When planning a trip to Greece, be sure to set aside a few days for a trip to Mycenae. It is not without reason that this ancient city is called the cradle of Hellas. It is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of ancient heroes performing feats in the name of the gods of Olympus, and with unprecedented luxury, which all the kingdoms of the world could envy.
Myths about the appearance of Mycenae
The birth of Mycenae goes back far into history. Archaeologists believe that the city was formed in the sixteenth century BC. Located in the west of the Peloponnese peninsula, it became the most influential city Ancient Greece and marked the beginning of an entire era called the Mycenaean era.
Greek legends say that the city was founded by the great hero Perseus, the son of Zeus, with the help of giants and Cyclopes. Indeed, the city itself, the palace and the fortress walls were built from huge blocks of stone, perfectly fitted to each other without the use of mortar. Some blocks weigh about one hundred tons, and the walls themselves rise to a height of thirteen meters. This method of building walls was called “cyclopean masonry.” Most of the buildings in Mycenae were built using this technique. It is difficult to imagine how these blocks moved during construction.
Founders of Mycenae
Historians believe that the founders of the city can be considered the ancient Achaeans, whose main activity was military campaigns against nearby states. Homer in his famous poems praised Mycenae and its warlike founders. Strategically, Mycenae was very conveniently located - the city, surrounded by well-fortified walls, was located on the top of a hill. The plain stretching around made it impossible for enemies to approach the city unnoticed. Gradually he grew stronger and flourished.
History of Mycenae: heyday
The Mycenaeans carefully guarded the approaches to their city, and by the thirteenth century BC they had extended their influence over the entire peninsula. The townspeople were actively engaged in trade and developed their city. The Mycenaean culture replaced the Minoan civilization, which was practically destroyed after the eruption of the Santorini volcano. The Mycenaeans settled the island of Crete, archaeologists have found evidence of their culture in the ruins of the Minos Palace. Several centuries of Mycenaean rule left a huge imprint on the entire history of Ancient Greece.
According to myths, Mycenae set off from this city on a multi-year campaign against Troy. The fall of Troy was a gift to the great king from the gods for his fulfilled promise to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigenia. A few days after his enchanting return to Mycenae, the king was killed by his own wife, Clytamestra, who was distraught after the death of her daughter. To this day, in Greece, her name means “husband killer.”
During their heyday, the Mycenaeans built many cities and decorated their city with majestic structures such as royal palace, For example. The difference between poor and rich townspeople was very significant. The Mycenaeans strictly divided society into classes, giving privileges to traders and military leaders.
Fall of Mycenae
Several centuries of the power of the Mycenaean civilization ended after the invasion of the Peloponnese in one thousand two hundred BC by the warlike tribes of the Dorians. They destroyed most major cities peninsulas, including Mycenae. Troy also fell under their onslaught, which did not have enough time to recover from the triumphant victory of Agamemnon. The inhabitants of Mycenae still tried to revive the city, but gradually left the Peleponnese for Asia and the islands. For many centuries, Mycenae was forgotten.
Discovery of Mycenae: excavations by Heinrich Schliemann
Mycenae owes its new birth to the famous Heinrich Schliemann. A persistent archaeologist, keen on the search for the legendary Troy, quite unexpectedly came across one of the burial grounds in the vicinity of Mycenae, which stunned the archaeologist with unprecedented wealth. Jewelry, parts of military armor, figurines and household items - all of this was made of gold. From several burial grounds, Schliemann managed to recover more than thirty kilograms of precious metal items. The gold found is of particular value to archaeologists. Initially, scientists attributed it to the period of the legendary king Agamemnon, but after a long study they dated it to the sixteenth century BC. The treasures found in the city were the most significant archaeological find of the late nineteenth century. Mycenae personifies everything that this majestic and mysterious city amaze the tourist’s imagination with the power of the palace walls, unique royal burials and the barbaric luxury of the artifacts found.
Attractions Mycenae
Excavations in Mycenae continued for many years, revealing to the world new treasures of this amazing city. Each discovery proved that Mycenae had such a powerful influence on the Peloponnese, which Ancient Greece had never experienced before. The sights of Mycenae now represent huge complex with the ruins of the royal palace, burial grounds and fortress walls. You can wander around this for hours. A special place among archaeological finds is occupied by the Lion Gate and shaft tombs at Mycenae. Scientists have not been able to come to a consensus about their origin to this day. An excursion tour to Mycenae can be purchased directly in Athens. Two hours spent on the road is a very small price to pay for the stunning sight that will appear before the eyes of the tourist.
