Crete-Mycenaean culture and religion as part of the Indo-European culture of the Bronze Age of Eurasia. Sergey Solovyov
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by Homer in the immortal «Iliad» exploits of ancient Greek heroes, were exploits of soldiers fighting in chariots. As considered by different scientists, the war took place between 1280 and 1180. BC (Eratosthenes-1180 BC, Michael Wood 1280 BC, Carl Blegan-middle of the 13th century BC). Combat chariots, and the ability to fight them, were brought by the Indo-Europeans to Greece in the early 16th century. BC. According to William Taylor, Indo-European tribes came to Greece from the Eurasian steppes through Iran and Asia Minor, and not through the Danube. What cultures can be associated with Mycenaean culture and the culture of Troy Priam? This is a culture that has been called the Abashev culture, which passed to Sintashtskaya and gave birth to Pozdnyakovskaya and
Coban Cultures. This can be seen with all the evidence and from the materials of many sign findings, which determine cultural, and obviously, religious affinity.
pic.25 Lobular rings, Arkaim
pic.26 Pendant with two spirals, Mycenae
Lobular ring from Troy Pushkin Museum.
pic.28. Wooden ladle, Ural, 18th century BC.
pic.29 Crystal cup from Mycenae, 16th century BC.
These are pendants with a double spiral, lobed temporal rings, vessels with a meander, vessels in the form of a goose-swan. And, most importantly, the similarity of the device of the steppe Eurasian sintashta-type chariot and Achaean, known from the images. In the same way, a similar burial rite is related to these cultures, especially the discovery of the underground tolos, roughly dated 2200 BC. About 2200, Indo-Europeans from the area of the Abashevskaya and Poltavkino cultures begin to move to the southern Urals and build settlements there
with fortifications, which can already be called cities. In total, the researchers found more than 20 fortresses built in the steppe part of Eurasia between the rivers Ural in the west and Tobol in the east. This culture was called Sintashtinskaya by the name of the first of the fortresses investigated by archaeologists. Sintashta, discovered and excavated in 1972—1987, was built as a round fortress with a circumference of 140 m, behind a fortified wall in which there were more than 50 houses, and in all managed to find traces of metal processing. It turns out that Sintashta was built as a fortified settlement erected for the safe processing of metal. Five funerary complexes were found behind the outline of the settlement, which were accompanied by sacrifices of entire horses (up to eight in one grave), axes and daggers of copper and bronze and stone maces. An exceptional case of finding on the necropolis of Sintashty burial without a grave pit, i.e. on the surface of the Earth and with the construction above the dead clay dome-tolos. There were burials of three types-cremation (rare), inhumation, and burial in tolons (so far one has been found). It can be argued that the Indo-Europeans at that time already had a caste system in their embryonic form, with a division of duties and honors within the people. This is obvious, chariot fighters, who have continuously fought, priests and ordinary members of the community. The leader, usually was also a priest. (An analogue in ancient Greece was-in Athens archon-basileus performed priestly functions). Tholos, apparently, was the burial place of the king-priest.
pic.30 chariot Sintashta.
pic.31 Reconstruction of the Sintashta tolos.
pic.32 Samples of material culture of Sintashta.
From their Urals-Tobolsk ancestral home, the chariots spread not only to the south, but also to the west and east. In the 16th century BC. the pragrean tribes (Achaeans) come to Greece. The importance of the importance of chariots for the Mycenaean state is evidenced by the stelae that were erected over the graves of soldiers, apparently charioteers. Although many researchers insist that the catacomb burials in Mycenae circles A and B are royal graves, this can be disagreed, at least not completely. The presence in Sintashta of Tolos speaks about the tradition of their erection, relating the date of construction to 2200 years. BC, and it turns out that the Mycenaean tolos can be much older. The later Greek tradition of burial in tolos speaks of the royal prerogative for this type of grave (Panticapaeum, an underground tolos in Macedonia). Of the six steles, burials of the 16th century BC. on which it is possible to disassemble and explore the depicted, five reliefs with the participation of chariot fighters. And if we extrapolate the social structure of Sintashta to the Achaean society, then the graves of the grave circles A and B in Mycenae do not belong to the kings, namely the chosen soldiers, and this explains the group nature of the graves in one grave, which apparently died simultaneously. And kings, or rather, kings priests were buried in the tolos, or in mountain tombs, as in Crete.
pic.33 Chariot from Tiryns. 13th century BC.
Pic.34 Chariot on a stele from Mycenae 16th century BC.
Chariots are repeatedly represented in other works of Mycenaean art (frescoes, portraits on rings) The most charitable representatives, caste of chariot fighters, possessed the war chariot in Greece. They fought with chariots both with a bow, and with the help of a spear, which required direct contact with the enemy. The main mass of troops consisted of infantry, supporting and helping in battle charioteer. The battle in this period was of an individual character, and resembled the later battles of knights in the Middle Ages. The Achaian kingdoms were formed by the conquest and conquest of the local population, and this undoubtedly left a mark on the social structure of these systems. And in Mycenaean Greece, like India, caste-warriors, priests, and commoners were formed. It also happened in Sparta, much later, where the Spartans were a caste of warriors. After all, at a later time in Hellas, free citizens did not pay taxes, and in the pylon tablets there is evidence of taxation of the population. Such a state mechanism could contain an army, giving it weapons, food, providing land and all this keeping the troops under constant control, and the conquered people-in submission n this period (XV – XIII centuries.) Charioteers, as in the East, were a privileged social stratum. Chariots received from the imperial arsenals the most expensive elements of their weapons – armor, they were given out of stables by horses, and from storage – by chariots. Personal weapons chariot fighters probably had their own. How did the famous Greek heroes from the «Iliad» of Homer fight?
«No, so that no one, on the art of riding and on the strength of a reliable,
Before others did not flare ahead with the matches to fight or turn back:
you yourself will weaken yourself.
Who else in his chariot will come to the chariot, save the peak ahead: the best way for the horsemen
Thus, both the ancient walls and hailstones were smashed, the mind and spirit retained this in valorous bodies.»
Homer himself believed that they dismounted before the battle, or fought with a throwing dart weapon and fired arrows from bows. It is clear that no one saw the true picture of the battle, or, rather, did not believe in ancient stories. «Quickly the heroes of the chariot with weapons spun on the ground, sharp spears hesitating, circled around the militia, the Spirit whipping into battle, and he rebelled a terrible scourge.» The Trojans turned to the battle and faced the Argives. «Still, the fight was conducted by chariot fighters with shock long spears, in the manner of medieval knights.The