Myths about the Mycenaeans. Lion Gate in Mycenae: description, history. Description and attractions

Troy (Turkish Truva), second name - Ilion, is an ancient city in the north-west of Asia Minor, off the coast of the Aegean Sea. It was known thanks to the ancient Greek epics and was discovered in the 1870s. during G. Schliemann's excavations of the Hissarlik hill. The city gained particular fame thanks to the myths about the Trojan War and the events described in Homer’s poem “The Iliad,” according to which the 10-year war of the coalition of Achaean kings led by Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, against Troy ended with the fall of the fortress city. The people who inhabited Troy are called Teucrians in ancient Greek sources.

Troy is a mythical city. For many centuries, the reality of Troy's existence was questioned - it existed like a city from legend. But there have always been people looking for a reflection of real history in the events of the Iliad. However, serious attempts to search for the ancient city were made only in the 19th century. In 1870, Heinrich Schliemann, while excavating the mountain village of Gissrlik on the Turkish coast, came across the ruins of an ancient city. Continuing excavations to a depth of 15 meters, he unearthed treasures that belonged to an ancient and highly developed civilization. These were the ruins of Homer's famous Troy. It is worth noting that Schliemann excavated a city that was built earlier (1000 years before the Trojan War); further research showed that he simply walked right through Troy, since it was built on the ruins of the ancient city he found.

Troy and Atlantis are one and the same. In 1992, Eberhard Zangger suggested that Troy and Atlantis are the same city. He based his theory on the similarity of the descriptions of cities in ancient legends. However, this assumption did not have a widespread and scientific basis. This hypothesis did not receive widespread support.

The Trojan War broke out because of a woman. According to Greek legend, the Trojan War broke out because one of the 50 sons of King Priam, Paris, kidnapped the beautiful Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus. The Greeks sent troops precisely to take Helen away. However, according to some historians, this is most likely only the peak of the conflict, that is, the last straw that gave rise to the war. Before this, there were supposedly many trade wars between the Greeks and the Trojans, who controlled trade along the entire coast of the Dardanelles.

Troy survived for 10 years thanks to outside help. According to available sources, Agamemnon's army camped in front of the city on the seashore, without besieging the fortress from all sides. King Priam of Troy took advantage of this, establishing close ties with Caria, Lydia and other regions of Asia Minor, which provided him with assistance during the war. As a result, the war turned out to be very protracted.

The Trojan horse actually existed. This is one of the few episodes of that war that has never found its archaeological and historical confirmation. Moreover, there is not a word about the horse in the Iliad, but Homer describes it in detail in his Odyssey. And all the events associated with the Trojan horse and their details were described by the Roman poet Virgil in the Aeneid, 1st century. BC, i.e. almost 1200 years later. Some historians suggest that the Trojan horse meant some kind of weapon, for example, a ram. Others claim that Homer called Greek sea vessels this way. It is possible that there was no horse at all, and Homer used it in his poem as a symbol of the death of the gullible Trojans.

The Trojan horse got into the city thanks to a cunning trick by the Greeks. According to legend, the Greeks spread a rumor that there was a prophecy that if a wooden horse stood within the walls of Troy, it could forever defend the city from Greek raids. Most of the city's residents were inclined to believe that the horse should be brought into the city. However, there were also opponents. The priest Laocoon suggested burning the horse or throwing it off a cliff. He even threw a spear at the horse, and everyone heard that the horse was empty inside. Soon a Greek named Sinon was captured and told Priam that the Greeks had built a horse in honor of the goddess Athena to atone for many years of bloodshed. Tragic events followed: during a sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon, two huge snakes swam out of the water and strangled the priest and his sons. Seeing this as an omen from above, the Trojans decided to roll the horse into the city. He was so huge that he couldn’t fit through the gate and part of the wall had to be dismantled.

The Trojan Horse caused the fall of Troy. According to legend, on the night after the horse entered the city, Sinon released the warriors hiding inside from its belly, who quickly killed the guards and opened the city gates. The city, which had fallen asleep after the riotous festivities, did not even offer strong resistance. Several Trojan soldiers led by Aeneas tried to save the palace and the king. According to ancient Greek myths, the palace fell thanks to the giant Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, who smashed the front door with his ax and killed King Priam.

