Trade - Homeric World

Who did the Mycenaeans trade with ?

• Africa

• Egypt

• Aegean Islands

• Cyprus

• Attica ( around Athens )

• Middle East - Syria

Are there any records of Mycenaean trade

Only Linear B records exist and it isn’t complete:

• these tablets only record a snapshot in time

• only found in Pylos and Knossos

• therefore, no mass written records of any form of trade or the objects themselves.

What are our sources then ?

• objects in cities ( Ivory objects, amber etc )

• shipwrecks - Ulu Burun shipwreck

How did they trade ?

• Most of the trading in Mycenaean times was done by sea

  • travel on land was slow due to mountain ranges and dangerous due to bandits.

  • More can be carried on ships compared to chariots and horseback

The Sailing season was….

early spring - early autumn

• it was only safe to sail for around half the year as weather could worsen.

  • even then the weather in the mediterranean was very unpredictable.

How did they exchange objects ?

Island Hopping :

• Greece consists of a multitude of islands

  • merchants used to ‘island hop’ to different islands and mainland Greece.

  • They would both drop off and pick up cargo along their journey.

    • e.g. some historians believe Mycenaeans imported amber and tin from Britain

• ‘Bartering’ was also a common method of exchange :

  • if a merchant wanted a type of item or service, he would offer what he already had. - currency at this point most likely did not exist.

Where different materials came from

Gold - Macedonia, Egypt, Thasos ( Greek Island )

Amber - Denmark, Northern Europe

Ivory - Africa, Syria

Lapis Lazuli - Africa

Silver, Lead - Attica

Copper - Attica, Syria, Cyprus, Sardinia

How do we know what a luxury item was ?

Rare and found in very small quantities.

What were the most important resources being traded ?

• copper was the most crucial import as it’s the main metal required for making bronze

  • bronze is widely used in the Mycenaean period for weapons, metal objects, tools etc ( Hence The Bronze Age )

• Gold imported for precious items and objects

Did they trade slaves ?

Potentially

• there is evidence of slavery in the Odyssey ( buying slaves ) - Eumaeus is a doulos who was purchased into Odysseus’ household.

  • Eumaeus purchases a slave from the Taphians in Odysseus’ absence.

• Odyssey - implied trickery and deceit in converting people to slaves in trade.

• In the Iliad, people defeated in war became slaves.

• Linear B tablets details workers from other parts of the world ( slaves being brought over ? )

What were the reputation of traders and merchants ?

Negative :

• Odyssey Book 8 - shows stereotype of greedy merchants

  • looking for profit

  • island hopping

• Being like / looking like a merchant is almost like an insult essentially.

What were the Mycenaean’s main export + additional items ?

Pottery

• pottery found in Israel, Egypt, Sicily, Albania and Macedonia.

• Some of these pottery vessels containing olive oil was found in other parts of Greece.

• Kraters were exported to Cyprus.

other items include :

• Inhabitants of Mycenae seems to have traded wine and oil with each other.

• Mycenaean-style dagger found in Romania

• Beads found in Egypt

• Silk would have been traded

What was the Ulu Burun Shipwreck ?

Late bronze age shipwreck of a merchant trading ship.

• The Ulu Burun was a 15m long ship able to hold 20 tonnes of cargo.

• The Ulu Burun sunk at around 1375 BC

Where is the Ulu Burun Shipwreck

• off the coast of southwest Turkey, near a town called Kaş

• The ship is resting 45m beneath the surface of the ocean on a steep rocky slope

Why is the Ulu Burun Shipwreck significant ?

• Shipwrecks in the Bronze Age is not uncommon, however the Ulu Burun shipwreck is distinct because of it’s amount of surviving goods and valuables

• The majority of it’s cargo was in the form of raw materials

• the various objects shows who the Mycenaeans could have traded with.

• It houses some of the earliest ingots of glass to be found.

What was on board ?

• 10 tonnes of copper

• 1 tonne of tin

This was most likely for making Bronze.

• 150 jars of a type found commonly in the Middle East was onboard

• jars mostly filled with resin, olives and one with glass beads.

Other items include :

• wooden logs

• elephant tusks

• hippopotamus teeth

• tortoise shells

• oil lamps

• pottery

• amber

• drinking cups

• weapons

• food ( nuts, olives, spices )

• a trumpet

• wooden tablets ( to be filled with wax for writing )

• glass beads

• tons of resin

• gold

• Ostrich eggs

More significant objects

• Egyptian jewellery

• Egyptian faience

• Ivory vessels

• A gold chalice

• Cypriote bowls and pots

• Clay lamps and jugs

• A bronze pin

• Gold Scarab with Queen Nefertiti’s name inscribed on it

• 24 anchors