The entrance to the ‘tholos’ beehive tomb.
The beehive tomb also called ‘The Treasury of Atreus’ or more famously ‘The Tomb of Agamemnon’
The beehive-like structure with its megalithic stones was built between 1350 and 1250 B.C
The entrance to a smaller room. That has been blocked to due falling rocks.
A few photographs from on site museum of Mycenae.
A view of the Mycenaean ruins from outside the ‘Tomb of Agamemnon’
“The Mycenaean rulers had the seat of their power and activity in a luxurious palace, built on a hill (acropolis) which was surrounded by imposing fortifications that were constructed during the 14th and 13th Century B.C. The walls surpassed 12 metres high and 7 metres in length. The area covers 30,000 sq meters with a total length of 900 metres.”
The beautiful landscape of Argos from the ancient ruins.
The entrance to the ‘Lion Tholos Tomb’. Dates back to the 15th Century B.C
The tholos (beehive) has not survived, but it is estimated to have been about 15 metres high.
The ‘Lion Gate’ is the main entrance to the citadel of Mycenae
The gate was closed by a double door, secured by a sliding bar. It dates to 1240 B.C
The relief of the lions is the oldest monumental relief in Europe. The heads of the lions did not survive and were made from steatite (soapstone).
The Northeast extension of the citadel which secured the water supply.
The underground cistern.
They received water from the natural spring. Has a depth of 18 meters.
The Mycenaean civilization flourished in the time span of 1600-1100 B.C. It was the first advanced Greek civilization. The Mycenaean period was the setting of Greek mythology and the historical setting of the Trojan Epic Cycle (poems written about the Trojan war).
I visited the archaeological site of Mycenae for the first time in late October. It was unseasonably hot and crowded with tourists. I was told not to come here in the summer and I so glad that I didn’t. It’s a bit of a climb to the top, but the view of Argos is fantastic.
