A GREAT KING AT MYCENAE. AN ARGUMENT FOR THE WANAX AS GREAT KING AND THE LAWAGETAS AS VASSAL RULER
A GREAT KING AT MYCENAE. AN ARGUMENT FOR THE WANAX AS GREAT KING AND THE LAWAGETAS AS VASSAL RULER

Summary/Abstract: The position of the wanax in the Mycenaean world is often perceived as that of a local monarch, ruling from a palatial centre and controlling (to a large extent) the surrounding region. Territorially speaking, that region does generally not exceed its natural border, such as large rivers or major mountain ranges, and can be compared in size to most modern day nomes / provinces. Although these Mycenaean Kingdoms in a cultural respect appear to have been essentially the same, most archaeologists consider this the result of trade / exchange and sheer proximity to each other, rather than anything else. This view is based on archaeological data (which does not provide any evidence in favour of the view, but rather appears to provide no evidence for more than occasional contacts either) and evidence from Linear B texts (that indicate that palatial administration only directly affected the region surrounding the palace). As a rule, each Mycenaean Kingdom is thought to have been centred on a single large palatial settlement.

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