The Mycenaean tholos tomb (fancifully) named the ‘Treasury of Atreus’, located in Mycenae, Greece.
This tomb dates to ca. 1300-1250 BC. Elite Mycenaean families who lived around this era, perhaps not too long before the presumed date of the Trojan War, buried their dead in beehive-like tombs which were covered by huge earthen mounds. There are about 9 such known examples in Mycenae, but there are much more elsewhere. This example is the most famous and best preserved of these tombs, with a 43-foot high dome. It was unfortunately robbed -we have no information regarding its burials or accompanying grave goods. Except for the elite status of the Mycenaean, we are thus left essentially clueless as to whom this tomb was owned by.
TheMask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered at Mycenae in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann. The artifact is a funeral mask crafted in gold, and was found over the face of a body located in aburial shaft, designated Grave V, at the site “Grave Circle A, Mycenae”. Schliemann believed that he had discovered the body of the legendary Greek leader Agamemnon, but modern archaeological research suggests that the mask is from 1550–1500 BC, earlier than the life of Agamemnon, as tradition regards it. The mask is currently displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Terracotta stirrup jar with octopus. Date/Period: ca. 1200–1100 BC. Culture: Helladic, Mycenaean. Heavily influenced by the preceding Minoan culture of Crete, the city of Mycenae became the dominant power on the Greek peninsula from 1400 - 1100 BC.
Our t-shirt/tank-top/v-neck designs are inspired by this vase available on Amazon & Redbubble (onelink): https://geni.us/myceneanoctopus2
This piece has been in mind since the moment I laid eyes on it. The contrast of the gold and blackened silver has a striking effect. The asymmetrical horns and perfectly rendered bull head are exquisite and it’s over 3,000 years old. My favorite detail is the gold flower in the center of the bull’s head. A symbol of life and beauty bestowed on the crown of a powerful beast.
Silver and gold rhyton in the shape of a bull’s head Mycenae, Greece: Grave 4 in Grave Circle A Late Bronze Age: 1600-1100 BC Archaeological Museum of Athens
“The gate was made of blocks of stone bigger across than I am tall. Something else supposedly built by the old gods, it was topped by a solid stone lintel with two carved lions that were supposed to roar if an enemy of the king passed beneath them. The stone had been weathered by the centuries, and only indistinct monster figures remained, facing each other over a short pillar.”
(**i drew this map and wrote this text for my upcoming book on greek hero myths. If you see any problems please let me know! Xoxo)
Certainly the ancient Greek myths were influenced and inspired by even older cultures like Egypt and Babylon (see Zeus parallels with Babylonian “Anu”) through “diffusion” (cultural spreading). But there were three powerful civilizations in ancient Greece which fostered a unique cultural and mythic heritage, spanning almost 3000 years.
MINOA: (3000 B.C.-1100 B.C.) In the Bronze age, on the southern island of Crete, rose a great civilization with a population of over 10,000 at the city of Knossos. The name derives from King Minos, of the Theseus and Minotaur myth. The Minoans were known for far-reaching Mediterranean sea trade, and wrote in a language called “Linear A,” which has never been deciphered.
MYCENAE: (1700 B.C.- 1100 B.C.) Another sea faring Bronze age civilization in which the Homeric characters hail from. With the Minoan civilization in decline around 1450 B.C., the Myceneans took over the islands and adopted much of the Minoan culture, developing a new writing system, “linear B,” which became the earliest Greek language. Whether due to invading foreigners or natural disasters, the decline of Mycenae was followed hundreds of years of decline; the “dark ages.” “Archaic” period (700-480 B.C.) Populations increased, and progressive concepts appeared, such as the creation and organization of the “Polis” or city-state.
ATHENS (480 B.C.- 323 B.C.) the word “Greece” was a later term created by the Romans. The ancient Athenian Greeks called their country “Hellas” and the people were “Hellenes.” the “Classical age” of Athens was a period of revolutionary development in philosophy; (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,) theatre drama (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides), refining concepts of democracy, among many other innovations in sculpture, architecture, and medicine.