Lion Gate in Mycenae: description
To enter the well-fortified fortress of the city, it was necessary to pass the Lion Gate. They themselves are composed of four monolithic blocks, each of which weighs about twenty tons. Archaeologists believe that these blocks were carved from amygdalite rock. The blocks are carefully processed and adjusted to each other. After many years of study, archaeologists discovered that the blocks were processed with a tool similar to a circular saw. The jagged marks on the stones are still clearly visible. This is one of the first mysteries that the Lion Gate at Mycenae provided to scientists and historians. The type of construction of the gate is identical to the fortress wall - monolithic masonry. According to scientists, the bas-relief of lions was installed above the gate much later than the construction of the fortress wall. The date of its foundation dates back to approximately the thirteenth century BC. Lions are a very common heraldic symbol in Europe. Many royal dynasties were proud of their image on their coat of arms.
The bas-relief is made of three blocks and depicts two powerful animals standing on their hind legs, leaning on a column. The blocks are cut from solid limestone rock. Unfortunately, the heads of the animals were not preserved, but archaeologists claim that they were cast from gold and turned towards the entering people. According to some assumptions, lions were a symbol of one of the ruling dynasties of Mycenae. According to another version, this monumental bas-relief was dedicated to the patroness of the entire animal kingdom - the goddess Potnia. Many historians see the similarity of the bas-relief with ancient Celtic motifs. In their culture, lions occupied a special place, but until today scientists have not figured out the meaning of the majestic image.
Myths about the origin of the Lion Gate
The Lion Gate in Mycenae is a unique structure, the like of which has not been built during the entire heyday of Mycenaean culture. The manner of construction and the carefully crafted bas-relief depicting a column in the Cretan style made scientists recall the most ancient Hellenic myths.
Myths say that the Hellenes were the descendants of the powerful Atlantean gods, who came to the land of Ancient Greece from their lost land. Indeed, many stone structures that archaeologists attribute to the period of the Cretan-Minoan civilization and the Mycenaean civilization that replaced it leave many questions. How could huge blocks of stone be mined and delivered to the construction site? Why do some of them show traces of processing with tools similar to modern ones? Why is the bas-relief of the gate so closely intertwined with images in other cultures? None of the questions were answered.
The Mystery of the Lion Gate
If we take into account that the Lion Gate in Mycenae was erected as a defensive structure, then another mystery of this mysterious place appears before scientists - all the treasures that Schliemann found in his time were in burial grounds located actually under the base of the gate. In the same place, the famous archaeologist managed to find the tomb of Agamemnon himself, filled to the brim with gold and silver artifacts. Neither earlier nor in a later period did the Greeks make such burials.
Archaeologists believe that the entrance to the citadel through the Lion Gate was not available to every person. This is evidenced by the road leading to the gate - along it are located the famous shaft tombs, which became sacred to the Mycenaeans. An outsider could not be allowed into the place of worship. This revealed fact emphasizes the special significance of the Lion Gate as a religious structure during the heyday of Mycenaean culture.
Why did the Mycenaeans make such burials? And why did they place their treasures at the entrance to the city? A worthy hypothesis scientific world still hasn't nominated it. The Lion Gate in Mycenae carefully guards the secrets of its creators
Royal Palace
Tourists who buy a sightseeing tour to Mycenae can see other historical monuments this once richest city. Directly from the Lion Gate the road led to the royal palace. The ruins of this structure even now delight tourists. In the center of the building there was a huge rectangular hall with a hearth - a megaron. The hearth was carefully decorated and decorated with ornate designs; at the four corners of the hearth there were massive columns supporting the vault. The walls of the main hall were decorated with drawings in the Cretan style. Homer called this hall “shining” in his poems. It should be noted that the Minoans were excellent engineers and architects. The entire structure was built in different levels, connected by a string of corridors and halls. Under the palace there was a system of communications and water supply for the city. Many buildings within Mycenae were built on two or three floors, which speaks not only of the financial viability of the townspeople, but also of the skill of the builders.
The palace itself supposedly housed an ancient sanctuary. Archaeologists have found several sculptures of goddesses and a child. Scientists know absolutely nothing about who the Mycenaeans worshiped. Just as their funeral rites are not known or understood by historians.
