The Achaeans were a people who migrated into Greece around the 17th century BC. The Achaeans were organized into kingdoms centred around small walled towns. Around 1550 BC, the city of Mycenae, located in the northeast Peloponnesus, came to dominate the rest of Achae and formed the Mycenaean Civilization.
The Achaeans have been termed, "militaristic agriculturalists". They prayed to the mountain gods and earth goddess. Chariots formed the backbone of their armies and around 1400-1300 BC, the Mycenaeans overpowered the Minoans of Crete.
Around 1200 B.C. most of the Mycenaean citadels fell, as happened to other cities across the near east, and their civilization crumbled; later Dorians took over much of the Peloponnesus and the Hellenic civilization was on the rise.