Fortifications of Mycenae
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...
is a city in the Argolid, in the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
peninsula of Greece. It was first excavated by Heinrich and Sophia
Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (; 6 January 1822 – 26 December 1890) was a German businessman and pioneer in the field of archaeology. He was an advocate of the historicity of places mentioned in the works of Homer and an archaeolog ...
in the 1870s and is believed to have flourished in the Mid- to Late
Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. The fortifications of Mycenae were built with the use of
Cyclopean masonry Cyclopean masonry is a type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and with clay mortar or no use of mortar. The boulders typ ...
. With the citadel built on a cliff, the architects created protection not only for the upper class that lived within the walls, but the lower-class farmers in the surrounding areas, who could find refuge there in times of war. Due to high competition in the Mid to Late Bronze Age, the citadel wall expanded significantly with the inclusion of
Grave Circle A Grave Circle A is a 16th-century BC royal cemetery situated to the south of the Lion Gate, the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae in southern Greece. This burial complex was initially constructed outside the walls of Mycenae ...
and the addition of the Lion Gate.


Citadel Walls (expansion and inclusion of Grave Circle A)

Mycenae had a wall of large, irregular stones that were laid together without mortar. The walls of the citadel were expanded over the Late Helladic III (LH III) period, the reason believed to be regional competition. In the LH IIIB period, competition between regions led to the "enlargement" of the cities. This expansion not only included the creation of the Lion Gate and Postern Gate, but also the inclusion of
Grave Circle A Grave Circle A is a 16th-century BC royal cemetery situated to the south of the Lion Gate, the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae in southern Greece. This burial complex was initially constructed outside the walls of Mycenae ...
within the walls of the citadel. The Postern Gate in the back of the citadel was believed to be a back entrance for citizens from the surrounding area to enter in times of attack.


Lion Gate

The structure of the "main entrance" had a military attack advantage built into it. In order to enter, an invading army would have to turn right around a high bastion protruding out of the right side of the gate. Warriors of the period, traditionally, held their shields on their left arm and their weapons in their right hand, which is displayed in pieces from the time, including a gold ring with a battle scene. With the warriors' right sides facing the bastion, it allowed for Mycenaean people to open fire on the exposed side of the warriors. Another significant fact about the gate is that above the door, there were two figures of giant felines. Due to this fact, the entrance was appropriately named the "Lion Gate" Lions likely inhabited modern Greece during the Bronze Age, but were driven back to Thrace by the time of the Classical Age. The overall symbolism of the lions above the gate is not totally clear, but, it is believed that this was also inspired by the main entrance of Hattusa.


Cyclopean masonry

The masonry used to build the citadel wall surrounding Mycenae was constructed with
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
. Archaeologists believe the walls were inspired by the fortifications of the Hittite capital of
Hattusa Hattusa (also Ḫattuša or Hattusas ; Hittite: URU''Ḫa-at-tu-ša'', Turkish: Hattuşaş , Hattic: Hattush) was the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. Its ruins lie near modern Boğazkale, Turkey, within the great loop of ...
. When Greeks later discovered these fortifications, they believed them to be the work of the
Cyclopes In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
, due to the size and weight of these stones, too heavy to be lifted by an average human. Therefore, the stone walls' design was named
Cyclopean masonry Cyclopean masonry is a type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with massive limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and with clay mortar or no use of mortar. The boulders typ ...
, due to the belief that these "giants" built the walls. The first "Cyclopean" wall was built in the Late Helladic IIIA period then expanded to include Grave Circle A in the LH IIIB period.


References


Bibliography

* Neer, Richard T. “The Art and Archaeology of the Greek World.” ''The Art and Archaeology of the Greek World'', London: Thames & Hudson, 2012, pp. 57–58. * A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), CAEMENTUM www.perseus.tufts.edu * Neer, Richard T. “The Art and Archaeology of the Greek World.” ''The Art and Archaeology of the Greek World'', London: Thames & Hudson, 2012, pp. 47. {{ISBN, 978-0-500-28877-1 * Ring w/ Battle Scene. 1570-1500 B.C. Ethnikon Archaiologikon Mouseion (Greece). http://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000442101. Web. 3 Dec 2017. Mycenae
Mycenae Mycenae ( ; grc, Μυκῆναι or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos; and south of Corinth. ...