Final answer:
During the Dark Age, Mycenaean civilization experienced a period of decline and collapse, characterized by the abandonment or destruction of their palaces and the vanishing of Mycenaean cultural features due to various factors like environmental disasters and foreign invasions, marking the outset of the Greek Dark Ages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mycenaean civilization encountered a significant period of decline and collapse during the Dark Age. Around 1200 BCE, the Mycenaean palace centers started to be abandoned or destroyed, and by 1050 BCE, the distinguishing characteristics of Mycenaean culture had vanished. This era of decline is attributed to a combination of factors, such as climatic or environmental catastrophes, invasions by the Dorians or Sea Peoples, widespread availability of iron weapons, and possible internal conflicts like sustained civil wars.
Notably, the economy, which relied on trade and diplomacy, was severely disrupted, suggesting that Mycenaean civilization fell into ruins leading to what historians term as the Greek Dark Ages. It was a time characterized by economic regression, isolation, and a severe population decline, which marked a stark contrast to the flourishing state of the civilization during the Bronze Age.