Tips 1 - 10 of 10 Mycenae Things to Do
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Things To Do: Treasury of Attrius
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The famous tholos tomb known as the 'Treasure of Atreus', with its gigantic lintels and tall beehive vault, looks really impressive.
It is formed of a semi-subterranean room of circular plan, with a covering that is ogival in section, brought about by progressively piling up boulders (false vault).
Great care was taken in the positioning of the enormous stones, to guarantee the vault's stability over time in bearing the force of compression from its own weight. This obtained a perfectly smoothed internal surface, onto which could be placed gold, silver and bronze decoration.
The lintel stone above the doorway weighs 120 tons.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 36.18" N 22º 45' 14.80" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Treasury of Attrius .
You may watch my 5 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip Greece Mycenae out of my YouTube channel and listen to the popular Greek music.
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Things To Do: Dom of Attrius
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The Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae is the largest and best-preserved of the surviving tholoi.
With an interior height of 13.5m and a diameter of 14.5m, it was the tallest and widest dome in the world for over a thousand years until construction of the Pantheon in Rome.
The long dromos is lined with ashlar blocks, reaching a height of 10 metres where it meets the facade. The facade is well-preserved (although its decoration has been removed). It was flanked by half-engaged columns (their bases survive) and has a relieving triangle above the door. Fragments of the relief decorations survive.
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Things To Do: Fortifications
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The fortification walls at Mycenae are best preserved along the northern side where they are up to 7.5 metres thick stand nearly 12 metres high in places. They were constructed for the most part of huge, irregularly shape stone blocks of the sort described as "Cyclopean" by later Greeks.
There were two principal entrances, the Lion Gate at the west end and the Postern Gate on the north side. There is also a 'sally port' at the eastern end which was used to sneak in and out of the citadel during a siege.
The entire circuit at its greatest extent measured something like 900 metres.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 51.94" N 22º 45' 19.88" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Fortification.
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Things To Do: Cyclopean Walls
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At a conventional date of 1350 BC the fortifications on the acropolis, and other surrounding hills, were rebuilt in a style known as "cyclopean," because the blocks of stone used were so massive that they were thought in later ages to be the work of the one-eyed giants known as the Cyclopes.
Within these walls, much of which can still be seen, successive monumental palaces were built. The Cyclopean wall was extended to the south slope to include grave circle A.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 51.36" N 22º 45' 21.58" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Cyclopean Walls .
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Things To Do: Great Ramp
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The ramp went past some houses, now considered to be workshops: the House of Shields, the House of the Oil Merchant, the House of the Sphinxes, and the West House. An undecorated postern gate also was constructed through the north wall.
The main approach to the palace is the Great Ramp which begins at the back end Inner Court, just beyond the Lion Gate. It is between 4 and 5.75 metres wide, paved with cobbles and buttressed by a large retaining wall. It runs southwards for 24 metres before turning to the east at a landing part way up the hill.
After about 30 metres it branches— one fork leading to the Propylon of the palace and the other to the Grand Stairway.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 49.89" N 22º 45' 22.72" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Great Ramp .
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Things To Do: Lion Gate
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The Lion Gate is the icon of Mycenae. Its massive lintel is crowned with a huge stone relief of two lions.
The main entrance through the circuit wall was made grand by the best known feature of Mycenae, the Lion Gate, through which passed a stepped ramp leading past circle A and up to the palace. The Lion Gate was built in the form of a 'Relieving Triangle' to support the weight of the stones.
The Lion Gate was built c. 1250 BC, during the second phase of occupation when the ramparts were extended to include Grave Circle A. It was approached by a ramp that ran below steep walls on its north-eastern side and led to an Outer Court (15 x 7.5 metres) designed to reduce the numbers of any assaulting force. Since gateways were the weakest part of the defences, this consideration was of extreme importance.
The slab was carved with a relief depicting a pair of lions flanking a column (perhaps a symbol for the palace itself) with their forepaws rested on a pair of altars which supported the column. The heads (now missing) were of a different material and fastened to the bodies by dowels. They faced outwards towards anyone approaching the gate.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 51.90" N 22º 45' 21.24" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Lion Gate or Mycenae Lion Gate from inside.
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Things To Do: Grave Circle
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A large central building, a second funerary enclosure (Grave Circle A) and the first tholos tombs were erected on the hill.
Included in the newly fortified area were the city's religious centre and Grave Circle A, which was refurbished and used for ancestral cults.
In 1874, Heinrich Schliemann began excavating Grave Circle A, where he uncovered five graves.
Learn more odysseyadventures
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 50.12" N 22º 45' 22.47" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Grave Circle .
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Things To Do: Agamemnon's Palace
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The Palace itself was built on the summit and along massive terraces on the south-western and eastern slopes of the hill.
The final palace, remains of which are currently visible on the acropolis of Mycenae dates to the start of XVIth BCE. Earlier palaces must have existed, but they had been cleared away or built over.
Unfortunately, all that remains is the large threshold. What is visible of the terrace today has largely been restored in order to prevent the loss of what remains of the buildings on top.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 49.86" N 22º 45' 24.33" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae Agamemnon Palace .
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Things To Do: Plain of Argos from the Palace
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From the hill on which the palace was located one can see across the Argolid to the Saronic Gulf.
It was a pity I couldn't make a full 360 degrees panoramic view.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 50.26" N 22º 45' 23.94" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Mycenae View at Argos Plain.
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Things To Do: Profitis Ilias and Sara
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Mycenae was founded between two tall conical hills, Profitis Ilias (805 meters high) and Sara (660 meters high), on a low plateau dominating the Argios Plain and controlling both the land and sea routes.
You may watch my high resolution photo of Mycenae on Google Earth according to the following coordinates 37º 43' 36.16" N 22º 45' 15.35" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Greece Mycenae Hill from Treasury of Attrius .
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 Comments for Kuznetsov_Sergey about Mycenae | | | | |
jumpingnorman Sat May 16, 2009 07:21 UTC
I rode a bus to Mycenae 3 years ago and because of traveller's dementia, I have forgotten about the places I visited until I saw your tips here! I now remember the Treasury of Attrius and the plain of Argos! Thank you, thank you for making me remember! | angiebabe Sat Jan 17, 2009 01:37 UTC
hi good page - visited on a lovely day in May for the first time and Im just starting my pages! | Trekki Mon Nov 24, 2008 06:46 UTC
Ahh, memories from 25 years ago come back :-) Thank you Sergey :-)) The museum wasn't installed by then, so maybe I should come back one day. Oh my, the oranges look so delicious... I migh have sat in the garden and eat them:-) | Luchonda Wed Aug 13, 2008 08:42 UTC
I love the myth and the historical report. Greetz |
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