Mine Tombs
The Mine Tombs are no less unique a place than the Lion Gate in Mycenae. Two burial circles, converted into a sanctuary in a later period, were the resting places of noble Mycenaeans. Scientists still cannot explain why the townspeople buried their loved ones sitting in narrow shaft-shaped burial grounds. This phenomenon is in no way connected with all previously known Hellenic rituals. Each burial ground was filled with decorations and household items. It should be noted that all items were made of precious metals. Bronze items were occasionally found. After Schliemann's discovery of the shaft tombs, Mycenae began to be called “gold-abundant.”
The monumental Lion Gate, luxurious gold jewelry and myths, legends and mysteries - all this was given to the world by the “gold-rich” Mycenae. Greece is capable of bewitching any tourist who will definitely want to once again touch its history, permeated with thousands of years.
Long before Greece was called ancient, around 1600 BC, the Eastern Mediterranean was inhabited by a civilization of traders and conquerors. These were the times of myths and legends.
The gods at that time often descended from, and mortals were ruled by their offspring. It was then that the well-known Perseus, the son of Zeus and the daughter of the Argive king, being the ruler of nearby Tiryns, founded the ancient city of Mycenae.
The city has become so great importance that the last prehistoric period of Greek civilization is called “Mycenaean”.
A little history
Whether Perseus founded Mycenae having decided to leave a memory of himself also as a builder of cities, or as a sign of another victory is unknown. But many generations of his descendants ruled it, until the royal dynasty of Atreus came to replace it.
Some legends claim that Perseus chose this place because he lost the tip of his sword here (mykes), others that Perseus found a mushroom (mykes in Greek) and, to escape thirst, drank water from it.
A more prosaic legend says that Mycenae was founded by the Achaeans, an ancient warlike tribe.
Be that as it may, the city is located in a strategically convenient location. They laid it at the foot of one of the mountains in the northeast.
The first mention of Mycenae as a “gold-abundant” or “filled with gold” city was made by Homer in his epic.
Later, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, during the excavations of Mycenae, found an explanation for this. The tombs and tombs on its territory were filled with gold jewelry and simply trinkets of very skillful work.
All this testified to the fabulous wealth of the rulers and nobility. Their remains were buried under a pile of gold items. Interestingly, not a single iron object was discovered.
Among the gold items found by archaeologists were: tiaras, finely crafted bracelets, copper cauldrons with elegant gold buttons, gold bowls and jugs, many gold animal figurines, death masks, the most famous of which is the mask of Agamemnon, as well as many bronze swords.
The archaeological finds discovered in the tombs became the largest treasure in the world, not only in quantity (more than 30 kg of gold items were found), but also in artistic and historical significance. Later they were surpassed only by the finds found in the tomb of Tutankhamun.
All artifacts were transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae.
Udachnoye geographical position Mycenae facilitated trade among the inhabitants.
Wine, perfume, fabrics, bronze, gold and amber products were exported.
Wealth grew rapidly and the state prospered. Mycenae became very influential, and according to scientists, controlled the entire Mediterranean. Their rulers even led the confederation of Peloponnesian kingdoms.
Mycenaean culture, weapons, and even fashion spread throughout the known world. This was the reason for repeated attacks on the city. However, the Mycenaeans themselves were warlike.
During its existence, Mycenae and the Mycenaean state left a solid mark on history. The rulers of the city are heroes of legends and myths. The history of Mycenae is associated with many tragic and heroic events.
For example, the legendary Trojan War was unleashed by the Mycenaean king Agamemnon. We will not go into the details of the divine civil strife associated with the apple of discord and the struggle of the Olympic beauties for the title of “most beautiful,” in which King Menelaus and his wife Helen the Beautiful were involved, which led to the fall of Troy.
Historians are still inclined to a more realistic version that it was the ruler of Mycenae Agamemnon who went to war against the city, since Troy competed with them for dominance in the region. The siege of the city lasted for a decade.
Researchers attribute these events to the 13th–12th centuries. BC e., but the date is controversial. Victory was granted by the gods to the king of Mycenae because he sacrificed his daughter, for which later, according to one legend, he was killed by his wife, who did not forgive him for the murder of her child.
According to another legend, during the long absence of her husband, Clytemnestra took a lover - Agamemnon's cousin. And when the legitimate spouse returned from the war, they simply killed him, expelled the children - the legal heirs to the throne, and began to rule Mycenae.
The rapid development of the Mycenaean civilization is as inexplicable as its sudden disappearance. It is not established exactly how and why their state fell. Historians have put forward various hypotheses according to which the destruction of the city and the death of the state could have occurred as a result of inter-class clashes.
