The Mycenaean Civilization Lives Through the Centuries!

The impressive remnants of the ruins of one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world is all that remains today of the grand city that was once called Mycenae.

Some 120 kilometers from the Greek capital Athens, this northeastern Peloponnese area was laboriously built on a sweeping hill 900 feet above sea level, with a view of the Saronic Gulf by the horizon.

History has it during the Second Millenium BC, the Mycenaeans possessed a military stronghold which dominated portions of Greece, Crete, Cyclades, and Anatolia.

However, around 1200 BC the prosperous city suffered unpredictable destructive earthquakes, unrelenting attacks from opposing forces, and the implosion of internal politics. These occurrences were disastrously known as the Bronze Age Collapse.

The city tried to regain its former glory during the Hellenistic Period. But it was simply too late for redemption, and the hamlet was abandoned to ruins. By then, Mycenae recreated itself as a tourist attraction in the old world.

A literary tidbit was that Mycenae played a huge role in the epics Iliad and the Odyssey epics by the poet Homer — the setting, culture, and civilization were all derived from this region.

As we stepped foot into the archeological site, we laid witness to the outstanding architecture and remaining precious fragments of a powerful Greek domain — to the extent that Mycenae and the nearby site Tiryns were inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999.

We gazed upon The Lions Gate, the most popular structure, and immediately understood why. As the entrance, it boasted of two lions which loomed above the archway — these pair are the only surviving monuments of Mycenaean architecture and the only one which survived without being buried underground. Try and spot a crevice in the wall, which was believed to keep guard dogs!

We then headed to the Treasury of Atreus, the largest and most ornate beehive-reminiscent tomb. Believed to have hosted the Tomb of Agamemnon — one of the most famous kings and the leader of the Greeks during the fabled Trojan War — we heard whispers it used to host a golden treasure, which has sadly been looted several centuries past. Small side chambers served as the burial spots, while the main floor was reserved for rituals.

From the king’s final resting place, we then visited the hillside Tomb of Clytemnestra — the wife of King Agamemnon. Shaped in a similar fashion as the previous site, it remains nonetheless as majestic. We soon found out that scholars to this date debate if the tomb was even used at all. After all, the doom befell Mycenae at the time of its construction. However, evidence pointed out some gold jewelry befitting of a queen. Much to think about...

Our guide also narrated the tragic story of her daughter Ifigeneia, who was sacrificed by the king, to enable them to sail to Troy. After the legendary war, the queen committed regicide — which angered their son Orestes, who exacted revenge through matricide. This miserable sequence of events has become the backbone of ancient Greek tragedies henceforth.

We likewise sighted the Grave Circles, which formed part of an extensive cemetery exclusively used by royals. Upon discovery, the stone plaques were embellished with luxurious items which have since been safekept in Athens.

A nearly twenty-year project, we headed to the Archeological Museum of Mycenae, which spans a total of 2,000 square meters.

Split into three floors, it houses the various relics from excavations in Mycenae and its environs. We sighted a collection of jewelry and ceramic vases, and even archaic tools and weapons.

A highlight was a faithful replica of the Golden Mask of Agamemnon. The original, which was unearthed in his grave, was made of pure gold and is protected in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

To bid the site goodbye, we observed the Cyclopean Walls of Mycenae, which are built of huge limestone boulders. Due to the size of these rocks, they are believed to be constructed by Cyclops — gigantic mythical creatures with only one eye.

As we left the calamitously beautiful Mycenae, did we feel the gentle gaze of the Cyclops on us, perhaps protecting us for further discoveries?