Mycenae is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece. The Mycenaean era flourished in Greece from 3000 BC. The culture of the inhabitants of Mycenae was unique, which is clearly manifested in legends, art and architecture. It was enriched with Greek and Mediterranean culture.

The strong influence of royal power was manifested in the greatness of the fortress of the Citadel, its palace, luxurious burial royal family. The founder of Mycenae is lost in the mists of history. Here only Greek myths come to the rescue, according to which the city was founded by the legendary hero Perseus.

Mycenae flourished for a long time, but during the bloody and devastating wars, civilization came to an end. The greatest contribution to the discovery of the finds was made by the famous archaeologist - Heinrich Schliemann. Connoisseurs ancient history and the development of civilizations must certainly include Mycenae in the list of their tourist route.

In Mycenae, you can find many interesting sights, the most important of which is the citadel. It stands above the fruitful plain of Argolis off the coast in the northeast of the Peloponnese.

The main access to it is provided by the Lev Gate. Two lions, placed symmetrically around the column, guard the entrance. Their placement above the main gate of the most powerful citadel of the Late Bronze Age symbolizes something very important. The relief sculpture is carved from gray limestone, while the heads of the lions are made from metal, which has been lost over time. The gate was previously closed with a double, heavy wooden door.

Coming through lion gate, on the right you can see the famous cemetery - the first circle of royal tombs. They were discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1870s. The burial zone has a diameter 27 meters, it is surrounded by a double ring of vertically hewn stone slabs.

In the course of movement in the citadel, heading from the tombs, the palace is visible. It occupies a central position at the top of the citadel.

In the courtyard there was the central royal chamber, its floor was lined with plaster, the walls were lined with stucco, they had drawings in the Cretan style, there was a sacred hearth inside, and the roof was supported by 4 pillars, now these pillars can be seen. In Mycenaean times, the palace was lavishly decorated with colorful frescoes and mosaics.

Archaeologists who excavated in the ancient city of Mycenae were amazed. After all, the greatest miracle of engineering was found here - the water supply system. Thanks to this impressive creation, the Citadel had an unlimited and safe supply of water.

Water was supplied through underground pipes from the nearest natural source. Everyone can see the tunnel leading to the underground pool.

Outside the walls of the Citadel, you can see another ancient burial. It was given the name - grave circle B. The beginning of burials in this place dates back to 1650 BC. 25 graves were discovered here and collected great amount artifacts. The most valuable are specimens of precious items made of gold, ivory rock crystal.

The famous tomb of Clytemnestra was discovered by the famous German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. Clytemnestra was the wife of Agamemnon, whose golden mask was discovered during excavations and is now in Athens in the archaeological museum.

The tomb is located near the Mycenaean citadel and the acropolis. Historians have not yet come to a consensus about the years of its construction. They suggest that it was created between the 15th and 18th centuries BC. The tomb was built for the burial of the queen, along with her lover Aegisthus. Every year tourists come here, attracted by the Mycenaean culture.

Leaving the citadel, you should definitely take a look at the tombs in the western part. The Treasury of Atreus is well preserved here, or in another way it is called the Tomb of Agamemnon. It was built between 1350 and 1250 BC and is the best preserved tomb found. The entrance to it is framed with metal elements. The treasury is made of stone, for long history was looted. But despite this, it remains an interesting attraction of Mycenae.

Souvenir shop Gold Mycenae

Shop Gold Mycenae – interesting place, which diversifies an exciting trip to the largest center of Greek civilization. It intertwines the past with the present. Picking up souvenirs for yourself and your loved ones, you get the feeling that you are in a museum, and not in a large souvenir shop.

Here is a huge selection of products for every taste. These are small ceramic and metal figurines, jewelry, amphoras of incredible beauty and much more. All these are copies of authentic items found during excavations, and they were created by their own hands.

Long before Greece was called ancient Greece, around 1600 BC, the Eastern Mediterranean was inhabited by a civilization of merchants and conquerors. These were the times of myths and legends.

The gods at that time often descended from, and their offspring ruled mortals. It was then that the well-known Perseus, the son of Zeus and the daughter of the king of Argos, being the ruler of nearby Tiryns, founded the ancient city of Mycenae.

