ACHEANS: HISTORY, LOCATION, RELIGION, CUSTOMS, MYTHOLOGY - HISTORY - 2025

The Achaeans were an Indo-European people of the Bronze Age. These left from the Balkans to Greece in 1800 BC, being the first Indo-European settlers to reach this peninsula.

There, they instituted the kingdoms of Mycenae and Tiryns. Later, around 1400 BC, they peacefully conquered the island of Crete and introduced some innovations, without altering the social structure of the native peoples.

Relief of poseidon

In the Bible they are called acaicos. They are also known as Mycenae and Danaos. They settled in the current territories of Achaia, located in the north-central area of ​​the Greek peninsula of Peloponnese and in Crete.

The social organization of the Achaeans revolved around the family through kinship and they had a system of government led by a prince - warrior. Its divinities include the goddess Potnia and the god Poseidon.

The Achaeans formed the Achaean League, a confederation that was very influential during the 3rd and 2nd centuries.

History of the Achaeans

Origin

This Indo-European people came from the Balkan region. They moved to Greece in 1800 BC, where they established the kingdoms of Mycenae and Tiryns. Around 1400 BC, they peacefully conquered the island of Crete.

Their social organization revolved around family kinship, and they were stratified by social class: priests, warriors, and peasants. They had a monarchical government system that was led by a warrior-prince.

Among his contributions to Greek culture are the introduction of the battle chariot, horses, long swords and other weapons made of bronze. Furthermore, the nobles' funeral ceremonies were sumptuous and highly formal.

Colonizations

The Achaeans fused their Mycenaean culture with the peoples they were colonizing, spreading their influence through Asia Minor, Ancient Egypt and the Iberian Peninsula.

Most of his conquests were peaceful. But, the period of colonization of the islands of the Aegean Sea was characterized by long periods of warlike confrontations against the native tribes.

Around 2,300 BC, the assimilation process of the Achaeans began. The period of greatest splendor of their culture was around 1,600 BC

Disappearance

Five centuries later, this people lost influence in Greece and disappeared for reasons that have not yet been clarified. It is believed that its disappearance could have been caused by the invasion of the Dorians, but there are other more recent hypotheses.

Among them are an alleged invasion by the marine peoples of the region, possible revolts, internal uprisings and a succession of earthquakes.

After the fall of Mycenae, the survivors dispersed throughout the Greek islands, reaching the Anatolian peninsula.

Location of the Achaean people

Initially, the Achaeans colonized the Achaia region, in the north-central part of the Greek peninsula of Peleponnese. Later, they spread to the island of Crete, but their influence spread throughout Asia, Africa and Europe.

Their main cities were Mycenae, where they established their administrative capital, Tirintoi, Athens, Yolcos, Pilos, Orcómeno and Tebas. They exerted control of several areas of Macedonia and Epirus, as well as other islands in the Aegean Sea.

The most renowned episode of conquest in the history of the Achaeans is the siege of the city of Troy for 10 years. The military and economic might of Troy represented a serious danger to the kingdom of Mycenae.

However, the city was taken using a clever ruse: the famous Trojan horse.

Religion

The religion of the Achaeans was based on Creto-Mycenaean cults, of which very little is known. Apparently, during the heyday of this culture several of the most famous gods and divinities of Greece were created.

The priestly class was part of the social structure of the Achaeans. However, it is believed that it was not an influential class, as happened in other civilizations of the time and in that region.

It is known that a religion existed because of the images of devotees on seals and rings. This supposes that they worshiped different deities.

Archaeological studies and excavations have contributed very little about the religious essence of the Achaean or Mycenaean civilization.

Not even places of worship have been identified, so their religious practices are still a mystery. At most, the names of some of their gods have been known from the lists of religious offerings.

During this time the first funeral - religious ceremonies take place.

Custom

The Achaeans were organized by kinship (family organization), and were ruled by a warrior-prince. They were stratified, in the Indo-European fashion, into peasants, priests, and warriors.

The Mycenaean culture (after the city of Mycenae) and the Minoan (named after King Minos) ended up merging. His influence allowed the conquest of the island of Crete.

The Cretans, lacking fortresses to protect their palaces and dominions, could not withstand the pressure of the Achaeans for long. Finally, they were dominated and conquered by them in 1,400 BC.

After conquering Crete, the island was fortified by the Mycenaeans. The homes of artisans and merchants were grouped very close to the fortresses to provide them with greater protection.

The Achaean culture gave great importance to the funerals and mortuary ceremonies of its nobles. In the discovered graves, it is evidenced that wealth and weapons were essential for the ruling elite.

The Achaean culture had an expansionist character. However, its colonization process was peaceful. Their wealth came from the collection of taxes from the merchants and the people and from looting.

The Achaeans expanded their trade routes through the Aegean Sea, Asia Minor, Egypt, and the entire Italian peninsula.

Mythology

In the mythology of the Achaean people, Poseidon - brother of Zeus - appears as one of the gods on seals and texts from Knossos. This divinity is associated with the sea and earthquakes.

The Mycenaean pantheon also shows several "Ladies" or "Madonnas". Hera and Athena are two of them.

The goddess Potnia was the most important in Greece during the Mycenaean period (1600-1100 BC). It is the protector of vegetation, nature and fertility.

This divinity appears on Mycenaean monuments in various forms: snakes, double axes, lions, griffins, and doves.

Potnia Theron, or "mistress of the animals", is one of the titles by which the goddess Artemis mentioned by Homer in the Iliad is known.

References

1. Chamoux, F. Hellenistic Civilization. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.
2. The Heritage of World Civilization. CTI Reviews. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.
3. Achaeans. Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911. Recovered from web.archive.org.
4. Mycenaean civilization. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org.
5. Segura Ramos, Bartolomé. The gods of the Iliad - University of Seville. Recovered from institutional.us.es.
6. Mycenaean civilization. Recovered from hellenicaworld.com.
7. Essays on Ancient Anatolian and Syrian Studies in the 2 ^nd and 1st Millennium BC (PDF). Recovered from oi.uchicago.edu.