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According to legend, they ruled Greece and defeated Troy. Who the Achaeans really were?
The Achaeans, one of the earliest Greek tribes, managed to create a powerful civilization whose martial deeds were passed down orally and in writing for hundreds of years after its demise. They held a dominant position in Greece until the Doric invasion, and the end of their culture brought the country into a difficult period, contemporarily known as the Dark Age. What do we know about the Achaeans? Who were they and how did they make their mark in mythology? These and other questions are answered below.
The Mycenaean civilization, one of the oldest Greek-speaking cultures, is commonly identified with the Achaeans. It was the Achaeans who were said to have conquered Crete and thus caused the fall of the Minoan civilization, which is described by some historians as the first link in the civilization chain of Europe.
However, it should be emphasized that the history of this people and their relationship with the Greek and non-Greek peoples of Hellada is determined on the basis of literary and archaeological sources, which do not answer all questions related to the Achaean tribe. Their history still hides many mysteries that, for the time being, the scientific world has not been able to decipher.