The city began to have so great importance that the last prehistoric period of Greek civilization is called "Mycenaean".

A bit of history

Whether Mycenae was founded by Perseus, deciding to leave a memory of himself also as a builder of cities, or as a sign of another victory, is unknown. But it was ruled by many generations of his descendants, 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 (mike) here, others that Perseus found a mushroom (mike in Greek) and, fleeing from thirst, drank water from it.

A more prosaic tradition 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 place. They laid it at the foot of one of the mountains in the northeast.

The first mention of Mycenae as a "gold-rich" or "gold-filled" 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 the nobility. Their remains were buried under a pile of gold items. Interestingly, not a single iron object was found.

Among the gold items found by archaeologists were: diadems, bracelets of fine workmanship, copper cauldrons with elegant gold buttons, golden bowls and jugs, many golden animal figurines, death masks, the most famous of which is the mask of Agamemnon, as well as many bronze swords.

Archaeological finds found 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 finds found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.

All artifacts have been transferred to Archaeological Museum Athens and the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae.

lucky geographical position Mycenae contributed to the conduct of trade by the inhabitants.
Wine, perfumes, fabrics, bronze, gold and amber products were exported.

Wealth grew rapidly, the state prospered. Mycenae became very influential, and according to scientists, they controlled the entire Mediterranean. Their rulers even led a confederation of the Peloponnesian kingdoms.

The culture, weapons and even the fashion of Mycenae spread throughout 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 the heroes of legends and myths. Many tragic and heroic events are connected with the history of Mycenae.

For example, the legendary Trojan War was unleashed by the Mycenaean king Agamemnon. We will not go into the details of the divine feuds associated with the apple of discord and the struggle of the Olympic beauties for the title of “most beautiful”, in which Tsar Menelaus and his wife Helen the Beautiful were involved, which led to the fall of Troy.

Historians are nevertheless 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 XIII-XII centuries. BC BC, but the date is disputed. The victory was granted by the gods to the king of Mycenae because he sacrificed his daughter, for which later, according to one of the legends, he was killed by his wife, who did not forgive him for killing her child.

According to another legend, during a long absence, the wife of Clytemnestra took a lover - a cousin of Agamemnon. And when the legitimate spouse returned from the war, they simply killed him, expelled the children - the legitimate 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 exactly established how and why their state fell. Historians put forward various hypotheses according to which the destruction of the city and the death of the state could occur as a result of interclass clashes.

According to other theories, a series of earthquakes, the destruction of trade routes, caused the rapid decline 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. Written language and traditions were lost, trade came to naught. The Eastern Mediterranean was plunged into darkness.

How to get to Mycenae

Time is relentless, and now we can only see the ruins of the once mighty city. This is all that has come down to 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 from them. Geographical coordinates ancient city: 37° 43? 50? With. latitude, 22° 45? 22? v. e. From the capital of Greece - about 90 km to the south-west of the peninsula, or 32 km to the north of the Argolicos Gulf.

You can get to Mycenae by a regular bus from Athens from the KTEL Afinon 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 a map. You must first drive to the city of Argo, from there already go to Mykenes, passing another one - the Corinth Canal.

There are ruins on the territory archaeological park"Mycenae". 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 a 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 an English-speaking guide. As a rule, visiting 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 the 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 - the giants of the Cyclopes.


Otherwise, how else can one explain the origin of such a powerful defensive structure. The stones are so tightly fitted to each other that there is a feeling of solidity of the walls. Such masonry was called cyclopean. The weight of some stones reaches 10 tons.

On the top of a small hill at the foot of the mountain, the Royal Palace was erected. 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 political management 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 hearth in the floor - the royal reception room.


The so-called Megaron served as the administrative center of the city and held meetings, meetings and courts.
In Megaron there was also a symbol of royal power - the throne. Nowadays, only the foundation of the structure has been preserved.

The royal chambers are located on the north side of the palace. A temple with round altars was also erected here, near which an ivory sculpture depicting two goddesses and a child was discovered.

