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The Evolution of Power and Politics in the Mycenaean World and Its Reflection in the Homeric Epic: the Iliad

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The Evolution of Power and Politics in the Mycenaean World and Its Reflection in the Homeric Epic: the Iliad Near East University (NEU) Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Department of International Relations The Evolution of Power and Politics in the Mycenaean World and its Reflection in the Homeric Epic: the Iliad By: Nicolaie A. Şorodoc We certify that the thesis is satisfactory for the award of the Degree of Master of International Relations Examining committee: Prof. Dr. Levent Köker Faculty of Law, Department of Law, NEU Prof. Dr. Jouni Suistola Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of International Relations, NEU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul Faculty of Education, Department of History Teaching, NEU Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Aykut Polatoğlu 1 Jury Report June, 2010 Student Info: Full Name Nicolaie Alin Şorodoc Faculty Economics and Administrative Sciences Institution Near East University Department International Relations Thesis Info: Title: The Evolution of Power and Politics in the Mycenaean World and its Reflection in the Homeric Epic the Iliad Abstract: This study tries to go beyond the boundaries of present day issues and examine the evolution of power and politics of the Mycenaean people during the Bronze Age. At each stage, be it big-man leadership, chiefdom or state based society I examine how power and social complexity increases and what were the reasons behind such a phenomenon. I start with some few considerations regarding developments during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age and then I jump to the question of the “coming of the Greeks.” I argue that any explanation of the political life shall start from early stages; it is only then that we might get a measured insight in respect to the workings of political and social institutions. Furthermore, I think that present International Relations scholarship should give more importance to previous international political systems and therefore should go beyond 1648. I also think that archeological and especially anthropological studies can furnish indispensable tools in order to understand how present day political formations behave. By studying the Mycenaeans of the Bronze Age we can examine how a people coming from the Eurasian steppes started to initiate a civilization; how they integrated themselves within the Near Eastern political system; how they acted as a hub between northern parts of Europe and more advanced cultures e.g. Hittite Empire, Egypt, or Babylon; and how a people's culture or civilization may perish as it happened by the end of the Late Bronze Age. I finally turn to a few considerations regarding the Homeric epic the Iliad, which tells the story of a war between the Mycenaeans and the Trojans. The oral tradition is an important source for understanding the past and I think that Homer must be considered in respect to the history of the Mycenaeans. I argue that we should study the epic as politics as practice and then establish whether the epic may be a consistent reflection of the Mycenaean power politics of the Bronze Age as reconstructed from the Linear B tablets and archaeological remains. By studying the Bronze Age we may better understand how politics came into being or how power was institutionalized, how an international system was formed and why it did collapse. Supervisor Prof. Dr. Jouni Suistola 2 Jury's Decision: The jury has decided to accept the student's thesis. The decision has been taken unanimously. Jury Members: Date: Signature: Prof. Dr. Levent Köker Prof. Dr. Jouni Suistola Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ali Efdal Özkul Approvals Date: Chairman of the International Relations Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeliha Khashman 3 Acknowledgments I would like to thank Professor Jouni Suistola for his support without which this thesis would not have came into being. I also thank all my Near East University professors and instructors; to Zeliha Khashman, chairman of the International Relations Department, Ali Dayıoğlu, Şakir Alemdar, Anthony Hodson, Muhittin Özsağlam, Ilksoy Aslım, Murat Şeker, Sabine Dreher, Murat Özkaleli, Dilek Latif, and Bülent Evre. 4 Table of Contents APPROVAL PAGE OF THE THESIS..............................................................................................1 ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES..................................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................................8 1. Some Preliminary Remarks.........................................................................................................12 1.1 Bronze Age Chronology..........................................................................................................12 1.2 Short Preview to Greek Bronze Age Archeology and Homer.................................................12 1.3 The Neolithic and Secondary Products Revolutions...............................................................16 2. Theoretical Considerations..........................................................................................................19 2.1 Anthropology and Neo-evolutionary Theory...........................................................................19 2.2 Neorealism versus Constructivism..........................................................................................25 3. The EH II Culture and its Collapse............................................................................................28 3.1 The EH II culture.....................................................................................................................28 3.2 Reasons behind EH II Culture's Collapse................................................................................30 4. Proto-Indo European Culture and the Greeks..........................................................................36 5. Tribal System and Big-Men on the Greek Mainland (EH III, MHI and MHII)....................46 5.1 Archaeological Considerations and Tribal Organization.........................................................46 5.2 Anthropological Considerations..............................................................................................50 5.2.1 Intra-Community..............................................................................................................50 5.2.2 Extra-community.............................................................................................................53 6. The Chief and Chiefdom-based Society (MHIII, LHI and LHII)............................................56 6.1 The Horse and Chariot Complex.............................................................................................57 6.2 The Chiefdom and Grave Circles from Mycenae....................................................................61 7. The Archaic State or Palatial Period (LHIII)............................................................................75 7.1 Domestic Developments..........................................................................................................75 7.2 Mycenaean Palace-states as Architecture................................................................................78 7.3 Mycenaean Palatial Economy..................................................................................................83 7.4 Linear B tablets and Palatial Officials.....................................................................................87 8. The Near Eastern Political System or the Amarna Age............................................................93 8.1 Mycenaean Trade Relations and External Relations...............................................................94 8.2 The International Near Eastern System...................................................................................96 9. Homeric Epics as Anthropology................................................................................................101 9.1 The Iliad and Chiefdoms of the Dark Age.............................................................................104 9.2 The Iliad as Reminiscent of the Mycenaean Bronze Age......................................................108 CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................116 BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................................119 5 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1: Map of the Aegean and surrounding areas............................................................................7 Figure 2: Site distributions for North-East Peloponnesos, Laconia, and South-West Messenia........28 Figure 3 and 4: A reconstruction of the House of Tiles......................................................................29 Figure 5: Map of the Proto-Indo-European Homeland......................................................................37 Figure 6: A diagram of the migration process....................................................................................38 Figure 7: The geographic distribution of the Indo-European wheel-wagon vocabulary....................39 Figure 8: A map showing the route for the “coming of the Greeks”..................................................44
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