The End of a World: Local Conflict and Regional Violence in Mycenaean Boeotia?

Résumé En

The collapse of the Mycenaean palatial world that occurred around 1200 BC was certainly a devastating upheaval for Boeotian populations. The strong decrease of sites in the post-palatial period shows that Boeotia has been more affected than other neighbouring regions like Attica. The final destruction of the Mycenaean palace of Thebes was not merely the end of a system in Boeotia but also the beginning of a withdrawal period most likely marked by socio-political instability and mobility. How and why a Mycenaean citadel like Gla has been destroyed? It may be assumed that internal conflicts and tensions were the main causes of this collapse, without ruling out the hypothesis of external destabilizing factors, here as in other areas on the Greek mainland. This raises the question as to how traces of local violence or regional conflicts at the time of the palatial collapseand in the post-palatial period can be detected through the analysis of the archaeological record. In this paper, I explore the idea of Aegean interregional violence and argue that socio-political conflicts may have contributed to the end of the Mycenaean palatial system, but that Orchomenos was probably an ally more than a rival for Thebes in the palatial period, especially in LH IIIB2 (1250-1200 BC).