The story behind the art, and where to see it
Period 4 · c. 3200-1100 BCE

Aegean Bronze Age

Before classical Greece came the Cycladic islanders, who carved marble figures so simple they look modern, the Minoans of Crete with their painted palaces and bull-leapers, and the Mycenaeans of the Lion Gate and the gold masks. Their palaces burned around 1200 BCE, and Greece lost writing for four centuries.

The Lion Gate at Mycenae, framed by massive stone walls beneath a blue sky.
Photo: Joyofmuseums, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Aegean Bronze Age

What Is Aegean Art? Cyclades, Crete and Mycenae

Marble figures, painted palaces, lion gates: the three Bronze Age cultures of the Aegean and how to tell them apart.Start here6 min readAegean Bronze Age

Mycenaean Architecture: Citadels, Halls and Beehive Tombs

Giant walls, a throne room around a hearth and a stone beehive dome: the three building types of the Mycenaeans.5 min readAegean Bronze Age

The Lion Gate at Mycenae: How Was It Built, and Why?

Two headless lionesses, a 20-tonne lintel and a trap for attackers: how Mycenae's Lion Gate was built, and why.4 min readAegean Bronze Age

Linear A and Linear B: Why Only One Can Be Read

Same signs, two languages: why Linear B was cracked in 1952 and Minoan Linear A still cannot be read.5 min read
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All Aegean Bronze Age guides

Architecture

The Lion Gate at Mycenae: How Was It Built, and Why?

Two headless lionesses, a 20-tonne lintel and a trap for attackers: how Mycenae's Lion Gate was built, and why.4 min read