The

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...

an Warrior Vase, found by

Heinrich Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (; 6 January 1822 – 26 December 1890) was a German businessman and pioneer in the field of archaeology. He was an advocate of the historicity of places mentioned in the works of Homer and an archaeolog ...

on the

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

, is one of the prominent treasures of the

National Archaeological Museum, Athens The National Archaeological Museum ( el, Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο) in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It i ...

.The Warrior Vase
/ref> The Warrior Vase, dated to the 12th century BCE, is probably the best-known piece of Late Helladic pottery.Early Late Helladic III C. It is a

krater A krater or crater ( grc-gre, , ''kratēr'', literally "mixing vessel") was a large two-handled shape of vase in Ancient Greek pottery and metalwork, mostly used for the mixing of wine with water. Form and function At a Greek symposium, krat ...

, a mixing bowl used for the dilution of wine with water, a custom which the

ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

believed to be a sign of civilized behavior. The broad frieze of armed soldiers on the vase, which is incomplete, suggested the name that Schliemann gave it. The warriors are clad in short

chitons Chitons () are marine molluscs of varying size in the class Polyplacophora (), formerly known as Amphineura. About 940 extant and 430 fossil species are recognized. They are also sometimes known as gumboots or sea cradles or coat-of-mail sh ...

breastplate A breastplate or chestplate is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. A breastplate is sometimes worn by mythological beings as a distinctive item of clothing. It is ...

s, helmets and

greave A greave (from the Old French ''greve'' "shin, shin armour") or jambeau is a piece of armour that protects the leg. Description The primary purpose of greaves is to protect the tibia from attack. The tibia, or shinbone, is very close to the sk ...

s; they are armed with spears and carry shields. The bull's head handles for long encouraged scholars to date the piece later, in the early seventh century BCE. Many scholars observe that the style of the figures and the bull head handles of this thirteenth century BCE vase are very similar to eighth century BCE pottery. Similar spearmen are also depicted in eighth century BCE pottery, which introduces a curious 500-year gap in styles. This vase also leads to clues about post-palatial Mycenaean warriors. The knapsacks the warriors carry suggest that they may have to travel long distances to battle. Figures on one side of the vase wear helmets with horns. The other side depicts warriors in "hedgehog" style helmets. The latter is equipped with spears that are shorter than general spears depicted of the time. The warriors on both sides have shields, tunics, and leg protection. The warriors on either side appear to be uniform suggesting the army as a whole and not representing individual warriors.

Notes

{{National Archaeological Museum of Athens Individual ancient Greek vases Mycenaean art National Archaeological Museum, Athens Archaeological discoveries in Greece