Hunting

Why did the Mycenaeans hunt?

They did it for status as it was a show of strength and power as it was a dangerous activity. It was also for eating meat since much of Greece wasn’t able to grow crops as the land is not fertile

Where is there evidence of hunting?

Bones have been found in tombs and frescoes and other artefacts depicting hunting

Examples of artefacts displaying hunting

The Lion Hunt Dagger

The lion hunt dagger

It is an ornamental piece which probably belonged to a king, depicting topless men wearing shorts hunting a lions. The men are wearing no armour and are using a sword, shield, spear and bow and arrows. The item is designed to show the wealth of the owner through the expensive decoration

How dangerous was hunting lions?

Very, as it was the most dangerous of all the hunts

What evidence is there that hunting lions is dangerous?

There is a man being trampled since he was underneath the lion’s paws

What type of shields are being used?

Tower (large and heavy, but cover the whole body so offer lots of protection) and figure of eight (smaller and lighter so easier to use for longer periods of time but offers less protection due to its smaller surface area)

What material was the lion hunt dagger made from?

Niello (mixing powders of copper, silver and lead) is used to give details such as in the lion’s mane, the blade is made from bronze and there are precious metals such as gold

How is the skill and expertise of the worker shown through the dagger blade?

There is incredible detail shown through the details of the lion’s mane, as well as the different positions of the hunters which don’t look stiff or static, however the unrealistic depiction of the men’s body shapes (as is typical of Mycenaean artwork) seen as the men have narrow waists, broad shoulders and large, muscular thighs

What is depicted on the Tiryns hunting scene

This shows dogs on a blue background (which was the most expensive) with water around the scene and curving plants on marshy ground. There is also a huntsman holding his spear