Greece Before the Greeks | The Mycenaeans
Before Athens and Sparta, a forgotten empire ruled the rocky hills of Greece. Bronze-clad kings, towering Cyclopean fortresses, and the echoes of battles that would later become myth—this is the real story behind Homer’s legends.
In this video, we dive deep into the world of the Mycenaeans: warrior kings who rose from raiding bands to builders of palaces, masters of trade, and rulers whose fall reshaped the ancient world.
From the gleam of gold death masks to the smoldering ruins of Troy VIIa, discover how memory survived the fires—and how epic poetry preserved a civilization lost to history.
Join us as we walk the walls of Mycenae, crack the codes of Linear B, and reveal the truth behind the myths that built Greece.
🔔 Subscribe for more journeys into the ancient world.
0:00 - Intro
2:05 - Bronze and Blood (1600–1400 BCE)
10:53 - Palaces and Power (1400–1250 BCE)
11:53 - Troy and the Song of Kings (1250–1180 BCE)
32:15 - Collapse and Silence (1180–1050 BCE)
41:21 - The Long Shadow – The Greek Dark Age (1050–800 BCE)
50:32 - Rediscovery (19th–20th Century)
59:00 - Conclusion
Sources and Further Reading:
Eric H. Cline, 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed.
Michael Ventris and John Chadwick, Documents in Mycenaean Greek.
Lord William Taylour, The Mycenaeans.
Carl Blegen's Excavations at Pylos.