Heinrich Schliemann, who found Troy and amassed a huge fortune during his life, was born into a poor family. He was born in 1822 into the family of a rural pastor. His homeland is a small German village near the Polish border. His mother died when he was 9 years old. My father was a harsh, unpredictable and self-centered man who loved women very much (for which he lost his position). At the age of 14, Heinrich was separated from his first love, the girl Minna. When Heinrich was 25 years old and already becoming a famous businessman, he finally asked Minna's hand in marriage from her father in a letter. The answer said that Minna married a farmer. This message completely broke his heart. A passion for Ancient Greece appeared in the boy’s soul thanks to his father, who read the Iliad to the children in the evenings, and then gave his son a book on world history with illustrations. In 1840, after a long and grueling job in a grocery store that almost cost him his life, Henry boarded a ship bound for Venezuela. On December 12, 1841, the ship was caught in a storm and Schliemann was thrown into the icy sea; he was saved from death by a barrel, which he held on to until he was rescued. During his life, he learned 17 languages ​​and made a large fortune. However, the peak of his career was the excavations of the great Troy.

Heinrich Schliemann undertook the excavations of Troy due to unsettled personal life. This is not excluded. In 1852, Heinrich Schliemann, who had many affairs in St. Petersburg, married Ekaterina Lyzhina. This marriage lasted 17 years and turned out to be completely empty for him. Being a passionate man by nature, he married a sensible woman who was cold towards him. As a result, he almost found himself on the verge of madness. The unhappy couple had three children, but this did not bring happiness to Schliemann. Out of desperation, he made another fortune by selling indigo dye. In addition, he took up the Greek language closely. An inexorable thirst for travel appeared in him. In 1868, he decided to go to Ithaca and organize his first expedition. Then he went towards Constantinople, to the places where Troy was located according to the Iliad and began excavations on the Hissarlik hill. This was his first step on the path to the great Troy.

Schliemann tried on jewelry from Helen of Troy for his second wife. Heinrich was introduced to his second wife by his old friend, 17-year-old Greek Sofia Engastromenos. According to some sources, when Schliemann found the famous treasures of Troy (10,000 gold objects) in 1873, he moved them upstairs with the help of his second wife, whom he loved immensely. Among them were two luxurious tiaras. Having placed one of them on Sophia’s head, Henry said: “The jewel that Helen of Troy wore now adorns my wife.” One of the photographs actually shows her wearing magnificent antique jewelry.

The Trojan treasures were lost. There is a deal of truth in it. The Schliemanns donated 12,000 objects to the Berlin Museum. During World War II, this priceless treasure was moved to a bunker from which it disappeared in 1945. Part of the treasury unexpectedly appeared in 1993 in Moscow. There is still no answer to the question: “Was it really the gold of Troy?”

During excavations at Hisarlik, several layers of cities from different times were discovered. Archaeologists have identified 9 layers that belong to different years. Everyone calls them Troy. Only two towers have survived from Troy I. Troy II was explored by Schliemann, considering it the true Troy of King Priam. Troy VI was the high point of the city's development, its inhabitants trading profitably with the Greeks, but the city appears to have been badly destroyed by an earthquake. Modern scientists believe that the found Troy VII is the true city of Homer's Iliad. According to historians, the city fell in 1184 BC, being burned by the Greeks. Troy VIII was restored by Greek colonists, who also built the temple of Athena here. Troy IX already belongs to the Roman Empire. I would like to note that excavations have shown that Homeric descriptions very accurately describe the city.

The ancient Greeks were convinced: Mycenae was built by Perseus, and thick, high walls of huge stone slabs were erected by his order by the Cyclopes - one-eyed giant monsters. They simply could not explain otherwise how such a grandiose structure was built in the second millennium BC.

The ruins of Mycenae are located on the Peloponnese peninsula, on the eastern side of a rocky ridge, 2 km from the small town of Mycenes, 90 km southwest of the capital of Greece, Athens, 32 kilometers north of the Gulf of Argolikos. On a geographical map, this ancient Greek city can be calculated using the following coordinates: 37° 43′ 50″ N. latitude, 22° 45′ 22″ e. d.

Mycenae and Troy were discovered by the German amateur archaeologist, Schliemann. He found these unique Bronze Age monuments using a rather interesting method, using Homer’s Iliad instead of a guidebook: first he found the famous Troy, and after a short period of time, Mycenae.

