Trade

Why did the Mycenaeans have to trade?

They were not self sufficient, so they needed to trade to survive - the land in Greece is not very fertile, so meat is important in their diets

How were goods traded?

By sea as much of Greece is island and there were many non-Greek civilisations that the Mycenaeans traded with, such as the Africans

Mycenaean exports

Pottery (found in Egypt), pottery with olive oil (Greece), Kraters (Cyprus), a gold Mycenaean dagger (Romania), and there is partial evidence of slavery since workers have been referenced in Linear B tablets - although this translation is highly contested and they could have been migrants

Mycenaean imports

Gold (Egypt), amber (Denmark), Ivory (Africa), lapis lazuli (Africa), silver and lead (Attica), copper (Syria, Attica, Cyprus), ostrich eggshells (Africa), tin (Britain), glass (Egypt)

What did the Mycenaeans do with their imports?

They gave it to artisans to create art, luxury items and military equipment

What did the Mycenaeans use to trade?

Since there was no currency, they bartered

What was the Uluburun Shipwreck?

A shipwreck off the coast of Turkey which sunk around 1375BC. It carried a huge amount of goods from many different places, such as 10 tonnes of copper, 1 tonne of tin (which was the proportion needed to produce bronze), 150 Middle Eastern jars containing olives, resin and glass beads, pottery, amber, a trumpet, drinking cups, weapons, food (spices, nuts and olives), elephant tusks, hippo teeth, tortoise shells and wooden tablets