The Minoans and Mycenaeans

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The Minoans and Mycenaeans were both from the Greek era. They differentiated quite a bit between each other. While the Minoans were peaceful people, the Mycenaeans were brutal and warlike. These two civilizations help the people of today learn about ancient culture. Although the two places were varied much from one another, the cultures wrote the most understandable historical evidence about themselves. This paper will tell how these close regions compared and contrasted.

The Mycenaeans existed within the years of 2000 b.c. It began with the people settling around the coastal area to provide good agriculture. This coastal area being near the Mediterranean. The Mycenaeans came after the Minoans, and were strongly driven by war, unlike it’s neighbors. The Mycenaeans were ruled over by a “warlord” king, and the civilization was always ready to fight for power. The civilization grew in power by overtaking other city-states etc. In this way it gained it’s wealth which is what was most important in the “Bronze age” of Greece. (Green 5) At one point in time, the Mycenae held rein over Greece and called it the early Helladic period. During this stage, the civilization was relatively calmer and less warlike. At first the society lived peacefully with the original inhabitants and took over the area successfully. In the middle Helladic period agriculture was proven to be tough. Geographically the Greek lived in a hot climate that made only a few things grow, such as olives and grapes. Due to this, people relied heavily on fishing. Other needs were supplied mostly by the Minoans, who bonded after a long period of trading. In the late Helladic period, the culture thrived at it’s highest. The cities gradually grew larger and more people occu...

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...y the similar techniques that were used. Each made their fair share of pottery which is still preserved in museums today. Another comparison is the climate each place maintains, both have hot and humid atmosphere. Due to the similar climates, both have fertile farmlands and good agriculture. This is because of their locations near the ocean, the ocean being both of their main source of transportation. Although the Minoans and Mycenaeans sailed for different reasons, both were very advanced sailors.

In the end, it is clear that the Minoans are sought out to be the peaceful civilization while the Mycenaeans are warlike and power seeking. Despite the two civilizations tight quarters, they could not be any more different even though they borrow some cultural values. The Greek era was one of the first freely expressed populations but also one that has hardly any evidence

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