Ordinary people lived outside the walls of the fortress at the foot of the hill. Interestingly, the buildings had a trapezoidal shape, with a short base directed towards the acropolis. Because of what, the whole city looked like a fan from above. The most famous buildings are the House of the Sphinx, the House of the Vintner, the House of Shields and the House of the Oil Trader.

It was possible to get into the fortress only on the road through. This is the most famous architectural landmark of Mycenae.

The gates were built from four powerful limestone slabs. Their span is a square, the side of which is about 3 meters. They were closed, most likely, with wooden doors, which have not survived to this day.

Their existence can be judged by the recesses 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 on a column with them. Their heads have not been preserved, and according to different versions they were made either of ivory or of gold. This is the oldest sculptural composition in Europe.

A large staircase leads to the royal palace, starting from the courtyard at the Lion's Gate. Interestingly, there was already a bureaucracy back then. Clay tablets found during excavations in the palace turned out to be financial reports, lists of slaves and artisans.

Mycenae possessed the greatest treasure for all the fortresses - underground water sources.

The inhabitants dug a deep tunnel to the spring, known as the fountain of Perseus. This fountain and a huge defensive wall helped them withstand long sieges.

Behind the walls of the citadel, archaeologists discovered giant domes - the tombs of kings and nobles, built from powerful stone slabs. The tombs were masked by a bulk mound, and a long corridor, a dromos, led inside.

The corridor, through a high, up to 7 meters high, monumental entrance, led to the inner vaulted chamber. After the burial, the tomb was closed, and all the 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's Gate.

Heinrich Schliemann unearthed 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 listed world heritage UNESCO.

Despite the fact that time did not spare the city, visiting it is very informative and interesting.

  • Hot tours to Greece

    • Everyone who is interested in history has heard about Mycenae ancient world, archeology or ancient literature. King Agamemnon lived here, the leader of the Achaean campaign against Troy, the Argolis valley, in which Mycenae are located, was sung in Greek myths. The city was so important in the life of the region that the first Greek civilization was called Mycenaean. It was in the local acropolis that Heinrich Schliemann discovered the golden mask, one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world.

    A bit of history

    Myths say that the city was built by Perseus, and fortifications made of huge stone slabs were erected by huge one-eyed monsters - Cyclopes, because it was believed that ordinary person it is impossible to build something so grandiose.

    The geographical position of Mycenae and its achievements have caused the city to become the scene of a struggle for power more than once. The cruelty of the conquerors and their sophisticated methods of struggle are reflected in legends and myths, which are intricately intertwined with real ones. historical events. For a long time It was believed that Troy and Mycenae were only the fantasy of ancient authors, but the enthusiasm of one person changed the ideas of all scientists about the ancient world.

    Representatives of the royal dynasty found eternal rest in mine tombs. One of the most famous is the treasury of Atreus, it is a corridor about 36 meters long, which ends with a domed room. Above the whole building there is a giant stone slab, the weight of which is about 120 tons, and the riddle has not yet been solved how the ancient architects managed to raise it to such a significant height.

    Entertainment and attractions of Mycenae

    The fortress wall has a length of about 900 meters, and its monumentality is amazing: some blocks weigh more than 10 tons, and in some places the height of the wall reached 7.5 meters. The thickness of the walls sometimes reached 17 meters, which made it possible to arrange casemates and vaulted galleries inside the wall. From a military point of view, the design of the wall was well thought out: all sections were built in such a way as to protect the city from any attacks as much as possible. From the point of view of the common people who lived in the vicinity of Mycenae, the fortress was a kind of abode of the gods; the hill where she stood was climbed only by special occasions, using for this numerous intricate paths.

    For aristocrats, a road paved with stone led to the fortress, it approached the “Lion Gate” that has survived to this day, through which the path to the royal palace passed. This gate is a structure of three huge, slightly processed stones, above which two heraldic lionesses are carved from stone, personifying the power of the Atrid dynasty.

    From the point of view of specialists in heraldry, this composition has no analogues in the world.