The heyday of the ancient Mycenaean civilization dates back to the end of the Bronze Age and dates back to 1600 - 1100. BC. Legends claim that Mycenae was built by King Perseus, but historians are inclined to conclude that the founders of the ancient city were the Achaeans, warlike representatives of one of the ancient Greek tribes.

The favorable geographical location and wealth of the city (the Mycenaeans conducted active trade throughout the Mediterranean) led to the fact that by the beginning of the 13th century. ancient Mycenae turned out to be one of the most powerful and influential states located on the territory of mainland Greece.

The power of the rulers of Mycenae extended to the entire nearby territory and, according to scientists, even covered the entire north of the Peloponnese (researchers suggest that the kings of the city could well have led the confederation of the Peloponnesian kingdoms).

It is not surprising that the city of Mycenae had well-fortified walls designed to protect against enemy attacks: they tried to capture it more than once, and often quite successfully (this is evidenced by numerous myths of that period, whose plot was intricately mixed with real events, evidence of which was discovered by archaeologists ).

The Mycenaeans themselves were quite warlike: King Agamemnon organized a campaign against Troy, which competed with the Mycenaeans for dominance in the region, and after a ten-year siege achieved a major victory. According to one legend, victory was granted to him by the gods because, having fulfilled the command of the Oracle, he sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia (this later caused the death of the king: Agamemnon’s wife, who did not accept the death of her daughter, organized a conspiracy against him).

It should be noted that the Greeks were not able to take advantage of the fruits of the long-awaited victory: around 1200 BC. Dorian tribes invaded the territory of Greece, destroying almost all the cities of the Peloponnese, among which were also Mycenae and Troy (the latter did not even have time to recover from the defeat and just experienced a strong earthquake). Residents of the cities did not leave their territory for some time, hiding in the mountains, but later were forced to leave their lands - some moved to the islands, others moved to Asia Minor.

What the city looked like

Most of the population of Mycenae lived outside the fortress, at the foot of the hill. Excavations carried out by archaeologists showed that before getting to the citadel, it was necessary to pass a cemetery located outside the city walls and residential buildings. Discovered buildings within the city showed that within its boundaries there was a palace, living quarters, temple buildings, warehouses and shaft tombs in which representatives of the ruling dynasties were buried.

Like most ancient cities, Mycenae was a well-fortified fortress and was built on a rocky hill about 280 meters high.

The city was surrounded by a fortress wall made of huge boulders, about 900 meters long, at least 6 meters wide, and in some places the height exceeded 7 meters, while the weight of some stone blocks exceeded 10 tons.

front gate

You could get into the fortress along a stone-paved road through the Lion Gate, the width and depth of which was about three meters.

The Lion Gate was built in Mycenae in the thirteenth century BC during the expansion of the fortress wall. They were erected from three huge, lightly processed limestone blocks, and were closed with two wooden doors (this is evidenced by the recesses located inside the side walls).

The upper horizontal lintel was wider than the pillars on which it was placed - this was done so that a triangular-shaped limestone pediment slab with two depicted lions could be installed on top. According to one hypothesis, the bas-relief crowning the Lion Gate is the coat of arms of the Atrid dynasty, which ruled the city at that time. According to another, it is dedicated to the goddess Potnia, who is the patroness of all animals.

These lions are turned towards each other and, standing on their hind legs, their front legs rest on two altars, between which a column is depicted. Unfortunately, the heads of the animals have not survived to this day, but after carefully studying the bas-relief, scientists came to the conclusion that they were made of a different material (possibly ivory) and most likely looked at the people who entered the citadel through the Lion Gate .

One of the purposes of this bas-relief was to disguise the resulting hole: The Lion Gate was built according to all the rules of its time, so all the blocks that needed to be placed above the lintel were installed with a bevel, which made it possible to transfer most of the load to the side walls between which they were installed Lion Gate.

As a result, an empty space was formed above the lintel, where a slab with a bas-relief was installed, which is considered the earliest monumental sculpture of the Mycenaean period (before Mycenae was discovered, only figurines 50 cm high were found).

Castle

Immediately after the Lion Gate, the road rises up, and then on the left side it ends at a staircase, along which one could climb to the palace, located on the top of the cliff (according to experts, the castle was built in the 14th century BC, and some found fragments in it refer to an earlier period).

