 Mycenaean palatial states , or centrally organized palace @-@ operating polities , are recorded in ancient Greek literature and mythology ( i.e. Iliad , Catalogue of Ships ) and confirmed by discoveries made by modern archaeologists such as Heinrich Schliemann . Each Mycenaean kingdom was governed from the palace , which exercised control over most , if not all , industries within its realm . The palatial territory was divided into several sub @-@ regions , each headed by its provincial center . Each province was further divided in smaller districts , the da @-@ mo . A number of palaces and fortifications appear to be part of a wider kingdom . For instance , Gla , located in the region of Boeotia , belonged to the state of nearby Orchomenos . Moreover , the palace of Mycenae appeared to have ruled over a territory two to three times the size of the other palatial states in Bronze Age Greece . Its territory would have also included adjacent centers , including Tiryns and Nauplion , which could plausibly be ruled by a member of Mycenae 's ruling dynasty . 
