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Mycenae 120 pictures 1.5 minutes HQ video Mycenae is by far the most famous site in its region. The city, which served as the backdrop to the legends immortalized by Homer and the Classical tragedies, also lent its name to the greatest of all pre-Classical Mediterranean civilizations, exquisite remains of which dating from the 17^th to the 12^th centuries B.C. have been found here. Since the city fell into rapid decadence and the destruction wreaked by the Dorian invasion and the raids by the "Sea People" choked its trade-based economy, Mycenae had been left untouched by the recovery programs that erased all traces of previous civilizations in many other protohistoric cities. Perched on top of a hill overlooking the plain of Argos and the Gulf of Nafplion, and protected from behind by Mts. Sara and Aghios Il as well as the gorges of the Chavos and the Kokoresta, Mycenae impresses the visitor with its grandiose walls, mostly in polygonal and Cyclopean masonry. The walls extend for about one kilometer, the more recent parts being in pseudo-isodomic masonry. The original height and many details of the walls as they were in antiquity can be calculated from the remains. It is certain, for instance, that the walls were built (or rebuilt?) in the middle of the 4^th century B.C. and were further extended about a century later. Lion Gate One of the most imposing structures of all times, was the main entrance to the citadel. The approach followed a natural uphill path, leading to a narrow space between the smooth, steep rock on the left and a long, narrow bastion (14.80 x 7.23 meters) on the right. At the end of this narrow space, in which the aggressors were forced to huddle together, exposed on all sides to the volleys of the guard, there is the gate, which consists of four single conglomerate blocks. The walls The earlier circuit walls (dating from circa 1350 B.C.) only enclosed the top of the hill, leaving out grave circle A. Mycenae impresses the visitor with its grandiose walls, mostly in polygonal and Cyclopean masonry. The walls extend for about one kilometer, the more recent parts being in pseudoisodomic masonary. The original height and many details of the walls as they were in antiquity can be calculated from the remains. The Granary This structure is narrow and cramped, and its facade was evidently planned in relation to the Grave Circle A, which shows that it was built later than the circle. It is built of masonry on a stone terrace fill; only the ground floor has survived, and there were found a number of jars containing carbonized wheat, which gave the building its name, although it is more probable that it was used by the guard of the gate. On the north-east side of the building, facing the courtyard of the Lion Gate, there are two narrow parallel corridors that led to the upper floor of the Granary and were extended, at a later stage, on a slightly different axis, the joint of which is clearly visible. The Granary was built at a late date and was in use up to the final destruction of the citadel. Grave Circle A The first large cemetery of the city, the 16^th century B.C. royal burial site. The site was enclosed by the citadel walls in about 1250 B.C. and transformed into a circular funerary sanctuary with cult structures very similar to a heroon. The enclosure contained six large royal shafts graves numbered from I to VI, and a number of ordinary graves, small and shallow, which were destroyed by Papadimitriou in 1956, half covered by the slabs of the parapet. The site was especially rich in grave treasures. The shaft graves are large underground burial chambers with pebble flooring, walls of rubble masonry and roofing, made up of wood or thin stone slabs resting on timber joints. 19 bodies were found in the shaft graves (eight men nine women and two children). "Mask of Agamemnon" Gold death mask (the face of a leading Achaean king), the mask was found in Grave V of Grave Circle A, 16^th century B.C. The Palace The palace complex of Mycenae is founded on an extensive area of artificially leveled ground, supported by massive cyclopean terraces. The northern retaining wall was rebuilt, in historical times, but the western and southern sections retain their original aspect. There were other similar terraces supporting the east wing of the palace, overlooking the Havos. The palace was built between 1350 and 1330 B.C. The utility areas and residential rooms are partly spread over two floors, served by stairs. This is all that remains of the rooms that were the scene of the reigning dynasty, the Atridae, founded by the mythical king Atreus. House M The Mycenaean building stands near the north wall; the ground floor was divided into four rooms, and it had a well made staircase leading to the upper floor. The entrance to the ground floor is at the north-west corner of the building, and it is flanked by a double porter's lodge. The building was erected on artificially leveled ground, and was separated from the north wall by a deep, narrow passage. Tholos Tomb "Tholos of Clytemnestra" This tomb is lying west of Aegisthus tomb. It was built approximately 250 years later around 1250 B.C., with 37 meters-long dromos. The facade of the doorway, including the relieving triangle, was adorned by half columns and decorated and painted chalk slabs. The round burial chamber measures 13.5 meters across. Back to Greece Index