The staircase ends in a rectangular courtyard, which could be reached from the throne room, passing the reception room and the portico with two columns. The throne room was rectangular in shape, its roof was supported by four columns, and the walls were decorated with frescoes depicting war chariots, horses and women.

The living quarters were located on the north side of the castle, many of them were two-story. Most likely, they could be accessed from the palace lobby. There was also a temple with round altars, near which a sculptural composition of two goddesses and a child was discovered made of ivory.

It is interesting that during excavations, clay tablets with inscriptions were found in the palace, which turned out to be financial reports of military expenses, as well as lists of people working for the Mycenaean rulers: it was a list of slaves, oarsmen, and artisans. This gives scientists reason to assume that Mycenae was a rather bureaucratic state.

Mine tombs

On the right side of the Lion Gate there were shaft tombs surrounded by a stone fence in which kings were buried. These were burial rooms carved into a rectangular rock, going to a depth of one and a half to five meters. Now at the site of ancient burials there are stone slabs placed on edge, marking their location. In these tombs, archaeologists found real treasures - coins, jewelry, rings, bowls, daggers, swords made of gold, silver and bronze.

Dome and chamber tombs

Before building the fortress, the Mycenaeans buried their rulers in so-called dome tombs, which were shaped like huge domes. In total, archaeologists discovered nine such tombs dating back to the XV-XIV centuries. BC. The tombs were underground structures with a high, tapering dome that rose above the ground. After the funeral, the tomb was closed, and the corridor leading to the burial pit was covered with earth.

One of the most famous tombs of this type is the tomb of Atreus (XIV century), which could be reached through a long corridor, the dromos. The burial pit was underground and had a height of 13 meters and a width of 14 meters (unfortunately, it was not possible to find out what exactly the king took with him to the afterlife, since the grave was plundered in ancient times). A nine-meter square slab was installed above the entrance to the burial room. How exactly the ancient masters were able to establish it, scientists still have not figured out.

Aristocrats and representatives of their families were buried in chamber tombs located nearby. These were basically family crypts carved into the mountainside, into which you can walk along the dromos.

How to get to Mycenae

Those who want to see one of the most famous monuments of the Bronze Age should take into account that it is located on the territory of the Mycenae archaeological park, and therefore entrance to its territory is paid (a ticket costs about 8 euros).

The best way to get to the city of Mycenae from the capital of Greece is by regular bus; the journey in this case will take about two hours, and the ticket will cost 12 euros. You can also use a car and a map - first drive to the city of Argo, passing the Corinth Canal, and from there go to Mycenes.

Background

Due to constant internal wars, the cultural, economic and political life of the Achaean state entities was concentrated around the palace-citadel, which makes this civilization similar to the Cretan-Minoan culture , although the latter was much less militant in nature. One of the largest citadels was located in the Mycenaean region, thanks to the rich archaeological finds in this area associated with the Achaeans, their civilization was called Mycenaean.

Around the 14th century. BC. the mass migration of the Achaeans to the Asia Minor peninsula (the territory of modern Turkey) began . This historical period is reflected in the work of the ancient poet Homer “Iliad”, which tells about the united campaign of the Achaeans under the leadership of King Agamemnon against Troy, the epic tells us about the ten-year siege of this settlement, which ended with its plunder. It can be argued that the Iliad tells us about the military confrontation between the Achaeans and the inhabitants of Asia Minor, which ended in the victory of the former, as evidenced by the many Achaean settlements in this region, the creation of which corresponds to approximately the 13th century. BC.

At the turn of the 13th and 12th centuries, the Balkan Peninsula was swept by a new wave of migrations: less culturally and economically developed than the Achaeans, but successful militarily (this is due to the development of the production of iron weapons), the Dorians quickly captured the Mycenaean citadels and subjugated their owners. The Dorian conquest of Greece is considered to be the end of the Mycenaean civilization.

Participants

Conclusion

The Mycenaean civilization left behind a rich cultural heritage; it also contributed to the formation of the civilization of classical Greece, and the famous “Iliad” and “Odyssey”, telling about the Mycenaean era, became the most significant works for the ancient world.