    In the center of Mycenae are the megarons of the king and queen. In the megaron of the king, a balcony, a vestibule and a throne room are clearly visible. The floor and walls of the rooms are decorated with frescoes, each of the elements of the throne room has almost sacred meaning. According to experts, these structures date back to the 14th century BC. e., and some elements - to more early period. These are the only such ancient monumental buildings in the world.

    • Where to stay: For those who wish to combine beach holiday with excursions, it makes sense to choose one of the resorts of picturesque Messinia - for example, the popular Kalamata, noisy Loutraki, calm Pylos or the elite Costa Navarino. If you can’t imagine life without antiquity, Corinth’s “excursion” hotels are at your service. There are almost no hotels in Kalambaka and Epidaurus, only a few basic establishments “for their own”.
    • What to see: The expanses of the Peloponnese peninsula, generous with archaeological treasures - the monasteries of Meteora (and starting point to them - a modest village

    Mycenae — oldest city mainland Greece. Only Knossos, the center of the Minoan civilization, on Crete is older. Mycenae date back to the second millennium BC. The city is currently in ruins. In turn, the ruins have been turned into a museum. On the 29th day of our arrival in Greece, it became quite boring to watch the ruins; we spent about two to three hours in Mycenae. The complex is quite small and rather monotonous.

    Grave Circle A (grave Circle A). Mycenaean acropolis. On the right is the entrance, below is the parking of tourist buses.

    Mycenae is one of the most easily accessible attractions in the Peloponnese. 120 km from Athens, with 110 of them on the highway. By time approximately 1 hour 10 minutes. We came from the other side, these days our base was in Epidaurus.

    The Mycenaean fortress occupied a very advantageous strategic position, it towered over the plain of Argos and controlled all the mountain passes to the north, all the way to Corinth. The main entrance The city was decorated with the Lion Gate, built around 1260 BC. e. Above them were carved two large stone lions. The whole structure was crowned with a roof, the length of which was 8 m, height - 90 cm, and width - 2.4 m.

    From the gate there was a road to the royal palace. Its walls were decorated with frescoes, like Cretan paintings. Thus, the inhabitants of Mycenae had an idea of ​​the Minoan culture. Around crowded houses of less high-ranking citizens. One of them, the so-called House with columns, was three-story.

    I am not an expert in the field of history and archaeology. But I would like to know who lived here, when, what the building was used for. Often, such information simply does not exist. On information boards approximate dates and description appearance... although not even the appearance, but the remnants of the appearance.

    Near the village of Mykines on the peninsula. In the past, it was the largest center of the Mycenaean civilization, but at the present time it is the main attraction of the period of antiquity. Dated to the second millennium BC. e. In written sources, it was first mentioned by Homer.

    According to myths, Mycenae was founded by Perseus, the slayer of the Gorgon Medusa. Here lived the descendants of Danae and the Amifaonids who migrated from Elis. In 468 BC the city was destroyed by the Argives. The ruins were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

    sights

    The remains of the ancient city is a museum under open sky, which is surrounded by a 900-meter wall made of huge stones.

    The main attractions of Mycenae:

    • The lion gate that guarded the entrance to the citadel,
    • domed tombs (tholos),
    • megarons of the king and queen,
    • royal Cemetery,
    • palace of agamemnon
    • tomb of Agamemnon.

    Visiting the archaeological park is paid. A single ticket costs 8 euros (children under 18 - free of charge) and is valid when visiting the Mycenaean Acropolis, the Treasury of Atreus and the Archaeological Museum.

    7 km south of Mycenae is Argiv-Ereyon (Ireon of Argiv), which is the sanctuary of Hera. Open for visits daily, during the season from 8:30 to 15:00. The entrance is free.

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    How to get to Mycenae

    The ancient ruins are located about 90 km from the city and next to the city of Argos. You can get to Mycenae from Athens by bus, which departs from the intercity bus station KTEL Afinon. The journey takes 2 hours, the fare costs 12 euros.

    You can also take a taxi from anywhere in the Peloponnese. Excursions are also organized to the city.

    Hotels

    Near the archaeological park is the village of Mykines (2 km), where there are several hotels where you can stay overnight, and in the morning go to explore the ancient city.

    More choice of accommodation in the city of Argos, which is the closest major city to Mycenae locality. You can book hotels on