Mycenae

Mycenae, Peloponnese Mycenae is a city of great importance in Greek history, after which the Mycenaean civilization is named, which flourished here during the late Bronze Age, around 1600–1200 BC. The Mycenaean Palace, known in legend as the Palace of Agamemnon, is an important archaeological site located in the Argolis region of the Peloponnese, excavated in the 19th century by Heinrich Schliemann, providing valuable information about the Mycenaeans, who left no written history. The Mycenaean Palace is located on a hilltop overlooking the Argos Plain. Archaeology shows that the site was first inhabited by Neolithic settlers in 3000 BC. The Mycenaean civilization reached its peak between 1400 and 1200 BC, and the most representative building of its peak period is the huge limestone defensive wall, commonly known as the "Cyclopean Wall", which is believed to have been built by Cyclops due to its enormous size. At the main gate of the Mycenaean Palace, we can see the most prominent surviving feature of Mycenaean architecture: the Lion Gate, built around 1260 BC. The Mycenaeans' superior status From the many royal tombs found around the palace, archaeologists now refer to them as Circle A and Circle B, which are buried with rich gold and silver treasures, known as tomb treasures, including the huge tomb outside the Mycenaean Palace, the so-called Treasury of Atreus. The Mycenaeans formed a warlike society, with fundamental social differences from their predecessors, the Minoans. In 1802, Lord Elgin of England first investigated the Mycenaean site, but it was excavated by Schliemann in 1874–1876. The results of this excavation are of great historical significance, as they prove the existence of an entire civilization. The Mycenaean site indicates the existence of the "gold-rich" city mentioned by the poet Homer, and thus proves that legendary heroes such as King Agamemnon of Mycenae, mentioned in mythology, did exist. The history of Mycenae is closely related to the Greek expedition to Troy and the Trojan War described in Homer's epic poem, the Iliad. One of Schliemann's important discoveries is the golden mask of Agamemnon, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. The excavations at Mycenae have unearthed many weapons, swords, shields, pottery, and everyday objects, which are now on display in the Mycenaean Archaeological Museum near the site. Outside the Mycenaean Palace are the tombs of Atreus and Clytemnestra.