After the death of the Cretan civilization, the Mycenaean culture began to flourish. We learn about this period of Greek history from the myths about the Trojan War, information from which is confirmed by archaeological finds. The self-taught German scientist Heinrich Schliemann devoted his entire life to the search for the mysterious Troy; it was to him that the honor of discovering ancient Troy and Mycenae belongs. In today's lesson, we will follow Schliemann to visit the ruins of ancient Mycenae and Troy, learn about the mythological and historical reasons for the outbreak of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans.

Mycenae was located in Southern Greece, on a rocky hill. The city was surrounded by a fortress wall 900 meters long and 6 meters wide. The entrance to the fortress, made of huge stone blocks, passed through the Lion Gate (Fig. 1). The entrance opening from the gate has been preserved. Near the Lion Gate, archaeologists excavated royal graves. Numerous precious jewelry was found in the tombs. From the golden masks lying on the faces of the buried, one can imagine the appearance of the Mycenaean rulers. They had stern faces with beards and mustaches.

Rice. 1. Lion Gate ()

During excavations of royal palaces in ancient Greek cities, hundreds of clay tablets with inscriptions were found. These inscriptions have been read. They contain lists of female slaves, rowers on ships, and artisans who worked for the king. Many inscriptions talk about preparations for war. The Mycenaean kings, greedy for other people's wealth, undertook long campaigns for booty.

Around 1200 BC e. Greek cities united under the leadership of the king of Mycenae and opposed Troy, a rich trading city on the coast of Asia Minor. The siege of the city lasted 10 years and ended with the fall of Troy.

The Greeks failed to take advantage of the victory. Warlike tribes invaded Greece from the north. Long-haired, wearing animal skins, they devastated the south of the country, destroying Pylos, Mycenae and other cities. The population hid in the mountains and moved to the islands of the Aegean Sea and Asia Minor. There was a decline in the economy, and writing was forgotten.

Among the newcomers were Greek tribes related to those who lived in Greece before their invasion. They settled in deserted lands.

From generation to generation, the Greeks passed on myths about their gods, ancient heroes and the war with the Trojans. One day the gods arranged a luxurious feast. The goddess of quarrels and discord was not called upon him. However, she appeared uninvited and quietly threw a golden apple among the feasters with the inscription: “To the most beautiful.” Three goddesses argued over an apple. One was Hera, the eldest of the goddesses (the Greeks portrayed her as a beautiful and majestic woman). The other is the warrior Athena. Despite her menacing appearance, she was just as attractive. The third is Aphrodite, the eternally young goddess of beauty and love. Each of the goddesses believed that the apple was destined for her. They turned to the god of thunder and lightning, Zeus, asking him to judge them. But Zeus, although he was the main god, did not want to interfere in the quarrel, because Hera was his wife, and Athena and Aphrodite were his daughters. He ordered them to turn to the Trojan prince Paris so that he would resolve the dispute about the golden apple (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Judgment of Paris ()

The three goddesses flew across the Aegean Sea and appeared before Paris. “Award the apple to me,” said Hera, “and I will make you the ruler of all Asia.” “If you award the apple to me,” Athena intervened, “I will help you accomplish great feats and become famous.” Aphrodite said: “Give me the apple, and I will find you the most beautiful woman in the world to marry.” Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite. From then on, she began to help him in everything, and Hera and Athena hated Paris and all the Trojans.

Elena was considered the most beautiful of women (Fig. 3). She lived in the Greek city of Sparta and was the wife of King Menelaus who ruled there. It was as if Paris came to visit him. He was received kindly and cordially. But when the king left for several days on business, Aphrodite inspired Helen to love Paris. She forgot her husband and agreed to flee to Troy. Returning home, the king of Sparta Menelaus became furious and began to call all the kings of Greece to war against Troy. They agreed to participate in the campaign.

Rice. 3. Beautiful Elena ()

The Greeks crossed the sea on hundreds of ships and landed near Troy. Having pulled the ships ashore, they set up a camp, protecting it with a wall. Fighting began on the plain between the camp and Troy. For many years the Greeks unsuccessfully besieged Troy. The Trojan War was Mycenae's last venture. According to myths, Troy was defeated and captured by the Greeks. In reality, the city was destroyed by an earthquake around 1300 BC. e. The long war exhausted the strength of Greek cities, including Mycenae, after which their decline began.

Bibliography

1. A.A. Vigasin, G.I. Goder, I.S. Sventsitskaya. Ancient world history. 5th grade - M.: Education, 2006.
2. Nemirovsky A.I. A book to read on the history of the ancient world. - M.: Education, 1991.