“Lion Hunt dagger”. Bronze dagger inlaid with silver and gold from Mycenae.
The dagger is decorated with a scene depicting warriors with spears and shields fighting lions. It was found in Shaft Grave IVofGrave Circle A at Mycenae and it’s dated to the 16th century BC- Late Bronze Age.
Grave Circle A was part of a large cemetery outside Mycenae’s acropolis walls. It comprises six shaft graves, where nineteen bodies were buried. The wealth of the grave gifts reveals the high social rank of the deceased: gold jewelry and vases, gold death masks, decorated swords, bronze objects and artefacts made of imported materials like amber, lapis lazuli and ostrich eggs. The large number of weapons found shows that some of the dead were very good an important warriors. The site was excavated by the archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann in 1876.
The dagger was not used in actual warfare but held importance as decorative burial good for a powerful and wealthy Mycenaean citizen. The golden artwork on the dagger reflects Minoan influences like the introduction of animal figures, the delicate patterns and the shields of the hunters.
National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens, Greece
Reproduction of a Gold Mycenaean Ornament, Emile Gilliéron or son, 19th-20th century,HAM: Sculpture
Reproduction of a gold ornamental cut out showing octopus. The original was found in Grave Circle A at Mycenae. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Museum Purchase Size: 3.1 x 3.1 cm (1 ¼ x 1 ¼ in.) Medium: Electrotype of gold original; repoussé
Grave Circle A in Mycenae 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, southern Greece.
Once part of a large cemetery outside the acropolis walls, Grave Circle- A was discovered within the Mycenaean citadel by Heinrich Schliemann, who excavated it in 1876 under the supervision of the Greek Ephor of Antiquities Panagiotis Stamatakis.
Grave Circle A comprises six rectangular vertical shaft graves, which measure from 3.0 by 3.5 meters in width to 4.5 by 6.4 meters in length. These shaft graves consist of two parts: the main shaft itself, which is cut into the bed-rock and a larger pit surrounding it. After the grave goods were deposited in the main shaft, a wood or flagstone cover supported by the shaft’s sides was set in place and the larger pit was filled with earth.
The tombs in Grave Circle A contained a total of nineteen burials: nine males, eight females and two infants. With the exception of Grave II, which contained a single burial, all of the other graves contained between two and five inhumations. The deceased were placed on their backs, generally on an east-west axis. Schliemann cleared Graves IV and Stamatakis excavated Grave VI one year later. The pottery finds from Graves I, II, III and VI indicate a range of dates from the end of the Middle Helladic period to the Late Helladic IIA period, that is, from the 16th to the early 15th centuries BC.
The amazing wealth of the grave gifts reveals both the high social rank and the martial spirit of the deceased: gold jewelry and vases, a large number of decorated swords and other bronze objects, and artefacts made of imported materials, such as amber, lapis lazuli, faience and ostrich eggs. All of these, together with a small but characteristic group of pottery vessels, confirm Mycenae’s importance during this period, and justify Homer’s designation of Mycenae as ‘rich in gold.’
The discovery of Grave Circle A startled the entire world with its momentous finds. It brought to light a great and hitherto unknown civilization, and paved the way for the study of Greek prehistory. The excavation of Mycenae has expanded Schliemann’s fame and gave him the title of the “father of the Mycenaean archaeology”. (via greek-thesaurus)
TheMask of Agamemnon is an artifact discovered at Mycenae in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann. The artifact is a funeral mask crafted in gold, and was found over the face of a body located in aburial shaft, designated Grave V, at the site “Grave Circle A, Mycenae”. Schliemann believed that he had discovered the body of the legendary Greek leader Agamemnon, but modern archaeological research suggests that the mask is from 1550–1500 BC, earlier than the life of Agamemnon, as tradition regards it. The mask is currently displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
