What Is The Mycenae?

Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, founded over the plain of Argolis near Mykines, and the seashore in the northeast Peloponnese. During the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization. It was a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades, and parts of southwest Anatolia. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae.

The first correct identification of Mycenae in modern literature was during a survey conducted by Francesco Grimani, commissioned by the Provveditore Generale of the Kingdom of the Morea in 1700, who used Pausanias’s description of the Lion Gate to identify the ruins of Mycenae. The Mycenaean Era occupies the tail end of the Helladic Civilization, which flourished in mainland Greece since 3000 BC.

History

Mycenae, an acropolis site, was ideally positioned to be a centre of power, especially as it commanded all routes to the Isthmus of Corinth. Besides its strong defensive and strategic position, it had good farmland and an adequate water supply.

Although continuously occupied from the Early Neolithic, there are only faint traces of Neolithic settlement on the site. The earliest ceramic evidence found so far date back to the early Neolithic period.

Mycenae developed into a major power around 1550–1450 BC and is believed to have become the main centre of Aegean civilisation through the fifteenth century. The Minoan predominance ended in 1450 and there is evidence that Knossos was occupied by Mycenaeans until it too was destroyed in approximately 1370 BC.

From then on, Mycenaean expanded until the disruption of society in the first half of the twelfth century which ended Mycenaean civilisation and lead to the destruction of Mycenae itself. Around 1200 BC, all the palace complexes of southern Greece were burned, including that at Mycenae.

Emily Vermeule suggests that the disruption of commercial networks at the end of the 13th century BC was disastrous for Greece and this was followed by the coming of the so-called Sea Peoples, who caused chaos in the Aegean. According to Egyptian records, these people destroyed the Hittite Empire then attacked the 19th and the 20th dynasties of Egypt.

Another theory state that drought was the primary cause behind the Mycenaean decline. Further arguments by Amos Nur was that earthquakes played a major role in the destruction of Mycenae and many other cities at the end of the Bronze Age. However, no conclusive evidence has been brought forward to confirm any theory of why the Mycenaean citadel and others throughout Greece fell almost simultaneously at this time.

Mycenae was briefly reoccupied in the Hellenistic period, but was then abandoned. The ancient travel writer Pausanias visited the site in the second century AD and briefly described the prominent fortifications and the Lion Gate, still visible in his time.

Archaeological Remains

The Greek Archaeologist Kyriakos Pittakis was the first to do excavations at Mycenae in 1841 when he found and restored the Lion Gate. Heinrich Schliemann started with excavations in 1874, originally without permission, but then commenced with the permission of the Archaeological Society of Athens (ASA) and the supervision of one of its members, Panayiotis Stamatakis.

Since then more scientific excavations have taken place at Mycenae. Christos Tsountas, another member of the ASA, cleared a huge portion of the citadel during his excavations between 1884 and 1902. The British School of Archaeology (BSA) conducted excavations from 1920 to 1969. The ASA continued with excavations up to 2009.

Since 2011 the ASA is excavating the Mycenae Lower Town, with support from Dickinson College and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory.

The Lion Gate guards and provides the main access to the citadel. The two lions arranged symmetrically around a column is the first example of representational monumental sculpture in the European continent. The relief sculpture is carved of grey limestone, but the heads of the lions were added on and have been lost since antiquity. It is dated to about 1249 BC.

Grave Circle A is one of the most striking and significant features of the archaeological site. This was where the royals were buried and have yielded a host of priceless Mycenaean funerary artifacts, now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and at the Mycenae Museum. The graves were originally part of the expanded cemetery that lay outside the citadel and were enclosed in the expanded wall sometime in the 13th century BC.

Grave Circle B is located outside the walls of Mycenae and pre-date Grave Circle A by three centuries. The large circular wall contained 25 graves, and the funerary artifacts found in excavations were precious objects of gold, ivory, rock crystal.

The Palace of Mycenae occupies a central location atop the citadel. It was accessed from the south through two guard rooms. The state rooms were arranged around a central court which led to the Megaron with its four columns arranged in a square around the sacred hearth. In Mycenaean times the palace was lavishly decorated with vivid frescoes and mosaics.

The Tomb of Clytemnestra is found overlapping part of Grave Circle B. While its name implies that Agamemnon’s wife was buried in it, there is no evidence. The area was buried during Hellenistic times and a theatre constructed over it. During the Ottoman rule, the tomb was looted, but it is in excellent shape and shows exceptional masonry craftsmanship.

The Tomb of Aegisthus is among the earliest examples of Tholos Tomb construction. It was built in the early 15th century BC mostly with small stones. There is however no evidence that Aegisthus was buried in this tomb.

Lion Tholos Tomb is named because of its proximity to the Lion Gate. It is dated to the early 14th century BC.

The Treasury of Atreus, built between 1350 and 1250 BC, is one of the latest of its kind and the best-preserved tholos tomb found. It is an architectural masterpiece revealing the level of craftsmanship that Bronze Age masons had reached. Its entrance is framed by megalithic elements and the entire monument is constructed with exceptionally well-dressed stones.

Interest For Today

Many of the legends of Ancient Greece have their origin in this late Bronze Age Era we call Mycenaean. The founding of Mycenae is lost in prehistory, but according to Greek legends, it was founded by the legendary hero Perseus. He was the son of Zeus and Danae, daughter of the king of Argos, Acricios, who left Argos for Tyrins and later employed Cyclopes to build the walls of Mycenae with giant stones that no human could move. Thus, the characterization of the walls as “Cyclopean”.

Location

Mycenae is in Argolis, Greece, at the coordinates 37°43′49″N 22°45′27. Its official name is Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns.

Address: 21200 Mycenae, Argolis, Greece.

Tourist Information

Archaeological Site of Mycenae is open daily from 08:00 AM – 19:00 PM during September and from 08:00 AM – 17:00 PM from November to March.

Tickets are €12 full price reduced to €6 for children and are valid for the Archaeological Site, the Museum, and the Treasure of Atreus.

Telephone: +30 27510 76585.