Ancient city of Mycenae in the Peloponnese. Mycenaean fortress (Mycenae, Greece). Argive Heraion and ancient Midea

Mycenae flourished between 1400 and 1200. BC. The Mycenaean Acropolis, built back in the 16th-15th centuries. BC, was surrounded during this period by new powerful Cyclopean walls, massive fortifications built in three stages (1350, 1250 and 1225 BC).

The most recent objects discovered in Mycenae are considered to be the palace and fortress walls. The surviving fortress walls are mostly of the so-called Cyclopean masonry made of huge limestone blocks, not processed at all or only roughly chipped, but perfectly fitted.

The large size of Mycenaean buildings indicates the rather high knowledge of the builders, the long-term working skills of the masons, the great skill of the stone carvers and a number of other workers. What is most striking is the monumental size of these structures. Huge unprocessed blocks of limestone, reaching in some cases a weight of 12 tons, form the outer walls of the fortress, the thickness of which exceeded 4.5 m. But these blocks still had to be delivered to the construction site! The stones were first processed with heavy hammers, then they were cut with a bronze saw. The use of a system of counterweights and brackets and the installation of drainpipes required quite complex calculations. Characteristic is the uniformity of precisely developed techniques for laying walls throughout the entire territory of the Mycenaean culture.

1-2 - two main types of Mycenaean masonry. The masonry was done using clay mortar. The middle of the wall was filled with rubble stone.
1 - roughly hewn polygonal stones.
2 - hewn rectangular blocks.
3 - cross-section of the walls of Tiryns, showing galleries and battlements made of raw brick. This is the most complex of the Mycenaean era fortifications.
4 - plan of fortifications in Mycenae. On the left is the Lion Gate.
5 - plan of fortifications of the 7th century. in Emporio on Chios.
6 - plan of fortifications of the 6th century. with projecting towers in Burunkuk-Larissa.
7 - plan of the Athenian border fortress of the 4th century. in Giftokastro.

The citadel of Mycenae has no towers, but the gates are well protected by bastions on the sides. Walls up to 8 m high have been preserved, although their original height is unknown.

The builders made excellent use of the natural landscape, erecting their walls on the ridges of the mainland rock. Along with the Cyclopean walls made of almost unprocessed blocks, in Mycenae there are sections of walls built using a different technique and from a different material - they are composed of even and regular masonry from well-processed almost rectangular stone blocks, sometimes reaching 3 m in length. Such is the wall and bastion at the Lion Gate, as well as sections of the wall at the northern gate. The gate had two leaves and was closed using a sliding beam. I wrote more about them.

The city was surrounded by a 900 m long fortress wall, which enclosed an area of ​​over 30,000 sq.m. In some places, vaulted galleries with casemates were built inside the walls, in which weapons and food were stored (the thickness of the wall here reaches 17 m). The entire system of defensive structures of the Mycenaean fortresses was carefully thought out and guaranteed the defenders against unforeseen accidents.

The approach to the main gate of the citadel was arranged in such a way that the enemy approaching it was forced to turn towards the wall on which the defenders of the fortress were located with their right side, not covered by a shield. Behind the gate inside the fortress there was also a narrow courtyard, framed on both sides by walls, where it was easy to defend against enemies who broke through the gate.

Now, having entered the gate, we find ourselves in an open space, which is mainly occupied by a circular fence, formed by two rows of stone slabs placed on edge: they mark the sites of earlier shaft tombs. Inside this enclosure were tombstones, some with human figures carved on them. Between the circle of the fence and the wall there were houses and warehouses.

This so-called Circle A of the shaft tombs was included in the perimeter of the fortification walls during their construction, apparently as a kind of sacred, cult center. The earliest Mycenaean fortifications left this necropolis outside the citadel.

Throughout the 3rd and 2nd millennia, there are 5 main groups of burials: pit, box, shaft, chamber and dome. The most important monument of Mycenae are the shaft tombs. (XVI century BC). The first six graves of this type were discovered in 1876 by G. Schliemann within the Mycenaean citadel. These rectangular, somewhat elongated tombs were carved into soft rock to a depth of 0.5 to 3-4 m; they represent a further development of pit and box burials.

