 None of the defence measures appear to have prevented the final destruction and collapse of the Mycenaean states . A second destruction struck Mycenae in ca . 1190 BC or shortly thereafter . This event marked the end of Mycenae as a major power . The site was then reoccupied , but on a smaller scale . The palace of Pylos , in the southwestern Peloponnese , faced destruction in c . 1180 BC . The Linear B archives found there , preserved by the heat of the fire that destroyed the palace , mention hasty defence preparations due to an imminent attack without giving any detail about the attacking force . 
