Clay tablets inscribed with Linear B were found also in the Mycenaean palace of Pylos in 2009.
Greek archaeologists unearthed the ruins of what may look like a lost palace of the Mycenaean civilization, which suddenly vanished around 1,200 B.C. Researchers said that the palace was build around 17th century BC but was utterly destroyed hundreds of years later due to a fire.
In the palace, archaeologists found ceremonial cult objects including a drinking goblet shaped as a bull’s head, and well-preserved tablets with ancient writing on them that contain dates, names, religious- and business-related data. Researchers explained that the inscriptions are written in Linear B, the oldest version of written Greek which is among the oldest written languages ever found in Europe.
Despite most of the complex being destroyed by a huge fire, archaeologists estimate that palace was mainly made of stone and it probably had ten chambers. Nevertheless, the ruins don’t allow them to have a clear view on the structure.
But the authors of the discovery explained that the way rooms were located within the newly discovered palace suggests that it belongs to the Mycenaean civilization. Mycenaean palaces were built around a large central hall and they had many private rooms and sometimes even a smaller hall.
In the palace the team also found clay figures, a seal with a nautilus figure on it, bronze swords, and stretches of large paintings applied directly on the walls, also known as murals.
The structure was unearthed at Aghios Vassilios Hill which is 7.5 miles or 12 km away from the ancient site of Sparta. The excavations were completed this year, but archaeologists have been working on the site since 2009.
The Greek culture minister praised the discovery and expressed his hopes that the ancient ruins may help historians better understand the ancient Mycenaean civilization and the way the region was organized economically, socially, and politically about 3,600 years ago.
The lost Greek civilization also inspired the Greek poet Homer to write the famous “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” Archaeologists are still intrigued by the ancient civilization which suddenly vanished around 14th to 15th centuries BC.
Over the years, they found numerous artifacts and buildings belonging to the Mycenaeans including gorgeous palatial complexes, tombs filled with treasures, and inscriptions in Linear B which was decoded last century.
After the civilization’s collapse, the region entered a semi dark age. Historians believe that the civilization’s demise may be linked to either a 300-year-long drought or an unprecedented earthquake.
The new discovery is of exceptional importance because it covers the centuries before 1,200 BC on which archaeologists had little to no archaeological data.
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