Archaeologists have recovered from them many precious objects made of gold, silver, ivory and other materials. Massive gold rings decorated with carvings, tiaras, earrings, bracelets, gold and silver dishes, magnificently decorated weapons, including swords, daggers, armor made of sheet gold, and finally, completely unique gold masks that hid the faces of the buried were found here. Amber, ostrich eggs and other obviously imported items were found in the graves.

The artwork in these tombs shows the influence of Cretan art, although the subject matter of the images differs significantly from Cretan. Minoan pottery was also found in the tombs. The tombs are located among the graves of the so-called. Middle Helladic period. Obviously, these were the burial places of rulers.

The richness of the inventory of the shaft tombs indicates a significant development of productive forces during the transition to the Late Helladic period. The widespread use of bronze, the abundance of precious metals and their generous use are a clear indicator of the separation of crafts from agriculture and the long-term accumulation of labor skills among Mycenaean artisans. The presence of things of foreign origin indicates connections, possibly trade, with distant countries. The totality of finds in the shaft tombs gives reason to consider the Mycenaean society of that time to be a class society. Slave society arose in Mycenae as a result of internal development.

The main street leads to the gate from the lower city past the sacred Mycenaean circle of shaft graves B (which date back to the 16th century BC and are older than the famous royal shaft tombs of circle A excavated by Schliemann).

Next to this complex are the remains of a building from the late Mycenaean period, also excavated by Schliemann, which today received the name “House of the Military Vase”, thanks to the famous large Mycenaean crater with images of warriors found here. This crater is today on display at the Athens National Museum.

It's time to remember the history of the archaeological excavations of Mycenae. The location of the ancient city was known for a long time - long before the moment when Schliemann first found himself at the walls of the ancient city in 1868. Images of a fortified acropolis on a rocky hill in the Argive valley are known already in the 18th and early 19th centuries. For example, here is a romanticized image of the Mycenaean Acropolis. Isn't it difficult to find out?

The history of Mycenae is one of the darkest and at the same time one of the most sublime chapters in the history of Greece, full of dark passions. It was archaeologists who proved the real existence of the events described in ancient poems. According to Homer's Iliad and Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Greece in the Mycenaean period was a country of high culture. The ancient historians Herodotus and Thucydides spoke of the Trojan War as a true incident, and of its heroes as real people.

Meanwhile, at the time when the Greeks came to the attention of modern history, they did not particularly stand out among other peoples - neither the luxury of palaces, nor the power of kings, nor a large fleet. It was undoubtedly much easier to attribute the information contained in Homer’s poems to the writer’s imagination than to agree that the era of high civilization was followed by an era of decline with its barbarism, and then a new rise of Hellenic culture.

Today, Mycenae is primarily associated with the name of Schliemann, who, having studied the texts of Homer’s poems, discovered Troy, and then the “royal tombs” in Mycenae.

In 1876, as a result of a fairly quick exploration, Schliemann excavated the shaft tombs of circle A, located inside the walls of the fortification, and made his world-famous finds. Among several golden tombstone masks, he chose the most “intelligent” face, as it seemed to him, and attributed it to Agamemnon.

The shaft tombs discovered at Mycenae by Schliemann in 1876 were the earliest of the sites: there are no Neolithic artifacts here, and the Early and Middle Helladic remains are extremely insignificant. The objects found in the tombs date from the transition from the Middle Helladic to the Late Helladic period and illustrate the connections that existed between Greece and Crete ca. 16th century BC. View of Schliemann's excavations in Mycenae in an ancient engraving:

These tombs consisted of six large stone wells located in an area that was subsequently surrounded by a wall. 19 skeletons were found in the wells, one of which was preserved in partially mummified form. On the faces of several of those buried were masks made of beaten gold.

Here the plan clearly shows the location of all objects, incl. and tombs:

The graves contained treasures - objects made of gold, silver and bronze, including jewelry, bowls, swords, rings and other objects. Among the latter category are numerous gold disks and plates embossed or embossed with octopuses, rosettes, and other forms typical of Mycenaean burials: these could be sequins from clothing or decorations on coffins or other decorations.

There were also bronze daggers with hammered gold handles and designs on the blades made using the technique of gold and silver inlay; two have hunting scenes depicted in a lively and expressive manner.

