Excursion to Ancient Mycenae
and back in time to a the centre of a whole civilisation
Ancient Mycenae is set amidst the Mountain of Agios Ilias and Mount Zara, approximately 22 km from Nafplion. For 400 hundred years this vestige of a kingdom was the most powerful in Greece, spreading between 1600-1200 BC.
Mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey and the Iliad the richness of Mycenae was thought only to be myth until archeologists literally struck gold in 1822-90. The citadel walls which are 13 metres high and 7 metres wide were thought, by the ancient Greeks, to have been built by a Cyclops.
See the famous Lion Gate entrance, royal graves where the famous gold death mask of Agamemnon was found, Agamemnon's palace and the great court. The whole site has a feeling of mystery, royal deaths, plots and greek tragedy. .
The Mycenean site also boasts a wonderful relatively new museum. Further along the road the Tomb of Agamemnon also know as the Treasury of Atreus is visible. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Mycenae is situated on a hill and is best visited early morning during the hot summer months.
I have visited Mycenae during my European tour with friends. We were astonished by the grandeur and the craftmanship of people who built these walls and tombs. The museum was small, but the antiquities were well presented.
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