.
He talks especially about the evidence of socketed weapons, i.e. spears and axes, existing in the Uralic steppe prior to Mycenaean Culture development.
As a whole this book is fascinating as this is probably a first survey of the Russian (former Soviet Union) Eastern Europen-Western Asia archeology in English, written by a specialist in the field of ancient world and archeology.

The same subject, development of weapons and metallurgy, is discussed in "The Urals and Western Siberia in the Bronze and Iron Age" http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/c ... 281&ss=exc

also indirectly Philip L. Kohl, The making of bronze age Eurasia http://books.google.com/books?id=pA1-3K ... q=&f=false
Kristian Kristiansen, Thomas B. Larsson, The rise of Bronze Age society: travels, transmissions and transformations, http://books.google.com/books?id=di7Dc7 ... pe&f=false
and this old classic 'The Mycenaean age: a study of the monuments and culture of pre-Homeric Greece,' http://books.google.com/books?id=MTwTAA ... ge&f=false
I have seen him criticized but Robert Drews, 'The Coming of the Greeks' was not a dull read.

[Dan Howard]

Mycenae: Agamemnon's Capital by Elizabeth French.
Not much on warfare but civilian aspects of Mycenaean culture are very well covered.

[bachmat66]

Dan,
in this Mycenaean context how you would rate the Ospreys - Bronze Age Chariots and Mycenaeans r?

some older images by Alton S. Tobey http://www.altontobey.com/epic.html
http://www.myimagezone.com/lib/Thumb.as ... .JPG&l=800
http://www.myimagezone.com/lib/Thumb.as ... .JPG&l=600
http://www.myimagezone.com/lib/Thumb.as ... .JPG&l=600
http://www.myimagezone.com/lib/Thumb.as ... .JPG&l=800

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks all! Anyone else?

[Dan Howard]

Nothing written by Nic Fields is particularly good so don't bother with Bronze Age Chariots.
The Mycenaeans by Nicolas Grguric is a little better. His analysis of the Mycenaean military system is the best part of the book. His arguments for Mycenaean chariot lancers don't hold up though. More likely is that they were archers just like all other chariot cultures at the time. He is another one who misuses the old Coles experiment where he cut though a sheet of 0.3mm copper to conclude that bronze armour was no good in battle. In Grguric's version, however, Coles cut through 3mm of bronze!

[Ioannis]

Oliver Dickinson (1994), The Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press.
Cynthia W. Shelmerdine (ed.) (2008), Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press.

[Jona Lendering]

Oliver Dickinson (1994), The Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press.
Cynthia W. Shelmerdine (ed.) (2008), Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age, Cambridge University Press.

THANKS

[Ioannis]

You're welcome!

:-) )