The total weight of gold found here is more than 14 kg. Nowadays, Schliemann's finds adorn the exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

But some of the finds are also presented in Mycenae:

Some of the treasures today are not inferior to the creations of current designers. ;-)

Late Helladic potters made dishes of various sizes - from small goblets to huge vessels. The clay was well cleaned, the walls of the vessels were made thin, the surface of the vases was often polished, and the firing was of high quality.

In Athens, by the way, Schliemann built himself a luxurious mansion, the walls of which he decorated with paintings, in accordance with his eccentric taste, placing images of himself and his wife among ancient gods and heroes.

The six tombs contained a variety of metal products of high artistic level - weapons, drinking vessels, jewelry, masks, as well as 16th-century ceramics. BC.

It is an extremely rare case that royal burials from such an ancient era have survived to this day without actually being plundered. Most of these finds are exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and are the most important part of the museum's exhibition.

By the way, it was in Mycenae that the famous steles with images of chariots were discovered - one of the oldest in Europe. Subsequently, with varying degrees of intensity, excavations were carried out throughout the 20th century (by the British school of archaeology and Athenian archaeologists), as a result of which a complex of buildings inside the fortification, the palace itself, many buildings outside the walls, tholos tombs and many other monuments were uncovered.

But let's return to the acropolis. Moving up the preserved ancient staircase, which turns into a ramp paved with stones, you can climb to the very top of the hill, where the palace of the ruler of Mycenae was located.

Nowadays it is poorly preserved, but once it was entered via a two-flight staircase in the Minoan style with ceremonial reception chambers.

The monumental palace consisted of many ceremonial, residential and utility rooms; in a separate sanctuary there were statues of gods made of marble and terracotta.

At the top of the stairs there was a rectangular courtyard, into which opened a large hall, or megaron, consisting of a portico with two columns, a reception room and a rectangular main hall.

The structure of this official palace premises is described by Homer and it is similar to other Mycenaean palaces - in Megara, Pylos, Tiryns. The central hall of the megaron had dimensions of 12.95 x 11.50 m. In the center of this room there was a round-shaped sacred hearth, around which there were 4 wooden columns that supported the roof and were decorated with bronze plates and the throne of the ruler.

The hearth was repeatedly painted with colored patterns on thin layers of plaster. The floor of the hall is paved with flat slabs. Remains of fresco paintings were discovered here and are now in the museum.

The Achaeans borrowed many important elements of their culture from Crete. Among them are some cults and religious rituals, fresco painting in palaces, water supply and sewerage, styles of men's and women's clothing, some types of weapons, and finally, linear syllabary. All this, however, does not mean that the Mycenaean culture was just a minor peripheral variant of the culture of Minoan Crete, and the Mycenaean settlements in the Peloponnese and elsewhere were simply Minoan colonies in a foreign “barbarian” country (this opinion was stubbornly held by A. Evans). Many characteristic features of the Mycenaean culture suggest that it arose on Greek soil and was successively associated with the most ancient cultures of the area, dating back to the Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages.

Great changes have taken place in the craft. The construction of palaces, defensive walls, tombs, roads, etc. urgently required new tools of production. Mycenaean builders used several types of chisels, drills, various hammers and saws; Axes and knives were used to process wood. Whorls and loom weights were discovered in Mycenae.

Megaron, which gave the textbook plan of a Greek dwelling of the 2nd-1st millennia BC, still allows you to imagine the view from the window of the palace of the proud Achaean leader - a cliff, a mountain, hills and a plain right up to the foggy sea in the distance.

Wrote very well about Megaron carmelist , although he wrote about Tiryns, this quote can also be applied to Mycenae: Construction technology is determined by the measure of human strength alone, someone's brilliant architectural thought has just made it possible to invent a method for laying right angles of stone. Another engineering genius thought of placing an ordinary tree trunk under the ceiling and created the most iconic element of architecture - a column. The symbiosis of these two creations gave birth to the megaron - the prototype of the future ancient classics. I think that the joy of the builders knew no bounds; they sculpted one megaron to another until they had sculpted the entire palace complex of Tiryns.

Let's summarize the above - the characteristic elements of the megaron:
- three-way division: balcony, vestibule and throne room;
- a large round hearth in the center of the throne room;
- four columns arranged in a square around the fireplace in the throne room;
- the throne is located against the middle of the right wall in the throne room;
- the floors and walls of the megaron are richly decorated with frescoes and geometric patterns;
- stone benches were located near the right and left walls of the throne room

The king's megaron had a sacred character: the king, who was also the high priest, sat on a throne, and the priests around him were on benches.