1. Antiquites.academic.ru ()
2. Bibliotekar.ru ()
3. Mify.org()

Homework

1. What archaeological finds indicate that Mycenae was one of the most powerful Greek cities?
2. Name the mythical and historical reasons for the start of the Trojan War.
3. Why did Mycenaean culture decline after the Trojan War?
4. How did the catchphrase “apple of discord” come about?

They clogged my veins with sand
And the dry wind smoked my lips -
The cubes placed by the Cyclops,
The well-trodden sleepy Mycenae.

Everyone remembers the rocks - how alternately
Signalmen have spent the night sleeping for years
At the piled fires, how sensitively they waited
The cherished message: Agamemnon is near!

Once here, there is no need to regret,
That time has become silent on your wrist,
That danger sleeps in the stones like a scorpion,
The abandoned herd bleats sadly,

The sound of a sheep's rattle is sad.
From the liquid shadow of oleander leaves
Look, doomed Cassandra,
On pale Slavic freckles.

Oh prophetic, my simple epic,
He will distort your features with a yawn,
But, you know, with great pleasure
I would swap my jeans for peplos.

Dark centuries of victory and treason
We woke up in a confident hexameter,
I didn’t come, but you returned to me,
Confused old Mycenae.
Helga Haren

In the 3rd millennium BC, there were three major centers of human civilization: Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Hittite Empire. The ancestor of all empires was Mesopotamia, the origin of which is shrouded in historical fog.
One day the huge Hittite Empire collapsed. Its debris flew in all directions, giving birth to civil war, devastation, famine and fratricidal clashes. In those days there were no strictly guarded borders - neither our own nor neighboring countries, so different groups - in fact, even completely independent peoples scattered in different directions. Those peoples who escaped war and devastation to the west eventually ended up on the Apennine Peninsula. The other, largest group of peoples moved south, towards the future Hellas. These were the Pelasgians, Achaeans, Dorians, Ionians, Leleges, and Carians.
Arriving on the territory of the future mainland Greece, they inhabited it, displacing or partially assimilating the mysterious Minoan civilization that existed there. And on the islands the Cycladic culture replaced the Cretan and Proto-Aegean culture. As a result of this fusion, the so-called Aegean or Mycenaean civilization arose. The culture flourished from 1500 to 1050 BC. Then it slowly turns into classical Hellas.
A dramatic leap in Greek culture occurred around 1700 BC. At this time, the Cretan-Minoan culture began to fade away, but its influence remained.
Heinrich Schliemann, a German amateur archaeologist, once a wealthy merchant who made his fortune working in St. Petersburg, then supplemented it with financial transactions in America, gave Greece another millennium of history. He achieved this, relying on the mythological legends of Homer.
The Tomb of Atreus, which he explored in 1879, is the largest domed tomb in Mycenaean culture.

It is impossible to truly know the Mycenaean culture down to the smallest detail. Some architectural moves still remain a mystery. It remains to rely on archaeological information, the myths of ancient Greece and on the information of those peoples who came into contact with them.
From 1700 to 1500 BC Mycenaean culture used deep shaft tombs lined with stone slabs, earth, brushwood or grass at the bottom. Royal tomb 1450 BC it looked like this: a long passage began on the hillside, the sides were lined with stones and ended in front of the door that closed the entrance to the tomb. The wooden doors were covered with bronze. The facade was decorated with 2 columns 10.5 m high. In the triangular opening above the entrance there was once a sculpture just like on the Lion Gate, which I will talk about later.

Through the passage one could get directly under the arch of the dome.

The diameter of the room is 14 m 25 cm, height 12.5 m. Starting from the 3rd row, the masonry forms a vault.

The weight of the beam above the entrance is 120 tons.

A small entrance leads to the room where the deceased and the offerings that accompanied him to the afterlife were located.

The stones are not very tightly fitted to each other, so between the vertical seams there are voids that bees have chosen; they fly freely back and forth through the entrance to the tomb in the summer.

This is perhaps one of the attractions that you need to remember when going to Greece - the huge vault of the tomb, reminiscent of a medieval cathedral, the sunlight at the entrance, turning into twilight, and the buzzing of bees, vaguely reminiscent of the sound of an organ.