According to other theories, a series of earthquakes and the destruction of trade routes caused the rapid fall of civilization. It is possible that this was finally facilitated by the invasion of the Sea People - the Dorians. But it is known for sure that the death of the Mycenaean civilization coincided with the end of the Bronze Age.
The “Bronze Collapse” was accompanied by the fall of states and the destruction of large cities. Writing and traditions were lost, trade came to naught. The Eastern Mediterranean has plunged into darkness.
How to get to Mycenae
Time is inexorable, and now we can only see the ruins of a once powerful city. This is all that has reached us.
Mycenae is one of the greatest monuments of the Bronze Age.
The city is located in the east of the rocky ridge of the Peloponnese Peninsula.
The landmark is the town of Mykenes, located 2 km away. Geographical coordinates ancient city: 37° 43? 50? With. sh., 22° 45? 22? V. d. From the capital of Greece - approximately 90 km to the southwest of the peninsula, or 32 km to the north from the Gulf of Argolikos.
You can get to Mycenae by regular bus from Athens from the KTEL Athenon bus station in about two hours, the ticket costs about 12 euros. But you can get to Mycenae on your own, armed with a navigator or map. You must first drive to the city of Argo, and from there go to Mycenes, passing another one - the Corinth Canal.
The ruins are located on the territory of the Mycenae archaeological park. Entrance to the park is paid. Tickets are sold at the entrance and cost 8 euros, and children under 18 do not need to purchase tickets. By presenting your ticket, you will be able to see the Mycenaean Acropolis, the Archaeological Museum and the Treasury of Atreus.
When booking an excursion to Mycenae via the Internet or in hotels, check if there is a Russian-speaking guide. As a rule, a visit to Mycenae in such excursions is planned along with other attractions, so the cost depends on the type of transport, the number of places visited and the category of excursion.
What to see
Like many cities, Mycenae had its own ruler, respectively a royal palace and a well-fortified citadel.
The city is surrounded by a 900-meter wall made of huge stones. The construction was carried out, no more, no less, by the giants Cyclops.
Otherwise, how else can one explain the origin of such a powerful defensive structure. The stones are fitted so tightly to each other that there is a feeling of solidity of the walls. Such masonry was commonly called cyclopean. The weight of some stones reaches 10 tons.
The Royal Palace was built on the top of a small hill at the foot of the mountain. This is the so-called upper city - the acropolis.
Not only the reigning dynasty lived here, but also other nobility and aristocracy. This is the center of political governance of the city-state. The territory also contained temples, warehouses and burial places of deceased rulers.
The center of the Royal Palace is a rectangular room with columns and a fireplace in the floor - the royal reception room.
The so-called Megaron served administrative center city and meetings, conferences and courts were held in it.
Megaron also housed the symbol of royal power - the throne. In our time, only the foundation of the structure has been preserved.
The royal chambers are located on the northern side of the palace. A temple with round altars was also erected here, near which a stone made of Ivory sculpture depicting two goddesses and a child.
Ordinary people lived outside the walls of the fortress at the foot of the hill. It is interesting that the buildings had a trapezoidal shape, with a short base directed towards the acropolis. Because of this, the entire city from above resembled a fan. The most famous buildings are the House of the Sphinx, the House of the Wine Merchant, the House of Shields and the House of the Oil Trader.
It was possible to get to the fortress only along the road through. This is the most famous architectural landmark of Mycenae.
The gate is built from four powerful limestone slabs. Their span is a square, the side of which is about 3 meters. They were most likely closed with wooden doors, which have not survived to this day.
Their existence can be judged by the indentations on the side walls. The pediment is decorated with a bas-relief depicting two lions, which were a symbol of the royal dynasty and personified its power.
Lions stand on their hind legs and lean them on a column. Their heads have not survived, and according to different versions they were made of either ivory or gold. This is the oldest sculptural composition in Europe.
A large staircase leads to the royal palace, starting from the courtyard at the Lion Gate. It is interesting that bureaucracy already existed then. Clay tablets found during excavations in the palace turned out to be financial reports, lists of slaves and artisans.
Mycenae had the greatest treasure for all fortresses - underground water sources.
The inhabitants dug a deep tunnel to a spring known as the Perseus Fountain. This fountain and a huge defensive wall helped them withstand long sieges.
Behind the walls of the citadel, archaeologists discovered giant domes - tombs of kings and nobles, built from powerful stone slabs. The tombs were camouflaged with a mound, and a long corridor, the dromos, led inside.
