Short answers, pulled from the story.
The mainstream consensus places the start of Mycenaean civilization around 1750 BC, evolving from local socio-cultural landscapes rather than an external imposition. The culture expanded significantly by 1400 BC marking the beginning of the Palatial Bronze Age which lasted until approximately 1200 BC followed by a Postpalatial period ending around 1050 BC.
At the heart of every Mycenaean kingdom stood the wanax who held absolute power over religious military and judicial affairs. Below him served the lāwāgetas often translated as leader of the people whose duties were primarily religious but sometimes overlapped with royal functions while both leaders headed a military aristocracy known as the da-mo-koro or companions.
Mycenaean merchants established trade routes stretching from Cyprus to the Black Sea connecting their world with Egypt Anatolia and the Levant. The Uluburun shipwreck off southern Anatolia dating to around 1300 BC reveals cargoes of copper tin ivory and glass while olive oil served as a primary export commodity transported in distinctive stirrup jars invented by Cretans but widely adopted by Mycenaeans after 1400 BC.
Defensive walls constructed from massive boulders without mortar defined Mycenaean fortifications earning them the name Cyclopean masonry due to their sheer scale. Military equipment evolved significantly over time with early armies relying on heavy infantry armed with spears large shields and occasional armor pieces before weapons became smaller and more flexible reflecting tactical shifts toward mobility by the 13th century BC.
Small shrines identified at Asine Berbati Malthi and Pylos indicate localized worship practices despite the absence of monumental temples at most palatial centers. Women played vital roles in religious life serving as priestesses who could legally acquire land through leases rather than ownership while key-bearers managed sacred treasuries dispensing resources when needed though their exact duties remain unclear.
Around 1190 BC a second destruction struck Mycenae marking the end of its dominance as a major power while sites like Thebes burned to the ground around 1250 BC and Orchomenos was abandoned without total devastation. Evidence supports internal conflict stemming from rigid social hierarchies and ideological tensions surrounding the wanax system alongside climate change droughts earthquakes and overpopulation migration among proposed causes leading to the Greek Dark Ages lasting from 1100 to 800 BC.