Apart from the key stone that closes the tomb from above, this is an original, ingenious structure.

The length of the inclined corridor-dromos, which leads to the tomb, is 36 m, width 6 m.

The quarry from which the blocks were taken was located 15 km from Mycenae.
Throughout the Argolid you can see the remains of bridges from the Mycenaean era. There was an extensive network of roads between the cities. The city was ruled by a king who had full power during the war. In peacetime, decisions were mainly made by the local aristocratic assembly.
The Acropolis is an elevated fortified area on a hill, an invention of the ancient Mycenaeans. There was always a spring inside the acropolis. In the center of the city there has always been a Palace - the center of cultural and political life. Traces of Mycenaean culture extend to the Baltic.
From 3000 BC there were already settlements here. Mycenae also existed in the classical era, having taken part in the events of the Greco-Persian wars, but in 468 BC. the city was ravaged by the Argolians. Since then, Mycenae has become one of the many appendages of the powerful Argos. Gradually, life in this area came to a standstill.
The height of the mountain on which the city of Mycenae was located is 254 m above sea level.

The heyday of Mycenae was observed in the 18-12th century BC. In the 2nd century BC. all residents left the city.
Fortifications around the center of Mycenae were erected around 1350 BC. The second line of fortifications appeared in 1250 BC. At the same time, the Lion Gate was built.

The second line of Mycenaean fortification arises in connection with the invasion of the Dorians and other northwestern Greek tribes. The Lion Gate marks the main entrance to the city.

The masonry is made of conglomerate similar to Meteor rocks.

The two lionesses that support the column with the altar are made of a different stone.

The heads of the lionesses made of gold were turned towards the man who was entering the city, but they, naturally, have not survived to this day. Each of the three beams that precede the entrance weighs more than 20 tons.
Life in Mycenae was in full swing until the end of the 11th century BC. It's hard to imagine that the stones at the base of this wall have been lying here for 3,250 years!
To the left of the entrance there was a small shrine in the wall.

In this area, 19 mine burials were excavated, 6 of them the richest, where most of Schliemann’s gold was discovered.

He believed that he had discovered the tomb of Agamemnon and his father, King Atreus - a golden mask, one of the ones he found in the burials, was directly called the “mask of Agamemnon.” Later, researchers found that the mask was made long before the reign of Agamemnon, in the 16th century BC. This exhibit is a masterpiece of Mycenaean art, and at the same time the most famous mistake in the history of archaeology.

The conclusion that the death mask of King Agamemnon was found was made by Heinrich Schliemann based on the description of the Trojan War in Homer’s epic “Iliad” and on the works of Pausanias, an ancient Greek geographer who lived in the 2nd century BC. Pausanias in his writings described that Agamemnon was buried inside the city, and his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus were buried outside the city wall, as unworthy people. When starting excavations in Mycenae, Heinrich Schliemann was guided precisely by the works of ancient Greek writers. The archaeologist was sure that inside the city walls he would definitely find the remains of the Mycenaean heroes about whom Homer and Pausanias wrote.
In the ancient Greek epic written by Homer, the famous Iliad, Agamemnon is one of the main characters, he was distinguished by his courage and became famous for many exploits. The Trojan War began with Paris kidnapping the beautiful Helen, the wife of King Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon. Menelaus, together with Agamemnon, convinced the Greek rulers to participate in a military campaign against the Trojans. Agamemnon led the Greek army. The Greek army defeated the Trojan army, but fate turned away from Agamemnon. His wife Clytemnestra, having cheated on him with his cousin Aegisthus, plotted to kill Agamemnon. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus carried out their plan and killed Agamemnon along with his mistress Cassandra. The sad fate of the Mycenaean king served as the plot for many ancient Greek tragedies.
In these shaft tombs were discovered: the men wore golden masks, breastplates and greaves, swords and daggers; for women - golden tiaras; both have vessels made of gold, silver and electrum, sacred bowls for ritual drinking in the form of animal heads (the so-called rhytons). The dead were covered with cloaks decorated with gilded plaques depicting symbols of immortality - bees, spirals, stars, etc. The total weight of the gold treasures was 15 kilograms.
Men's faces are usually not covered with masks. The fact that they were men and warriors is indicated by the presence of weapons in their graves, and the amount of gold and the care of the work indicate honor, wealth and status.
All these treasures of the Mycenaean kings were concentrated in the shaft tombs of circle A and B, while the magnificent Mycenaean tholos - grandiose round tombs - turned out to be completely empty, they were plundered long before exploration.
Part of the Mycenaean gold is in the Athens Archaeological Museum, and most of it, found in both Troy and Mycenae, is in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, ending up in the USSR after World War II as a trophy taken in Berlin.
The Alpha burial circle was formed in 1600 - 1700 BC. In the 13th century, the burials were surrounded by a stone fence, hollow from the inside. Nobody knows why this was done. It is believed that these burials were sacred burials of people who played some role in the local religious cult or the founders of Mycenae.
Moreover, another level of the wall was erected around 1250 BC.

