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Mycenae was uncovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1874. It is one of the earliest examples of citadel Architecture. The term Mycenaean applies to a culture covering the years 1700-1100 B.C. As usual, we started out in the musuem with our local guide Patty, giving us an overview and musuem tour, then we headed out to the site.
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I was really looking forward to today's adventure. I had seen a few specials on television about Mycenae, the lions gate and Henrich Schliemann. Mr. Schiliemann is the German archaeologist who uncovered this ancient city and discovered the famous Mask of Agamemnon. This mask is at the National Archaeologial Museum in Athens.
The ruins in Mycenae are 1000-1500 years older than those at the Acropolis in Athens. It is thought these people came from Turkey during the Bronze age.
The Lions Gate was built in the 13th century B.C. Nobody has been able to find the heads to the lions, but the gates are still very impressive. Seeing the Lions gate up close and personal was incredible. So were the "Cyclopean" walls. Our local guide, Patty, told us the ancient greeks called the walls that because they thought only a cyclops could move the giant rocks that built the walls around Mycenae.
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Becky and I went down the 99 steps to see the cistern beneath the Mycenaean citadel. Becky was smart and had brought her flashlight. Harvey and Clemmy went with us. They had their headlamps on. I was happy to be going down the steps with people with lights! It was pitch black down there. It was hot outside so it felt good on the cool walk down.
The cistern provided water during times of war. This way the mycenaens didn't have to leave the city for water. The cistern was connected by pipes to a spring outside the city.
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We had a great local guide, Patty. First, she took us through the museum and then we went outside to the ancient ruins. She was great with her descriptions of how ancient greeks came up with there ideas about how Mycenae came to be. Like the Cyclopean walls that can be seen in this picture. These walls were up to 46 feet wide.
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These tombs are called tholos, which means beehive in Greek. They do kind of look like a beehive on the inside. The Treasury of Atreus is the most impressive of these tombs. It was built in the 14th century.
Can you see the big stone over the entry way into the tomb? It is a 30 foot long stone! It weighs almost 120 tons. How did the workers get it there? Nobody knows. Some things will always remain a mystery. It is also a mystery as to why this Myceanean citadel was abandoned by the people around 1100 B.C.
The massive stone entrance, the lions gate and cisterns certainly tell me these Myceanean builders are worthy of our respect and admiration.
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