What are the most significant lessons that our world today can learn from the rise of the Mycenaean people? The world today is a place where people live to achieve what they want for themselves. Although they think, they might have a support group full of friends and family, in the race to success, every one stands alone. The civilization of Mycenae sets a great example for people today. Mycenaean people were all part of a big family that worshipped king Agamemnon and his government.The loyalty between the Mycenaean people is a significant lesson for all of us today.Their king was a symbol of strength. He held everything and everybody together and brought power and fame to the people of Mycenae.The citizens of Mycenae trusted their leader in every situation and unlike the Minoans, Mycenae advanced through conquest. Wanting to be at the top may seem ambitious but it is in human nature to be as successful as one can be. King Agamemnon was Mycenae’s legendary ruler< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/8707/Agamemnon>. Agamemnon’s roles were religious, judicial and military and he was always surrounded by warriors. The people of Mycenae obeyed the rules and laws of the monarch government. They respected the duties passed down by the scribes and gratefully paid their taxes.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece#Political_organization>. Even when Agamemnon was betrayed and murdered by his wife Clytemnestra for another man< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/606309/Trojan-War >, Orestes took revenge and killed his mother and her lover. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/8707/Agamemnon >.This loyalty was voluntary and no one went against it for it was the right move. Today’s generation fail in the areas of loyalty and dedication. We are easily attracted by the newest technologies and entertainment on television. Orestes’ dedication to his father shows that life was much harder then. It highlights the troubles he had to go through and that today’s people have it so much easier. Power was an important factor for King Agamemnon. Their strength was shown while hunting lions, which was a favorite way for Mycenaean nobles to prove their courage. (Clapham, Ancient Civilization: Greece, Pg. 51)Making an intimidating statement to the rest of the world was what they aimed for and that theory proved right throughout their invasion of Troy.King Agamemnon and his warriors led Mycenae to anunforgettable victory< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/606309/Trojan-War > and because of this great period in history, they were seen as even more powerful. What we learn from Agamemnon is that an individual needs to have a certain amount nfluence on something to be successful. King Agamemnon influenced Mycenaeans into believeing that they had the ability to be the strongest. And once influenced the people of Mycenae worked day and night to attain that standard. Agamemnon proved to the rest of the countries of Mycenae’s greatness. Today we can tell this without doubt because of the beautiful works of arts founded by archeologists. The ruins of Mycenaean forts and palaces show that they were rich in architecture as well. Agamemnon’s great influence brought impressive power to the islands of Mycenae. It takes more than popularity to gain influence over such a large number of people. Agamemnon needed to gain their trust in order to carry out decisions. Once in his rule, Mycenae was overflowing with prosperity. Foreigners wanted to buy their pottery, perfumes and oil industries were busier than ever. In addition to that, the capture of Troy made the people even more confident with Agamemnon. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece#Agriculture> Agamemnon was confident in his people and trusted them in return to take the right actions. People today find it hard to trust others for they are also in the race to becoming the most successful. Finding someone that you can fully confide into is a hard process and when someone breaks that trust, it becomes even harder. Of course, you need support when you're up there and it is most definitly hard to find good support because once at the top there are expectations and the view is not much different than from where you once stood. In the end, it is only about money and fame. That is why we want to be as successful.
If we think about, it is not only great civilizations like Mycenae that go through competitiveness, we go through it every day of our lives whether we are children or adults. In kindergarten, we want to have the best finger painting. In high school, we want to win the badminton OFSAA finals. In college, we want to achieve that highest grade in Medical Science. Even as an adult, you dream of outnumbering the many other opponents during a job interview. Even parents find it hard to control what they want for their children. They want them to have the best and brightest future. In conclusion, being at the top seems to be a natural reaction to human beings. This competitive attitude has been adapted for many centuries and it will continue even though it is unclear what it will lead to. During the Mycenaean civilization, the Trojan War was an outcome of competiveness. We do not know what the outcome will be now but it is important to know such things because the future is unknown and some day another student will be looking at our present day. Back to Topics
Rise of the Mycenaean Civilization
Written by: Ngawang Tsomo
What are the most significant lessons that our world today can learn from the rise of the Mycenaean people?