Megaron section:

There were many other rooms here and higher on the mountain, but for the most part no trace remains of them. Let us mention some of them: the courthouse was located directly in front of the megaron. Usually the court was surrounded on three sides by a colonnade. In Mycenae, near the court, the “Great Staircase” (a stone staircase originating from the “Lion Gate”) ends.

Megaron of the queen - in Mycenae this room is inferior in size to the megaron of the king, but was just as luxurious and with two light wells. The queen's megaron is located next to the north side of the king's megaron.

Bathroom - discovered near the royal rooms. The bathtub itself is assembled from fragments, and like all other small bathtubs, it is a sit-down bathtub. Even the Mycenaean kings did not have large baths!

At the top of the mountain there are traces of an archaic Doric temple, an archaic relief was discovered here, and objects dating back to the Hellenistic period were also found. In the southwestern part of the Palace, a vast area was occupied by a sanctuary. Dedicatory gifts to the deity, dues, gifts and income of the king were kept here. The pithoi currently visible were used to store oil and wine, and possibly grain, although little of the latter has been discovered. In the masonry tanks located in front of the pithos, precious utensils were probably stored. The storerooms had neither windows nor light wells and were illuminated by oil lamps.

In the northwestern corner of the fortified territory there was an underground spring with a reservoir, to which a staircase of 83 steps led. The ancient name of the source is Perseus. An underground stepped gallery was cut from the fortress to a source located far below.

Descending from the top of the hill, you must definitely look into the citadel, which goes deep into the walls, and then into the ground, a man-made gallery leading to an underground spring and a cistern with drinking water supplies. This typically Mycenaean vaulted room, built from huge, poorly processed limestone blocks, ending with a passage carved into the rock to the cistern, makes a huge impression with its power and size. Here in the wall you can see two narrow loopholes, which could serve as a secret passage for sudden attacks during a siege.

In the middle of the Late Helladic period, Mycenae began to weaken. Residents apparently expected attacks. Excavations show that all water sources were brought to the northern gate of the acropolis, and in its northeastern corner a deep underground cistern was built into which the waters of the Perseus spring flowed.

In conclusion, I would like to cite the arguments of American scientists about the connection between the Minoan and Mycenaean palaces.

The location of the Central Megaron at Mycenae clearly indicates that it was the architectural center of the palace structure. The location of all other buildings depends on the location of the megaron. In Mycenae, the megaron is the heart of the palace, the immediate administrative center. In Mycenae, the royal megaron housed courts and administration.

In contrast, in Crete, at the Palace of Knossos, the royal megaron is not a central structure, it is simply a monumental version of a normal private house. There are other throne rooms at Knossos that were used by kings for specific religious or state purposes. In this sense, the architecture of the Mycenaean Palace can be characterized as centripetal, in contrast to the centric nature of the Palace of Knossos.

Mycenaean palaces reflect much greater individuality than Cretan palaces in the sense that in Mycenae every building is unique, and in the Knossos palace there are about 30 storerooms alone. In Mycenae, palace architecture and the dwellings of ordinary people are sharply contrasted. If in Crete the buildings of the “lower cities” corresponded in style to palaces, then in Mycenae no similarity between the palace and the dwellings of the common people was found, despite an attempt by an expedition from the University of Minnesota in the 1960-1970s to draw up a complete plan of Mycenae. The palace at Mycenae is always associated only with the residence of the monarch and associated annexes, and this distinction between the royal domain and the residence of the common people was emphasized by the design of the massive walls around the citadel.

Sources cited in posts about Mycenae.

The Mycenaean (Achaean) civilization (1600-1100 BC) is one of the oldest and most interesting civilizations that ever existed on the territory of modern Greece. This civilization had an undeniable influence on the subsequent development of ancient Greek culture and occupies a special place in literature and mythology, including in the works of Homer.

One of the largest and most important centers of the Mycenaean civilization, of course, was the ancient city of Mycenae, from which, in fact, the culture subsequently received its name. The royal residence was also located here, as well as the tombs of the Mycenaean kings and their entourage. In ancient Greek mythology, Mycenae is well known as the kingdom of the famous Agamemnon, who led the legendary Trojan War.

