Turns out the ancient Greeks were quite the grill masters

Mycenaean civilization, the forerunner to classical Greece and the backdrop for the Illiad and the Odyssey, is best known for its lavish palaces and treasure-filled tombs.

But thanks to one enterprising researcher, we've learned that the Mycenaeans also knew how to throw a pretty mean barbeque.

For a long time, archaeologists couldn't figure out how ancient Greeks used the cookware found at excavation sites from the , which lasted from 1600 to 1100 B.C.

The mysterious wares included ceramic trays for skewered meat — known as souvlaki in Greece. But archaeologists disagreed over whether the trays were meant to be placed over a fire to catch drippings, or if they worked more like a portable barbeque pits to hold coals....