The corridor, through a high, up to 7 meters high, monumental entrance, led to an internal vaulted chamber. After the funeral, the tomb was closed, and all entrances were covered with earth. The most famous and well-preserved is the treasury or tomb of Atreus, the father of Agamemnon.
But the tomb was looted long before archaeologists found it.
On the territory of the fortress itself, as a result of excavations, royal graves were discovered, immediately behind the Lion Gate.
Heinrich Schliemann excavated five royal burials here. They contained the remains of nineteen dead, buried under piles of gold jewelry. The most famous find was the golden death mask.
According to Heinrich Schliemann, the mask belonged to Agamemnon himself. Later it turned out that the burials were made several centuries earlier than the time of the legendary Trojan War.
In 1999, the ruins of Mycenae were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Despite the fact that time has not been kind to the city, visiting it is very informative and interesting.
They clogged my veins with sand
And the dry wind smoked my lips -
The cubes placed by the Cyclops,
The well-trodden sleepy Mycenae.
Everyone remembers the rocks - how alternately
Signalmen have spent the night sleeping for years
At the piled fires, how sensitively they waited
The cherished message: Agamemnon is near!
Once here, there is no need to regret,
That time has become silent on your wrist,
That danger sleeps in the stones like a scorpion,
The abandoned herd bleats sadly,
The sound of a sheep's rattle is sad.
From the liquid shadow of oleander leaves
Look, doomed Cassandra,
On pale Slavic freckles.
Oh prophetic, my simple epic,
He will distort your features with a yawn,
But, you know, with great pleasure
I would swap my jeans for peplos.
Dark centuries of victory and treason
We woke up in a confident hexameter,
I didn’t come, but you returned to me,
Confused old Mycenae.
Helga Haren
In the 3rd millennium BC there were three major centers human civilization: Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Hittite Empire. The ancestor of all empires was Mesopotamia, the origin of which is shrouded in historical fog.
One day the huge Hittite Empire collapsed. Its fragments flew in all directions, giving birth civil war, devastation, famine and fratricidal clashes. In those days there were no strictly guarded borders - neither our own nor neighboring countries, so different groups - in fact, even completely independent peoples scattered in different directions. Those peoples who escaped war and devastation to the west eventually ended up on the Apennine Peninsula. The other, largest group of peoples moved south, towards the future Hellas. These were the Pelasgians, Achaeans, Dorians, Ionians, Leleges, and Carians.
Arriving on the territory of the future mainland Greece, they inhabited it, displacing or partially assimilating the mysterious Minoan civilization that existed there. And on the islands the Cycladic culture replaced the Cretan and Proto-Aegean culture. As a result of this fusion, the so-called Aegean or Mycenaean civilization arose. The culture flourished from 1500 to 1050 BC. Then it slowly turns into classical Hellas.
A dramatic leap in Greek culture occurred around 1700 BC. At this time, the Cretan-Minoan culture began to fade away, but its influence remained.
Heinrich Schliemann, a German amateur archaeologist, once a wealthy merchant who made his fortune working in St. Petersburg, then supplemented it with financial transactions in America, gave Greece another millennium of history. He achieved this, relying on the mythological legends of Homer.
The Tomb of Atreus, which he explored in 1879, is the largest domed tomb in Mycenaean culture.
It is impossible to truly know the Mycenaean culture down to the smallest detail. Some architectural moves still remain a mystery. It remains to rely on archaeological information, the myths of ancient Greece and on the information of those peoples who came into contact with them.
From 1700 to 1500 BC Mycenaean culture used deep shaft tombs lined with stone slabs, earth, brushwood or grass at the bottom. Royal tomb 1450 BC it looked like this: a long passage began on the hillside, the sides were lined with stones and ended in front of the door that closed the entrance to the tomb. The wooden doors were covered with bronze. The facade was decorated with 2 columns 10.5 m high. In the triangular opening above the entrance there was once a sculpture just like on the Lion Gate, which I will talk about later.
Through the passage one could get directly under the arch of the dome.
The diameter of the room is 14 m 25 cm, height 12.5 m. Starting from the 3rd row, the masonry forms a vault.
The weight of the beam above the entrance is 120 tons.
A small entrance leads to the room where the deceased and the offerings that accompanied him to the afterlife were located.
The stones are not very tightly fitted to each other, so between the vertical seams there are voids that bees have chosen; they fly freely back and forth through the entrance to the tomb in the summer.