The ruins of the once majestic Mycenae lie about 90 km southwest of Athens in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese near the small village of the same name and today are an important archaeological and historical site.

The first excavations of ancient Mycenae were carried out back in 1841 by the Greek archaeologist Kyrriakis Pittakis. It was then that the famous Lion Gate was discovered - a monumental entrance to the acropolis, built from four huge monolithic limestone blocks and got its name because of the huge bas-relief depicting two lions above the entrance. The Lion Gate, as well as fragments of the impressive fortress walls (their width in some places reached 17 m), built in the so-called “Cyclopean” masonry, are well preserved and even today, more than three thousand years later, they amaze with their monumentality.

The archaeological work that began in the 1870s under the auspices of the Archaeological Society of Athens and the leadership of Heinrich Schliemann created a real sensation. During the excavations (both on the territory of the fortress and outside it), a number of burials were revealed in shaft and domed tombs with an incredible number of various funeral gifts, among which the huge number of various items made of gold was especially impressive. However, the architecture of the tombs was also of great interest, perfectly illustrating the skill of ancient architects. The best preserved to this day, perhaps, are the tombs of Clytemnestra and Atreus. The tomb of the latter dates back to the 14th century BC. and is a two-chamber tomb with a dromos corridor (length - 36 m, width - 6 m), leading to a domed room (where the king’s body rested) with a small side chapel, in which a number of burials were also identified. A huge 9-meter stone slab weighing approximately 120 tons was installed above the entrance to the tomb. How the ancient craftsmen managed to install it still remains a mystery. The Tomb of Atreus, or the Treasury of Atreus, is the most grandiose domed structure of that time and one of the most important architectural monuments of the Mycenaean civilization.

In subsequent decades, archaeologists returned more than once to the excavations of the legendary Mycenae and discovered many more different structures, including the remains of a palace complex located on the top of a hill. Recently, the so-called “lower city” was excavated. A detailed study of the results of archaeological excavations has made it possible to significantly lift the veil of secrecy over the mysterious Mycenaean civilization.

The famous “Mycenaean gold” (including the so-called golden “mask of Agamemnon”, 16th century BC), as well as many other unique ancient artifacts found during the excavations of Mycenae, are today kept in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

• DATE: XII-XIV centuries BC. e.
• STYLE: Mycenaean
• MATERIALS: Stone
• BUILT: by order of the Cretan rulers
• The legendary palace-fortress of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, whose history many times became the plot for great works of ancient Greek literature

Homer, in his epic poems The Iliad and Odyssey, described Mycenae, the legendary mountain stronghold of King Agamemnon, as “an indestructible citadel, rich in gold.” Both Homer and Aeschylus in their Oresteia called Mycenae a place of bloody massacre, where mortals the gods punish. Agamemnon was the leader of the army during the Trojan War. Then, so that the gods would grant a fair wind so that the navy could move, he sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia. The king returned victorious, but his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus killed him right in the bath. Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, took revenge on the murderers, and they accepted their death at his hand.

Myths and reality

Of all the archaeological sites in Greece that have a mythical past, Mycenae is the closest to Greek legend. Especially if we consider that legends intertwine stories from different times. Mycenae is located on the rocky hills above the Argive Valley, next to the main road between the cities of Corinth and Argos. The fortress walls and most of the buildings were built in 1380-1190 BC. e., although in this place since ancient times, from the 16th century BC. e„there were settlements of rulers. Today the citadel lies in ruins, but even now you can imagine its stunning splendor and marvel at the architectural achievements of the Mycenaean civilization.

The famous Lion Gate is the main ritual entrance to the fortress where the elite lived. Basically the city lay in front of them. To emphasize the splendor of the gate, the stonework there was treated better than in other places, and an amazing stone relief was installed above the gate. Two muscular and, alas, already headless lions in this relief stand on the sides of the column.

Behind the walls of the citadel

Just outside the walls of the citadel is the cemetery of the rulers, surrounded by a wall in a circle. In these tombs, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered one of the most magnificent archaeological finds - many beautiful bronze daggers, bowls and goblets, tiaras and filigree gold chains and an amazing gold death mask. Schliemann then exclaimed: “I looked into the face of Agamemnon!” Although subsequent research has shown that the tombs appeared 300 years before the Trojan War, there is still no doubt about the wealth and greatness of the Mycenaean civilization.

