Even before the decipherment of the tablets, scholars had deduced that most classical Greek gods had Mycenaean antecedents. Religious continuity from Mycenaean to classical times can be seen in sanctuaries and temples to the major classical Greek gods, which, according to the archaeological evidence, had remained in use from Mycenaean times. The Linear B tablets not only confirmed this, but also refined the details.
The major gods of classical Greece that were worshipped in Mycenaean Greece included Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hermes, Artemis, Ares, Athena, and Dionysus. Apollo is missing. Although no classical sanctuary of Dionysus dates to Mycenaean times, his place in the Mycenaean pantheon is confirmed by a tablet discovered in Khania, a town in northwestern Crete known as Cydonia both in Mycenaean and in classical times:
This tablet also shows that a Mycenaean god, like his classical counterparts, might also receive sacrifices in a temple dedicated to another god to whom he stood in some sort of relationship. Here Dionysus receives sacrifices in a temple of Zeus.
In general, Mycenaean religion was the same as classical Greek religion, including the distinction between heroes and gods, one of the most characteristic features of classical Greek religion. Heroes were immortals who received offerings, but were not considered gods in the strict sense. Similarly, in Pylos offerings were made to a unique figure known as the “Triple-Hero” (Tn 316). Both classical and Mycenaean Greeks also named their months after festivals for gods, such as Diwjojo Menos, the “Month of the Festival of Zeus” at Knosos (Fp 5). The only significant difference between Mycenaean and classical Greek religion lies in the presence of some gods in the Mycenaean period whose worship had ceased by classical times, for example, Posideija, a female counterpart to Poseidon (Tn 316).
Inevitably, much about Mycenaean religion remains unknown. Various possibly religious figurines are attested in the archaeological record - called “Psi” and “Phi” figurines (see Figure 2.11) for their rough resemblance to those
Figure 2.11 Mycenaean Psi and Phi figurines, circa 1400-1300 BC (terracotta). Source: Private Collection / Photo © Heini Schneebeli / The Bridgeman Art Library
World History