This is perhaps one of the attractions that you need to remember when going to Greece - the huge vault of the tomb, reminiscent of a medieval cathedral, the sunlight at the entrance, turning into twilight, and the buzzing of bees, vaguely reminiscent of the sound of an organ.
Apart from the key stone that closes the tomb from above, this is an original, ingenious structure.
The length of the inclined corridor-dromos, which leads to the tomb, is 36 m, width 6 m.
The quarry from which the blocks were taken was located 15 km from Mycenae.
Throughout the Argolid you can see the remains of bridges from the Mycenaean era. There was an extensive network of roads between the cities. The city was ruled by a king who had full power during the war. In peacetime, decisions were mainly made by the local aristocratic assembly.
The Acropolis is an elevated fortified area on a hill, an invention of the ancient Mycenaeans. There was always a spring inside the acropolis. In the center of the city there has always been a Palace - the center of cultural and political life. Traces of Mycenaean culture extend to the Baltic.
From 3000 BC there were already settlements here. Mycenae also existed in the classical era, having taken part in the events of the Greco-Persian wars, but in 468 BC. the city was ravaged by the Argolians. Since then, Mycenae has become one of the many appendages of the powerful Argos. Gradually, life in this area came to a standstill.
The height of the mountain on which the city of Mycenae was located is 254 m above sea level.
The heyday of Mycenae was observed in the 18-12th century BC. In the 2nd century BC. all residents left the city.
Fortifications around the center of Mycenae were erected around 1350 BC. The second line of fortifications appeared in 1250 BC. At the same time, the Lion Gate was built.
The second line of Mycenaean fortification arises in connection with the invasion of the Dorians and other northwestern Greek tribes. The Lion Gate marks the main entrance to the city.
The masonry is made of conglomerate similar to Meteor rocks.
The two lionesses that support the column with the altar are made of a different stone.
The heads of the lionesses made of gold were turned towards the man who was entering the city, but they, naturally, have not survived to this day. Each of the three beams that precede the entrance weighs more than 20 tons.
Life in Mycenae was in full swing until the end of the 11th century BC. It's hard to imagine that the stones at the base of this wall have been lying here for 3,250 years!
To the left of the entrance there was a small shrine in the wall.
In this area, 19 mine burials were excavated, 6 of them the richest, where most of Schliemann’s gold was discovered.
He believed that he had discovered the tomb of Agamemnon and his father, King Atreus - a golden mask, one of the ones he found in the burials, was directly called the “mask of Agamemnon.” Later, researchers found that the mask was made long before the reign of Agamemnon, in the 16th century BC. This exhibit is a masterpiece of Mycenaean art, and at the same time the most famous mistake in the history of archaeology.
The conclusion that the death mask of King Agamemnon was found was made by Heinrich Schliemann based on the description of the Trojan War in Homer’s epic “Iliad” and on the works of Pausanias, an ancient Greek geographer who lived in the 2nd century BC. Pausanias in his writings described that Agamemnon was buried inside the city, and his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus were buried outside the city wall, as unworthy people. When starting excavations in Mycenae, Heinrich Schliemann was guided precisely by the works of ancient Greek writers. The archaeologist was sure that inside the city walls he would definitely find the remains of the Mycenaean heroes about whom Homer and Pausanias wrote.
In the ancient Greek epic written by Homer, the famous Iliad, Agamemnon is one of the main characters, he was distinguished by his courage and became famous for many exploits. The Trojan War began with Paris kidnapping the beautiful Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, together with Agamemnon, convinced the Greek rulers to participate in a military campaign against the Trojans. Agamemnon led the Greek army. The Greek army defeated the Trojan army, but fate turned away from Agamemnon. His wife Clytemnestra, having cheated on him with his cousin Aegisthus, plotted to kill Agamemnon. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus carried out their plan and killed Agamemnon along with his mistress Cassandra. The sad fate of the Mycenaean king served as the plot for many ancient Greek tragedies.
In these shaft tombs were discovered: the men wore golden masks, breastplates and greaves, swords and daggers; for women - golden tiaras; both have vessels made of gold, silver and electrum, sacred bowls for ritual drinking in the form of animal heads (the so-called rhytons). The dead were covered with cloaks decorated with gilded plaques depicting symbols of immortality - bees, spirals, stars, etc. The total weight of the gold treasures was 15 kilograms.
Men's faces are usually not covered with masks. The fact that they were men and warriors is indicated by the presence of weapons in their graves, and the amount of gold and the care of the work indicate honor, wealth and status.