Behind the walls of the fortress, under the hill, is the so-called Treasury of Atreus, a fine example of a Mycenaean stone “beehive mausoleum”

From the tombs, stairs lead directly to the royal palace on the top of the hill, the boundaries of its walls are still visible. In the center there is a courtyard, from there you can enter the megaron, a large reception hall with a traditional round hearth. The walls of this hall were once covered with bright paintings. The palace also had a throne room and many small rooms. In the east is the House with Columns, a majestic building whose courtyard is surrounded on three sides by columns. The staircase has also been partially preserved; it once led to the second floor.

At the eastern side of the fortress there was a secret spring with a reservoir, it lay underground, and a spiral staircase descended to it. The reservoir was built in the 12th century so that the people in the fortress could withstand a long siege. The fortress was most likely besieged by hostile Mycenaean bets or Dorian invaders from the north. By 1100 BC. e. the once thriving settlement was already abandoned.

Mycenae- an ancient city built in the second millennium BC. It was one of the centers of Mycenaean culture, and then of Greek civilization. Now all that remains of it are ruins. Mycenae was abandoned around 1100 BC and remained in this state until the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered the city in 1874. It’s not far from Athens to here - about 90 kilometers.

Let's start our walk through Mycenae from the Treasury of Atreus. This is a tomb that was built around 1250 BC. The name is conditional and no one knows exactly who was buried here, but it is assumed that it was one of the rulers of Mycenae.

Entrance to the tomb

The slab above the entrance weighs 120 tons

Dome of the tomb. Masonry is held together without any mortar

We move to the Mycenaean acropolis. View of the ancient city

Let's get closer

The walls of ancient Mycenae were created using the so-called cyclopean masonry, when huge hewn blocks are held on top of each other only by their own weight without any mortar. The name “Cyclopean” comes from the ancient Greeks - over time, people believed that it was beyond the power of man to lift such boulders, and such construction was attributed to the mythical Cyclops

The Lion Gate was built in the mid-13th century BC

Bas-relief above the Lion Gate, from which it takes its name

Lion Gate from the other side

Graves of Circle A. It was here that Schliemann found the famous golden mask of Agamemnon. You will also see the mask itself just below.

The Lion's Tomb dates back to approximately 1350 BC and is so called not because lions were buried there, but because their figures were found on the walls. Above it was the same vault as above the Treasury of Atreus, which was shown above, but it collapsed

A couple more views of the ruins

In Greece they know that cats attract much more attention from tourists than any other antiquity, so there are plenty of them near any attractions

There is an archaeological museum on the territory of ancient Mycenae

Basically, various antique ceramics found in the surrounding area are presented here.

Simply handsome

Ancient writings

Fragments of an ancient fresco

Ancient jewelry

Various accessories of noble people

The golden mask of Agamemnon was found here in 1876, but a replica of the famous mask is on display in the museum. The original is in Athens, where we were recently. In fact, this mask did not belong to Agamemnon, since scientists attribute it to an earlier era, but the name stuck

Near-Mycenaean nature

On our way out we stopped at a souvenir shop

Here you can buy not only small souvenirs, but also statues like these. Prices, of course, are quite high and amount to tens of thousands of euros

Potter at work

I will add several reconstructions of Mycenae prepared by Danila Loginov (

The Mycenaean kingdoms were small in size. The centers of Mycenaean civilization were located in well-fortified cities, which were usually built on top of hills surrounded by fortress walls. This is how the first acropolises appeared - “upper cities”. The Acropolis contained within its walls the royal palace, houses for servants, warriors and artisans, as well as numerous storage facilities for grain, wine, and oil. Workshops were also located here, weapons and jewelry were stored. According to inscriptions on clay tablets found in Mycenae and Pylos, up to five thousand people of various professions worked in the palaces, there was an extensive bureaucratic apparatus that took into account everything, even broken wheels and broken vases.

