GCSE Classical Civilisation · The Homeric World · 2.3 · Revision
Armour, Weapons and Warfare
How the Mycenaeans were armed and protected for war, seen above all in the Warrior Vase.
Armour, Weapons and Warfare
At a glance
At a glance
the Mycenaeans were a warlike people, and weapons and warfare run all through their art
the evidence comes from frescoes, surviving pieces of armour, and the Warrior Vase
equipment changed over the centuries, from huge body-shields to lighter gear
Weapons and armour
Spears: a wooden shaft tipped with a bronze head, the main weapon, used for thrusting
Swords: bronze, long and thin early on, later shorter for cutting as well as thrusting
Shields: early shields were huge and covered the body (figure-of-eight and tower shapes), and were later replaced by smaller round shields
The boar's tusk helmet: a leather cap covered with rows of split boars' tusks; one is described in the Iliad as worn by Odysseus, and real examples survive. Each needed the tusks of at least ten boars, so it was a mark of status, and hunting boar was dangerous, as Odysseus' scar in Odyssey 19 shows
Body armour: breastplates and greaves (shin guards); the famous Dendra panoply is a complete bronze suit
The Warrior Vase
Prescribed source · House of the Warrior, Mycenae
The Warrior Vase · a clay krater, 13th century BC
Prescribed source
Object
Mycenaean warrior vase
Date
13th century BC
Location
House of the Warrior, Mycenae
Material
clay
Purpose
a krater, a large bowl for mixing wine and water
Significance
shows the weaponry and armour of Mycenaean soldiers
What it shows
one side shows a line of near-identical warriors marching off, with long thrusting spears, small round shields, tunics with breastplates and greaves, horned helmets, and knapsacks tied to their spears, perhaps for a long journey
a woman on the far left raises her hand, apparently bidding the soldiers farewell
the other side shows soldiers in spiky “hedgehog” helmets carrying shorter spears
some scholars think the vase is later than the Mycenaean age (around the 8th century BC) because it resembles later art
Other evidence
Armour and warfare beyond the Warrior Vase
the Dendra panoply, a complete bronze suit of armour from a tomb in the Argolid — our best evidence for body armour
surviving boar's tusk helmets, matching the one Homer describes
the silver Siege Rhyton from Grave Circle A and battle frescoes from Pylos, which show warfare in action
the Lion Hunt Dagger (2.2), which shows the big figure-of-eight and tower shields being carried
Significance & interpretation
What the vase tells us
What it shows
a society organised for war, with equipped, almost uniform soldiers
the farewell scene hints at the human cost of warfare, the families left behind
Limits: the dating is disputed, and a single decorated pot is a narrow window onto a whole army
Link to Homer
the boar's tusk helmet is described in detail in the Iliad (Book 10) — the clearest case of a Homeric object exactly matching the archaeology
the huge body-shields recall Ajax's shield “like a tower”, though by Homer's own day soldiers had moved to smaller round shields
so the poems mix genuine Mycenaean memory with details from later centuries — exactly the layering this whole topic is about
The Warrior Vase captures both sides of Mycenaean war at once: the disciplined line marching out, and the woman raising her hand to see them go.
Exam focus
Practice questions
Short answer & explain
Describe two pieces of equipment carried by the soldiers on the Warrior Vase. [short answer]
Explain how Mycenaean armour and weapons changed over time. [explain]
Source usefulness
How useful is the Warrior Vase as evidence for Mycenaean warfare? [source usefulness]
Flashcards
5 cards — click to flip, use arrows to move through