All these treasures of the Mycenaean kings were concentrated in the shaft tombs of circle A and B, while the magnificent Mycenaean tholos - grandiose round tombs - turned out to be completely empty, they were plundered long before exploration.
Part of the Mycenaean gold is in the Athens Archaeological Museum, and most of it, found in both Troy and Mycenae, is in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, ending up in the USSR after World War II as a trophy taken in Berlin.
The Alpha burial circle was formed in 1600 - 1700 BC. In the 13th century, the burials were surrounded by a stone fence, hollow from the inside. Nobody knows why this was done. It is believed that these burials were sacred burials of people who played some role in the local religious cult or the founders of Mycenae.
Moreover, another level of the wall was erected around 1250 BC.
Beyond Circle A was a religious center. Next are the ruins of a granary and residential areas.
During its heyday, about 2,000 people lived here. At that time it was a populous city; it was not for nothing that Homer called it “Gold-abundant Mycenae” in his works.
The houses of the inhabitants of Mycenae are characterized by the fact that the only entrance led through the men's half of the house into the women's.
The main center of the political and spiritual life of Mycenae was the Palace, which was located on the top of a hill. At the entrance there were propylaea that supported two columns. The palace premises were painted with colored plaster, which was found in abundance during excavations. Around 13th century BC there was a strong fire in the palace. I don't think the landscape has changed much since then.
In the Mycenae Museum you can see what was partially discovered during excavations.
The descendants of the mythical Perseus ruled Mycenae for many generations until they were replaced by the powerful Atreus dynasty, with which many heroic and tragic events are associated. The son of Atreus, the legendary Agamemnon, who led the campaign against Troy, on the advice of the oracle, sacrificed his own daughter Iphigenia to the gods. After his triumphant return from the Trojan War, Agamemnon was killed in the bath by his wife Clytemnestra, who had not forgiven her husband for the death of her daughter. Clytemnestra, in turn, is killed by her son Orestes, distraught with rage, incited by his sister Electra. What can I say? Cruel times, cruel morals. But after thousands of years, the name Clytemenestra became a common noun in Greece for husband-killing wives.
These legends and assumptions found historical confirmation when the German amateur archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, while searching for Troy, accidentally stumbled upon one of the mine burial grounds. Several more burials of the same type were discovered nearby, and then it became clear why Homer called Mycenae rich in gold. During the excavations, an incredible amount of gold and amazingly beautiful things were found (about 30 kg!): jewelry, cups, buttons, military equipment and bronze weapons trimmed with gold. The amazed Schliemann wrote: “All the museums in the world do not possess even a fifth of these riches.” But the most significant find was a golden death mask, which, according to Schliemann, belonged to Agamemnon himself. But the age of the burial grounds did not confirm this version; the burials were made much earlier, before the reign of Agamemnon. An interesting fact confirming the power and wealth of ancient Mycenae is that no iron objects were found. The main materials from which the discovered objects are made are silver, bronze and gold. Artifacts found in mine burials are kept in the Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae.
The ancient city occupied a strategically convenient position on a hilltop, protected by the massive walls of the acropolis. The laying of defensive walls was carried out without the use of any binder mortar. The stones were fitted so tightly that the walls give the impression of being monolithic. The famous “Lion Gate” led to the acropolis - a cyclopean structure made of stones, decorated with a bas-relief with two lionesses - a symbol of the power of the royal dynasty. The gate is the most famous building of Mycenae, and the bas-relief is considered one of the most significant heraldic monuments in the world.
The citadel contained residential buildings of the nobility and household buildings, many of the buildings being two and three stories high. Not far from the entrance there are remains of burial circle A, where shaft tombs dating back to 1600 BC are located. Items found in them indicate that the burials of royal families were located here.
A large staircase leading to the royal palace began from the courtyard at the Lion Gate. The center of the palace was Megaron - a large room with a fireplace on the floor. The Royal Megaron was the central building, a kind of administrative center. Meetings were held here and trials were held. All that remains of the royal chambers is the foundation. Fragments of the foundation of the red bathroom in which Agamemnon was killed can also be discerned.
At a short distance from the walls of the acropolis, burial circle B was discovered, which includes domed tombs (tholos) - another example of Mycenaean architecture. The most impressive and well-preserved of them is the so-called “Treasury of Atreus” or “Tomb of Agamemnon”. When the burial was found by Schliemann, it was plundered. Therefore, it was not possible to establish who owned the tomb, but the dimensions and architectural features suggest that there was a royal tomb inside. Round underground structures replaced shaft burials. A sloping corridor lined with stones leads to the high narrow entrance. Inside, the tomb is an impressive dome, 13.5 m high and 14.5 m in diameter, lined with horizontal rows of stones. Each row protrudes slightly above the previous one. Before the construction of the Roman Pantheon, the tomb was the tallest structure of its type.
