- Tourist Information
- Map
- Citadel of Mycenae legends
- List of Mycenaean kings
- The Lion Gate
- Treasury of Atreus ( Tomb of Agamemnon)
- Grave Circle
- Cyclopean Walls
- Mask of Agamemnon
- What to visit in the area
Tourist Information
| Type | Archeological Site |
| Construction year | Between the 14th and 13th centuries BC |
| Ticket Price | 12 E |
| Visiting Hours | Winter: 08:00 – 15:30 Summer: April – August: 08:00 – 20:00 1st September – 15th September: 08:00 – 19:30 16th September – 30th September: 08:00 – 19:00 1st October – 15th October: 08:00 – 18:30 16th October – 31st October: 08:00 – 18:00 Good Friday: 12.00 – 17.00 Holy Saturday: 08.30-16.00 Closed 1 January 25 March 1 May 25 December 26 December |
| Getting there | CAR 90 km from Athens (2 H) Take the highway to Corinth and head in the direction of Tripoli. After you passed by Corinth, continue around 15 miles and then take the exit to Nafplio. You will then see the exit to Mycenae on this road. BUS Bus from Athens to Nafplio (there is a stop in Mycenae) Departure Station: Terminal A (100 Kifissou) every hour between 7:30 AM and 7:30 PM |
| Location | Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece, Europe |
Map
Citadel of Mycenae legends
According to Greek legend, the city of Mycenae was founded by the hero Perseus – the grandson of King Acrisius of Argos and the son of Zeus, and the daughter of Acrisius, Danae.
Mycenae was a fortified city located between two hills on the Argolid plain of the Peloponnese, Greece.
A real treasure was discovered at Mycenae: unique gold and silver objects weighing more than 14 kg, ornaments, and other objects belonging to the Mycenaean kings.
Homer said that the scepter of the Mycenaean kings had been made in Olympus and was inherited from father to son over the centuries, calling the Mycenaean Fortress “the rich in gold.”
List of Mycenaean kings
- Perseus – son of Zeus and Danae; the founder of the fortress
- Electryon – son of Perseus and Andromeda
- Sthenelos – son of Perseus and Andromeda
- Eurystheus – son of Sthenelos and Nicippa; was killed by Heraclids
- Atreus – son of Pelops and Hippodamia, uncle of Eurystheus
- Tieste – son of Pelops and Hippodamia
- Agamemnon – son of Atreus and Aeropa; participant in the Trojan War
- Egist – son of Tieste; he assassinated Agamemnon
- Orestes – son of Agamemnon; led much of the Peloponnese
- Tisamenus – son of Orestes; killed by Heraclids
The Lion Gate
The Lion Gate was built during the 13th century BC (most probably around 1250 BC)
The name is taken from the relief sculpture of two lionesses in a heraldic pose that stands above the entrance.
The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture, as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean.
Treasury of Atreus ( Tomb of Agamemnon)
Build around 1250 BC, the circular monument was a large tomb for the Mycenaean royal family.
It is even believed that the remains of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, lie here.
The tomb is dug into a hill and was meticulously made with a semi-subterranean chamber that had a circular plan. Its arched shell was composed of corbels, forming an ogival section. Standing 13.5 m tall and measuring 14.5 m in diameter, it held the record for the widest and tallest dome in the world for over a millennium, until the Temple of Mercury at Baiae and the Pantheon in Rome were built.
Grave Circle
Six circular tombs were discovered to the south of the Lion Gate.
The remains of nineteen people were found in the tombs.
Cyclopean Walls
Around 1350 BC, the fortifications of the Acropolis and the city were built in a style known as “cyclopean”, as the stones used in the construction work gave the impression that they had been brought and processed by some fabulous giants. Legend has it that Perseus hired Cyclops, mythological beings of gigantic dimensions with one eye, to build this great city.
In one of the temples, a beetle belonging to the queen of Egypt, Tiye, the wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, was discovered.
Mask of Agamemnon
The gold mask of Agamemnon was found in a burial shaft designated Grave V at the site “Grave Circle A, Mycenae”. The mask is one of five discovered in the royal shaft graves at Mycenae.
The passionate German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered this in the royal tombs located outside the fortress, among others, this mask, which he attributed to the Mask of Agamemnon. It turned out that the death mask of the legendary King Agamemnon was, in fact, much older than the era in which the great ruler lived.
The Mask of Agamemnon and the treasures discovered can be found at the National Museum of Archeology in Athens.
What to visit in the area
- Archaeological Museum of Nafplion
- The archaeological site of Asine
- Byzantine Museum of Argolis
- Fortress of Palamidi
- Tiryns
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