The world today is a place where people live to achieve what they want for themselves. Although they think, they might have a support group full of friends and family, in the race to success, every one stands alone. The civilization of Mycenae sets a great example for people today. Mycenaean people were all part of a big family that worshipped king Agamemnon and his government. The loyalty between the Mycenaean people is a significant lesson for all of us today. Their king was a symbol of strength. He held everything and everybody together and brought power and fame to the people of Mycenae. The citizens of Mycenae trusted their leader in every situation and unlike the Minoans, Mycenae advanced through conquest. Wanting to be at the top may seem ambitious but it is in human nature to be as successful as one can be.
King Agamemnon was Mycenae’s legendary ruler < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/8707/Agamemnon >. Agamemnon’s roles were religious, judicial and military and he was always surrounded by warriors. The people of Mycenae obeyed the rules and laws of the monarch government. They respected the duties passed down by the scribes and gratefully paid their taxes.< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece#Political_organization >. Even when Agamemnon was betrayed and murdered by his wife Clytemnestra for another man< http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/606309/Trojan-War >, Orestes took revenge and killed his mother and her lover. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/8707/Agamemnon >. This loyalty was voluntary and no one went against it for it was the right move. Today’s generation fail in the areas of loyalty and dedication. We are easily attracted by the newest technologies and entertainment on television. Orestes’ dedication to his father shows that life was much harder then. It highlights the troubles he had to go through and that today’s people have it so much easier.
Power was an important factor for King Agamemnon. Their strength was shown while hunting lions, which was a favorite way for Mycenaean nobles to prove their courage. (Clapham, Ancient Civilization: Greece, Pg. 51) Making an intimidating statement to the rest of the world was what they aimed for and that theory proved right throughout their invasion of Troy. King Agamemnon and his warriors led Mycenae to an unforgettable victory < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/606309/Trojan-War > and because of this great period in history, they were seen as even more powerful. What we learn from Agamemnon is that an individual needs to have a certain amount nfluence on something to be successful. King Agamemnon influenced Mycenaeans into believeing that they had the ability to be the strongest. And once influenced the people of Mycenae worked day and night to attain that standard. Agamemnon proved to the rest of the countries of Mycenae’s greatness. Today we can tell this without doubt because of the beautiful works of arts founded by archeologists. The ruins of Mycenaean forts and palaces show that they were rich in architecture as well. Agamemnon’s great influence brought impressive power to the islands of Mycenae.
It takes more than popularity to gain influence over such a large number of people. Agamemnon needed to gain their trust in order to carry out decisions. Once in his rule, Mycenae was overflowing with prosperity. Foreigners wanted to buy their pottery, perfumes and oil industries were busier than ever. In addition to that, the capture of Troy made the people even more confident with Agamemnon. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenaean_Greece#Agriculture> Agamemnon was confident in his people and trusted them in return to take the right actions. People today find it hard to trust others for they are also in the race to becoming the most successful. Finding someone that you can fully confide into is a hard process and when someone breaks that trust, it becomes even harder. Of course, you need support when you're up there and it is most definitly hard to find good support because once at the top there are expectations and the view is not much different than from where you once stood. In the end, it is only about money and fame. That is why we want to be as successful.
If we think about, it is not only great civilizations like Mycenae that go through competitiveness, we go through it every day of our lives whether we are children or adults. In kindergarten, we want to have the best finger painting. In high school, we want to win the badminton OFSAA finals. In college, we want to achieve that highest grade in Medical Science. Even as an adult, you dream of outnumbering the many other opponents during a job interview. Even parents find it hard to control what they want for their children. They want them to have the best and brightest future. In conclusion, being at the top seems to be a natural reaction to human beings. This competitive attitude has been adapted for many centuries and it will continue even though it is unclear what it will lead to. During the Mycenaean civilization, the Trojan War was an outcome of competiveness. We do not know what the outcome will be now but it is important to know such things because the future is unknown and some day another student will be looking at our present day.
Back to Topics