The most famous palace-fortresses were located in Mycenae, Tiryns and Pylos. The largest of them is Mycenaean. In 1250 BC. e. A powerful stone wall was erected around the Mycenaean Acropolis, in some places its thickness reached 7 m. And this is far from the limit; in Tiryns, for example, the thickness is 9, and in places 17 m. The famous Lion Gate was broken into the wall around Mycenae, so named because that above them are depicted two lions standing on their hind legs. Between the lions is a column, which, according to scientists, symbolizes Artemis, the patroness of the city.

This is what the animals greet. Most likely, lions were a symbol of the Atrid family. However, according to legend, King Agamemnon insulted the goddess by not sacrificing his firstborn daughter Iphigenia to her. For this, Artemis sent a storm that did not allow the Achaean ships to leave the harbor to sail to the walls of Troy. The storm continued until the king gave his daughter to be slaughtered, but instead the goddess sent a golden doe to the altar, and took the girl to the lands of the Tauri, where she made her a priestess in her temple.

Outside the walls, the road led through the acropolis to the royal palace, built of mud brick on a wooden frame. The palace was once brightly painted not only from the inside, but also from the outside. Rectangular in plan, it enclosed not a courtyard, as in Crete, but a spacious internal hall with a colonnade and a hole in the roof - a megaron. Here the king gathered his entourage and conducted state affairs. The throne was located to the right of the entrance, and there were benches along the walls near it. The Mycenaeans considered the throne to be the sacred womb of the mother goddess. In Tiryns it is surrounded by sacrificial canals, through which, during the ceremonies, libations of wine and blood penetrated into the womb of the earth. Sitting on the throne, the king was in unity with the goddess and drew strength from her.

The Mycenaean megaron was almost completely destroyed; archaeologists created its reconstruction on the basis of halls from other palaces, for example in Pylos. There the walls of the hall were decorated with frescoes. Like the Cretan palaces, Pylos was equipped with running water and swimming pools. The city rulers kept a collection of clay tablets, which scientists managed to read. It turned out that the kings of Pylos were excellent hosts. The king owned a large plot of land, three times larger than the allotments of the nobility. Thus, he was the richest supplier of grain to the market.

The clay tablets also told us something about the structure of the state. The king was called Wanaka, the small kings were called basileus, and there were several of them subordinate to Wanaka. The king was assisted by the commander of the army - ravaketa, "ruler of the nations." He could conduct receptions in the second, smaller megaron. The king had advisers - 14 telestas, representatives of the nobility and palace officials. The priests of the main temples, called “God’s people,” were held in high esteem. The king of the Mycenaean culture was considered the main one among the rulers of other cities and bore the title “senior king.”

The palace in Tiryns was painted with multicolor frescoes in the 13th century. BC e. There were patterns along the ceiling depicting the starry sky. However, the subjects of the frescoes are completely different from those of the Minoans. A favorite of them is hunting. Goddesses going on a hunt, hunting a boar with dogs, chasing a deer, battle scenes. The limestone floors were painted with colored stains to imitate marble. Sometimes there are chess cells alternating with fish and octopuses. Great difficulties awaited archaeologists during the excavations of Thebes. Other Mycenaean cities were not populated later. For example, Mycenae was abandoned already in the time of Homer. Now the nearest settlement to them is the village of Mykines. But the center of Thebes - Kadmeia - is located under the modern city. The citadel of the fortress was destroyed in the 13th century. BC e. Scientists were able to discover fragments of the palace, in which a fresco was discovered with a procession of women bearing gifts to the goddess. Thematically similar to the Cretan ones, it is executed in a completely different way. All participants in the procession have the same profiles, hairstyles and tiaras. The figures are outlined in black, which gives the fresco a monumental feel, and the white and yellow background makes it brightly decorative.

The cities of the Mycenaean culture disappeared into the darkness of centuries as mysteriously as the Cretan palaces. Around 1200 BC e. The Achaean world experienced a series of upheavals. From Egyptian papyri it is known that in the 13th century. BC e. There were severe crop failures for several years in a row, causing famine throughout the Mediterranean. craft and trade fell. Vast areas were on the verge of extinction. fought wars for food. The invasion of Greece from the north by the Dorian tribes completed the destruction of the Mycenaean world. The palace at Mycenae fell around 1125 BC. e. However, before this tragic outcome, the Mycenaeans had to accomplish the greatest deed that would leave their name for centuries - to win the Trojan War.