Overview

During the last few decades, there has been great interest in the problems of defining the extent and nature of kingship in the Mycenaean world. Questions concerning the degree of economic and religious power held by the king have been given special emphasis. This book surveys the conclusions drawn by individual scholars studying the Linear B tablets, contrasts their theories with our knowledge of the Mycenaean kingdoms as derived from the archaeological record, and finally compares this evidence with possible reflections in the oral tradition, specifically in the Iliad and Odyssey. This approach leads to the suggestion that the king in the Mycenaean period had only limited power over the society and its economy. Although the king appears to have controlled a large segment of the economy, it is argued here that other individuals and family groups within the kingdom also had a certain degree of economic independence.

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9781931534123

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Students of the Mycenaean age will welcome this book which aims to provide a synthesis of scholarship in several distinct branches of learning: Bronze Age archaeology, Linear B studies, the study of classical Greek traditions, as well as Near Eastern studies (most notably of Ugarit, but also of the Hittite Kingdom).'--Victor Parker Gnomon (01/01/0001)

Students of the Mycenaean age will welcome this book which aims to provide a synthesis of scholarship in several distinct branches of learning: Bronze Age archaeology, Linear B studies, the study of classical Greek traditions, as well as Near Eastern studies (most notably of Ugarit, but also of the Hittite Kingdom).'--Victor Parker Gnomon, Volume 79, Issue 7, 2007 ...a lavishly illustrated, clearly written narrative aimed at the non-specialist reader. Here is local history at its best, covering a wide range of topics that will enable any family historian to put their ancestors into local context.--Paul Milner Forum 17:4, Winter 2005

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by Ione Mylonas Shear

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