Expert: Maria - 9/19/2007

Question
was the Mycenaean trade just like Minoan trade?

Answer
Hello,

the Mycenaean trade can be considered the heir of Minoan trade, since after the destruction of Knossos in c. 1400 BC, when Mycenae achieved supremacy, and much of the Minoan cultural tradition was transferred to the mainland, the Mycenaeans, who had already had cultural contact with the Minoans before Minoan dominance collapsed, took their place in the Mediterranean area and made contact with other peoples for trade purposes.

As for the goods they traded, they were mostly ceramics, jewerly, metalwork,  copper, tin, gold, and silver.
The Mycenaeans  in fact  not only traded manufactured goods, such as pottery and metalwork which they made, but  also acted as distributors of the goods and products of other countries as well as the Minoans had acted before. Among the raw materials they imported there were for example copper and tin, from which  they made bronze and then metalwork/ weapons their ships carried  throughout the Aegean and  Mediterranean.

In short  we can say that the Mycenaean trade was just like the Minoan  one, as the goods they both traded were just  pottery  they themselves made, and copper, tin, gold, silver, they imported from other countries and then re-exported.

There was however a  difference: the Mycenaeans exported also metalwork , while the Minoans  exported wine and  olive oil.

Finally I must point out that both the Minoans and the Mycenaeans were trading peoples because one after another  they both had maritime control, thanks to their ships which sailed Mediterranean,  making contact with other peoples for trade purposes.

Best regards,
Maria