Mycenae is an ancient city mentioned in many Greek legends. It was the birthplace of the famous Agamemnon, who defeated the impregnable Troy. Numerous characters from the works of ancient poets and mythical heroes also lived here. The city was the largest cultural center. He even gave a name to an entire era, called the “Mycenaean civilization.” Mycenae was noted for its enormous wealth, traces of which were discovered during archaeological excavations several centuries later.
Mycenae in mythology
According to the myths of Ancient Greece, the city was built by the son of Danae and Zeus, Perseus. It was he who won the victory over the terrible Gorgon Medusa. To protect the city, the mighty Cyclopes erected a fortress wall 900 m long. It was made of huge stone slabs. Their height in some places reaches 7.5 m, and their weight is 10 tons. No man can do such a job.
The management of Mycenae passed from Perseus to his descendants, who maintained the prosperity of the city for several generations. Gradually, power passed to the Atreus dynasty, which did not diminish the influence of the city.
Scheme of the ancient city
Agamemnon, a worthy ruler and heir to the dynasty, managed to gather an army and defeated Troy in a long struggle. However, at this time tragic events occurred that had an impact on his entire life. They are described in myths and works of poets.
During the campaign, tailwinds stopped and further progress was in doubt. At the behest of the Oracle, Agamemnon sacrificed his own daughter to the gods. The sacrifice was not in vain, the gods helped Agamemnon win, but broke the hearts of the girl’s mother and the king’s wife. Returning home only 10 years later, the king found his wife Klymnestra heartbroken. She did not forgive her husband and, conspiring with her lover, killed him in the bathroom. Almost three millennia later, the Greeks continue to call female husband-killers after the ancient queen.
Mycenae in the history of Greece
Mycenae was largest city the entire Aegean coast and ancient Hellas. Unfortunately, very little documentary evidence from that period has survived. Most information has to be drawn from archaeological finds and poetic works of Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and others.
Historians suggest that the city was founded in 2000 BC. During its history, it had to experience prosperity and decline twice. The first period falls on the pre-antique era and ends during the volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini.
In its second heyday, Mycenae became the largest city in modern Europe, which owned almost all the lands of the Peloponnese. The residence of the rulers was also located here. By the beginning of the Christian era, the role of Mycenae had significantly decreased, and complete desolation overtook it by the 2nd century. already AD.
Description and attractions
Thanks to the work of archaeologists of the 19th century. managed to discover an ancient city and study its history. A real revolution in the study of Mycenae was made by Heinrich Schliemann, a businessman and amateur archaeologist obsessed with the idea of finding the great Troy. During the excavations, many household items and clay tablets were discovered, as well as jewelry, including the golden mask of Agamemnon.
Inside the fortress walls, which in some places reached 17 m in thickness, galleries and casemates were built. From the base of the hill to the fortress there were numerous paths for the inhabitants of the surrounding area. Noble people traveled to the city along a paved road. The main gate of the city was the Lion Gate, made of three hewn blocks and decorated with figures of lionesses.
In the central part of Mycenae there were rooms for the king and queen (megarons). These are spacious halls with a throne for the ruler. Elements of beautiful frescoes and the remains of a hearth in the central part have been preserved to this day on the floor and walls. All important meetings and trials took place here. Among other rooms, the reddish floor of the bathroom, where the famous Agamemnon was killed, survived.
To store the ashes of crowned persons, tombs in the form of shafts were used. Of greatest interest is the treasury of Atreus, to which a 36 m long corridor leads. The treasury itself has a cylindrical shape and is covered with a huge monolithic slab. Scientists still do not understand how ancient builders were able to install a slab weighing more than 120 tons.
Not far from the tombs you can see the remains of other buildings, such as the houses of the Sphinx, an oil merchant or a wine merchant. There is also a museum on site, which displays valuable archaeological finds.
How to get there?
To get to the ruins of the ancient city, you should come to the small village of Mykines, which is located 90 km from Athens. Excursion buses regularly depart to Mycenae from the capital's KTEL Athenon terminal. You can visit the ruins on your own by purchasing a ticket for 8 euros, but an excursion in the company of an experienced guide who will share a lot of useful and interesting facts will leave more impressions.
