The eruption of Thera , which according to archaeological data occurred in c. 1500 BC , resulted in the decline of the Minoan . This turn of events gave the opportunity to the Mycenaeans to spread their influence throughout the Aegean . Around c. 1450 BC , they were in control of Crete itself and colonized several other Aegean islands , reaching as far as Rhodes . Thus the Mycenaeans became the dominant power of the region , marking the beginning of the Mycenaean ' Koine ' era ( from , common ) , a highly uniform culture that spread in mainland Greece and the Aegean . The Mycenaean Greeks introduced several innovations in the fields of engineering , architecture and military infrastructure , while trade over vast areas of the Mediterranean was essential for the Mycenaean economy . Their syllabic script , the Linear B , offers the first written records of the Greek language and their religion already included several deities that can be also found in the Olympic Pantheon . Mycenaean Greece was dominated by a warrior elite society and consisted of a network of palace states that developed rigid hierarchical , political , social and economic systems . At the head of this societies was the king , known as wanax
eruption of Thera
Minoan eruption
Bronze Age Europe