Places We Visit

The Mycenae Archaeological Site

The Mycenae Archaeological Site is a powerful and atmospheric place where myth and history intertwine. Visitors enter through the famous Lion Gate and pass the massive Cyclopean walls, which reflect the engineering strength of the Mycenaean civilization. A few hundred meters away is the Tomb of King Agamemnon. It is not hard to imagine the drama that once took place here. Myth and history intertwine, leaving only the ruins as a memory… Mycenae Archaeological Site was once a mighty kingdom of Ancient Greece, and its ruler, Agamemnon, was considered one of the greatest of them all.

He also had a brother named Menelaus. When Helen, Menelaus’s beautiful wife, was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris, the history of Greece was consequently about to come into one of the most famous phrases: The Trojan War (Dates given by Eratosthenes 1194-1184 BC).

But many events precede the above. The founder of the Mycenaean Kingdom was the war hero Perseus. When his last descendant, King Eurystheus died, the people voted for Atreus to be their new King. Atreus brother, Thyestes, seduced his wife. Atreus took his revenge by killing Thyestes two sons and then serving them to their father. Filled with rage and disgust, Thyestes cursed Atreus and his children. Great unhappiness was to haunt them thereafter.

Atreus sons, Agamemnon and Menelaus, became rulers of Mycenae and Sparta respectively. Agamemnon, who was the oldest, inherited the Kingdom of Mycenae. Menelaus became king of Sparta. They married two sisters, Clytemnestra and Helen. Everything seemed like a happy fairytale. However, this would not last for long, as mentioned initially about The Trojan War.

The three Greek Goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite had a contest of beauty and wished for the Trojan prince Paris to be the judge. They each tried to bribe him, but Aphrodite had promised him the most beautiful woman in Greece. Paris chose her, and Helen as his prize. With the help of the goddess, Helen went to Troy with Paris, leaving the outraged Menelaus, and so he declared war on the Trojans. He asked his brother for help, and as a result, together they raised an army of Greek kings and heroes. When Agamemnon was about to leave, he had left Clytemnestra with a singer. His beautiful songs were to prevent her from falling in love with any other man. She was already very upset with her husband since he had sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to the goddess Artemis. Then Aegisthus arrived.

Aegisthus was the incestuous son of Thyestes after he forced himself on his daughter Pelopia. He had already killed his uncle, Atreus, and finally ruled over the Mycenaean Kingdom with his father, Thyestes. When Thyestes died, the throne was quickly taken by Agamemnon. Filled with hate against him, Aegisthus decided to do everything in his power to seize the throne. Once the king decided to leave for the Trojan War, he finally seized his chance.

At first, Clytemnestra resisted him, but when Aegisthus realized the reason the singer was there, he took him away. The couple then ruled Mycenae Kingdom in the king’s absence, and as soon as Agamemnon returned, they murdered him. Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, took revenge for his father’s murder by killing his mother and her lover. After a long time of persecution by the Furies, the relentless and ruthless punishers of oath breakers, he was finally cleared of the crime by the god Apollo and Athena.

Orestes then married Menelaus and Helen’s daughter, Hermione. That is how the kingdom of Mycenae and Sparta united. In later mythic tradition, the descendants of Heracles—the Heracleidae—returned to the Peloponnese and took control of many kingdoms, including Sparta.

Heinrich Schliemann first excavated the Mycenae Archaeological Site in 1876. The German archaeologist also excavated the ancient site of Troy. Archaeological evidence shows that Mycenae was first inhabited as early as the 5th millennium BC during the Neolithic period. However, the site reached its peak during the Late Bronze Age (c. 1600–1200 BC), when it became a major center of political, military, and economic power in the Mycenaean world.

The famous Lion Gate was built during the later phase of the citadel’s expansion, along with the massive Cyclopean walls that surrounded the acropolis. At the same time, major building works were carried out, including the construction of palatial structures and administrative complexes. The so-called Treasury of Atreus is a monumental tholos tomb from this period, known as The Tomb of King Agamemnon.

In the surrounding area, you can see many buildings from the ancient city: houses, bakeries, workshops, a granary etc. There was also an extensive plumbing system that provided the Mycenaen Kingdom with fresh drinking water.

Even though the archaeological evidence speaks against that, the famous Golden Mask of Agamemnon belonged to the famous King. It is also one of the most famous findings of the ancient world. It is on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens City, along with several other objects from the excavations in the Mycenae Archaeological Site.
The people decided to name several of the tombs in the Mycenae Archaeological Site after the Atreus family name. It was their way of showing respect and ensuring the immortality of that family’s name. Greeks believed that the only way to attain immortality was for everyone to remember you. There is Agamemnon’s tomb, the tomb of Clytemnestra, and Aegisthus’ tomb at the so-called Grave Cycle B.

The Mycenaean palatial system declined around the 12th century BC, following a series of destructions and the broader collapse of Bronze Age civilization in the Aegean. Mycenae itself experienced damage and reduced political importance, but the settlement was not immediately abandoned, and people continued to live in the area in diminished numbers.

Today, the The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae is full of important artifacts (from the 16th to the 11th centuries B.C.) from the Citadel. However, many of the richest grave goods from the shaft graves are housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Among the notable artifacts is a finely carved ivory lion, reflecting the artistic skill of Mycenaean craftsmen.

For those who wish to experience Mycenae up close, Guided Tours are available and provide a detailed look into both its archaeological remains and mythological significance.