Mycenae
City / RuinsEuropeGreeceMycenaean Greek
Late Bronze Age citadel in the Argolid, Peloponnese, Greece. Capital of the Mycenaean civilization (c. 1600-1100 BCE) that inspired Homer's Iliad. The cyclopean walls are built of massive limestone blocks weighing many tonnes, fitted without mortar in a style the ancient Greeks themselves believed had been built by giants (Cyclopes). The Lion Gate, with its 20-tonne lintel and triangular relief of two lions flanking a column, is one of the earliest examples of monumental sculpture in Europe. The Cyclopean masonry style is paralleled at Tiryns, Argos, and the polygonal walls of Cusco half a world away.
Open in the Atlas map →Walkthrough videos (4)
Stylos Tholos Tomb | Mycenaean Stone Technology in Ancient CreteHugh Newman / Megalithomania
Lions Gate, Mycenae | Archaic LensArchaic Lens
The Gigantic Treasuries of MycenaeStone Riddles
Huge Polygonal Walls at MycenaeStone Riddles