Ancient Mycenae (Part 1)

Our second tourist stop of the day was Ancient Mycenae. Mycenae was the centre of the Mycenaean world and gave its name to a period and civilisation that evolved throughout the entire Greek world between the 16^th and the 12^th centuries BC.

The hilltop ruins of Ancient Mycenae   

The city was built on top of a hill dominating both the surrounding area and the key communication routes to the Peloponnese and mainland Greece. Agamemnon, who led the Greek campaign against Troy, ruled from here. The archaeological site is now a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its historical significance in dominating the eastern Mediterranean in that era and also for playing a vital role in the development of Classical Greece. The site is also linked with Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which have affected European art and literature for more than 3 millennia.

Tholos tomb ‘of the lions’ (1460-1400BC)   

We followed the advice of our guidebook and first headed towards the museum to try to get an idea of the history of the place. That brought us to the tholos, or beehive tomb, ‘of the lions’, named because of its proximity to the Lion gate of the city. The tomb dates from early 14^th century BC and is a large structure with a long dromos (passage) leading to the entrance. This tholos is particularly significant because it provided the first evidence that a door fitted to the entrance of these monuments. We could look directly into the tomb because the beehive dome has collapsed but it is estimated that the inside was originally about 15 metres high.

The museum proved to be a good place to start. There were explanations of the mythological origins of the city (founded by Perseus, son of Zeus and Danae) and how Perseus employed the mythical Cyclopes to build the walls. This style of ancient gigantic masonry is known as ‘Cyclopean’ because it was believed that only the giant Cyclopes was strong enough to move the stones into position. There were also explanations of the origins of the Trojan war. Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, was abducted by Paris, the son of the Trojan king, Priam. Paris had adjudicated over a quarrel between the 3 goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, as to which of them was the most beautiful. Choosing Aphrodite as the most beautiful goddess his reward was the promise of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. After her abduction, Menelaus called upon Helen’s former suitors to come to his aid and his brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, led the 1186 ships and more than 100,000 men from 22 different states in the war against Troy.

Ancient Minoan and Mycenaean seals   

The museum also housed a collection of pottery, bronze weapons and bowls found on the site. Unusually there was also a display on seals. First used in the Aegean in the early Bronze Age (3^rd millennium BC) their use was widespread in the Minoan and Mycenaean palaces. The microscopic engravings were works of art and these expensive seals were a sign of wealth and power. The use of the seals provides evidence of an advanced system of control over circulation and quality of goods.

A decode of Linear B and fragments of clay tablets from 1400-1180BC   

Equally unusual and interesting was a display of fragments of clay tables marked with Linear B Script. Script first appeared around 3300BC in the city states of Mesopotamia. The Egyptians were using it at the end of the 4^th millennium BC, while the first examples of writing in Europe belong to the Minoans. Three different scripts were developed on Crete from the middle of the 3^rd to the end of the 2^nd millennium BC to support palace administration: hieroglyphics, Linear A and Linear B script. The Linear B inscribed jars and clay tablets discovered at Mycenae provide significant information concerning administration, religion, economy, society, and the private and public lives of the Mycenaeans. The collapse of the palatial system after the 13^th century BC resulted in the disappearance of writing until more modern times.

Ancient Mycenae, Greece