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In Search of the Greeks (Second Edition) > Galleries > Sites ordered by name > Mycenae

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  20.     > Mycenae
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  23.     > Tiryns

Mycenae

Click on the links below for images of the site.

Resources

    1. A view up to the citadel of Mycenae
    2. The Lion Gate. Most of the remains of the citadel, including the Lion Gate, are believed to date to the period between 1350 and 1200 BCE
    3. A close up view of the lions on the Lion Gate
    4. Grave Circle A. This large grave circle, 27 metres in diameter, was a royal cemetery within the citadel. It contains six grave shafts, in which were found 19 skeletons. The tomb is believed to date to the 16th century BCE
    5. Many items of great value were found buried in Grave Circle A; the most famous of them is the so-called 'Mask of Agamemnon' which is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens
    6. The Warrior Vase. This was found in a house near to Grave Circle A. It is believed to date to about 1200 BCE, and depicts a parade of helmeted warriors with a woman bidding them farewell. This is one of the earliest narrative scenes in Greek pottery
    7. A view of the plain of Argos from the citadel of Mycenae
    8. One end of the great hall, or megaron, in the palace of Mycenae
    9. The other end of the megaron
    10. An ivory lyre with an elaborate relief decoration of a pair of sphinxes on its sound-box
    11. A view of the 'Artisans' Quarter' in the east wing of the palace. The building takes its name from the finds recovered here - unfinished ivory objects, raw materials, gold leaf, remnants of semi-precious stones, etc. It is dated to the second half of the 13th century, and was destroyed in flames at the end of that century
    12. This tunnel leads into an underground cistern below the palace. The cistern is part of one of the most remarkable feats of Mycenaean building. It was served by a man-made aqueduct which channelled water from a natural spring outside the walls of the citadel
    13. The Treasury of Atreus. The Mycenaean elite were buried in large tombs which were beehive in shape. Such a tomb is often called a 'Tholos Tomb', from the Greek word for a 'dome'. This tomb dates to about 1350 BCE; it is named after a mythological ruler of Mycenae, Atreus, the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus, although he has no archaeological connection to this tomb
    14. Inside the Treasury of Atreus
    15. The Lion Tomb. This is another tholos tomb near the citadel, in this case the roof has collapsed so it can be seen from above
    16. Looking into the Lion Tomb
    17. The Mycenaean script, known as Linear B, was decoded in the middle of the 20th century. Linear B was shown to be an early form of the Greek language
    18. This Linear B tablet found in Knossos on Crete illustrates that the Mycenaeans worshipped some gods which were central to Greek religion in historical times centuries later
    19. Mycenaean pottery was exported far beyond Greece to other parts of the Mediterranean
    20. These clay figures were found in the temple next to the megaron of Mycenae
    21. These clay figures of snakes were also found in the temple next to the megaron
    22. These small objects were all found in the accompanying bowl
    23. Figurines of women, animals, furniture and a man plowing with an ox
    24. Household implements and jewellery found at Mycenae