Beyond Circle A was a religious center. Next are the ruins of a granary and residential areas.

During its heyday, about 2,000 people lived here. At that time it was a populous city; it was not for nothing that Homer called it “Gold-abundant Mycenae” in his works.
The houses of the inhabitants of Mycenae are characterized by the fact that the only entrance led through the men's half of the house into the women's.
The main center of the political and spiritual life of Mycenae was the Palace, which was located on the top of a hill. At the entrance there were propylaea that supported two columns. The palace premises were painted with colored plaster, which was found in abundance during excavations. Around 13th century BC there was a strong fire in the palace. I don't think the landscape has changed much since then.

In the Mycenae Museum you can see what was partially discovered during excavations.

Mycenae is one of the oldest cities in the world. According to numerous legends, it was built by Perseus, who defeated the Gorgon Medusa. In the 18th century BC. e. The fortress wall of the city was expanded, and the entrance to it was decorated with a gate with a lion bas-relief. Now they lead only to ruins, but over the centuries they have not lost their greatness.

Lion Gate in Mycenae - description of the attraction

The gates themselves in Mycenae look as simple as possible. These are four monolithic blocks of limestone, folded in the shape of a square with a side of 3.1 m. Ceiling- the horizontal slab forming the vault is much thicker than the side walls. This allows it to withstand the weight of a large bas-relief.

There are holes in the side supports, indicating that the lion gate was closed with doors. Presumably they were made of wood.

All blocks are folded without using a binding solution. The structure is supported only by the heavy weight of the stone elements.

Interesting fact: through mathematical calculations, scientists came to the conclusion that the weight of the lintel reaches 20 tons!

The bas-relief has the shape of a triangle. Along the perimeter it is surrounded by beveled slabs of the city fortress, which take on part of the load from the stone lions.

The slab with lions exudes royal grandeur and power, despite the fact that their heads have not survived to this day. However, it is assumed that they were turned towards the people entering the gate, and these were lionesses.

Animal bodies are carved out of stone with anatomical precision. They stand on their hind legs, resting their front legs on the altars supporting the column.

Myths and legends about the Lion Gate

The Lion Gate in Mycenae is shrouded in mystery and legend. Until now, scientists never tire of putting forward versions of who, how and when built this structure.

The Legend of Perseus and the Cyclops

Mycenae during the period of its appearance and heyday is walled city, built on a rocky hill. It was divided into two parts: in the upper part of the hill (acropolis) lived the nobility, in the lower part (at the foot) - the common people.

According to legend, Perseus invited the Cyclops to divide the city into two parts. It was they who built the majestic fortress wall, almost a kilometer long, 12 m high and 8-10 m thick. The ancient Greeks believed that only one-eyed giants could do this. That is why the masonry made of hewn blocks was called “cyclopean”.

Secrets of the lion bas-relief

The lion bas-relief is one of the first decorative elements on the fortress walls of those times. The question of what it symbolizes and what it is intended for still remains open.

There are several versions:

• the image of lions served to intimidate those passing through the gate (most likely);
• lionesses on the altar - coat of arms of the ruling dynasty;
• the bas-relief personified the greatness of the city and the power of its ruler;
• the animals on the altar symbolized the Great Minoan Goddess.

The missing heads of the lionesses are also a mystery. Either they were destroyed under the influence of time and atmospheric phenomena, or they were cast from gold and simply stolen. The fact that the heads on the bas-relief were made of a material other than limestone is not in doubt. This is indicated by the place of their break.

The guides are ready to tell tourists a few more versions about the Lion Gate in Mycenae and season them with their own guesses. This makes the aura of mystery around the ancient building even brighter.