Ancient Mycenae Explained: From the Lion Gate and Royal Tombs to the Treasury of Atreus — Everything You Should Know Before Visiting the Heart of Ancient Greece
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Mycenae (Greece) is an ancient city located in the northeast of the country. Once a vast and influential settlement, it was considered the center of Mycenaean culture, as evidenced by numerous precious items and unique artifacts found in gold tombs.
Today I’ll tell you about this city, what you can see here, how to get here, and provide all the necessary useful information for tourists who want to visit Mycenae.
Mycenae - the cradle of Western civilization: what kind of place is it and is it worth visiting?
Mycenae (Μυκήνες) is an ancient city in Argolis and one of the most famous monuments of the Bronze Age.
It is located on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, 140 kilometers from Athens, and its greatest flourishing occurred during the period from 1600 to 1200 BC.
The history of Mycenae is closely connected with Greek mythology and is widely mentioned in various chronicles and legends. The city, built by the son of Zeus and Danae – Perseus, was the homeland of the famous King Agamemnon, who won victory over impregnable Troy. Many characters from works of ancient poets and other mythical heroes also lived in this city.
In its time, Mycenae was the largest city of the entire Aegean coast and ancient Hellas, as well as a huge cultural center, which gave its name to an entire epoch called the Mycenaean civilization.
Mycenae was a well-fortified fortress and was built on a rocky hill about 280 meters high.
The city was surrounded by a fortress wall made of huge blocks, about 900 meters long, at least 6 meters wide, and in some places the height exceeded 7 meters, while the weight of the stone blocks exceeded 10 tons.
These walls are called Cyclopean, because the ancient Hellenes believed that only legendary creatures – the Cyclopes – could build such grandiose walls.
Views of the ruins of the ancient city of Mycenae
Where is Mycenae located and how to get there
The Mycenae complex is located 14 kilometers north of Argos on the road to Corinth and Athens. Therefore, it’s most convenient to get there by car, or use buses to Argos or Nafplio from Athens’ intercity bus station KTEL Athinon, which make a stop in the village of Fichti (Φίχτι), from where it’s about 4 kilometers to the Mycenae complex.
If using public transportation is not your option, the optimal solution would be to rent a car.
In Athens, including at Athens airport, there are many car rental offices. However, renting on-site, especially during high season, will be significantly more expensive.
To avoid this and choose the most suitable car for your trip at the best price, you should book a car in advance.
Might be useful: I have a large article about car rental in Greece on my site, where I talked about all the nuances of this service in the country.
Location of Mycenae on the map
How to get to Mycenae from Athens if you are traveling independently
Athens and Mycenae are separated by 90 km, and there are 2 ways to get from one city to another.
By Bus
This is the most affordable and simple option. You need to board at the Athens stop and travel to Fichti (Mycenae) station. Travel time is 1 hour 30 minutes. Ticket cost is 14-17 euros (depending on travel time and bus class). Buses run every 2 hours, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
In Greece there are several bus companies. The most popular is KTEL Argolidas, which operates in all major cities of the country – it operates routes from Athens to Mycenae.
By Train
You need to board a train at Athens railway station going on the route Πειραιάς – Κιάτο (Piraeus – Kiato).
At Zegolateio Korinthias station you need to get off and transfer to a taxi.
Travel time by train is 1 hour 10 minutes. By taxi – 30 minutes.
Travel cost is 8 euros (train) + 35 euros (taxi).
This travel option is most beneficial for small groups.
Ticket prices and opening hours for Mycenae
- Admission cost: 12 euros for adults, 6 euros for pensioners, children, teenagers, teachers. With this ticket you can visit the archaeological excavations, museum and the “Treasury of Atreus.”
- Opening hours: winter (8:30 AM-3:30 PM), April (8:30 AM-7:00 PM), May-August (8:30 AM-8:00 PM), September (8:00 AM-7:00 PM), October (8:00 AM-6:00 PM). The museum is closed on public holidays.
Mycenae attractions: what can you see here and in the surrounding area?
The fortress wall of Mycenae mentioned above has a length of about 900 meters, and its monumentality is striking: some blocks weigh more than 10 tons, and the wall’s height in places reached 7.5 meters.
The thickness of the walls sometimes reached 17 meters, which made it possible to arrange casemates and vaulted galleries inside the wall. From a military point of view, the wall’s construction was well thought out: all sections were built to maximally protect the city from any attacks.
From the point of view of common people living in the vicinity of Mycenae, the fortress was a kind of dwelling of the gods; they ascended the hill where it stood only on special occasions, using numerous confusing paths for this purpose.
For aristocrats, a stone-paved road led to the fortress, approaching the “Lion Gate” that has survived to our days, through which the path to the royal palace passed.
These gates represent a structure of three huge, slightly processed stones, above which two heraldic lionesses are carved from stone, personifying the power of the Atreidae dynasty.
In the center of Mycenae are the megarons of the king and queen. In the king’s megaron, a balcony, anteroom and throne room are clearly visible. The floor and walls of the rooms are decorated with frescoes, each element of the throne room has an almost sacred meaning.
According to experts, these structures date back to the 14th century BC, and some elements to an earlier period. These are the only monumental buildings of such ancient origin in the world.
I’ll tell you more about these and other attractions of Mycenae below.
Lion Gate
The Lion Gate is the main attraction of Greek Mycenae, which greeted all travelers coming to the city. The gate was built at the beginning of the 13th century BC, and got its name thanks to the bas-relief located in the upper part of the gate. The weight of the structure is 20 tons.
The uniqueness of the attraction lies in the fact that all the stones used in creating the gate are carefully polished and have round holes similar to those left by a hammer drill.
Scientists to this day cannot explain this phenomenon. The material from which the door shutters were made is also unknown – it is assumed to be a type of now-extinct wood.
The Lion Gate in Mycenae served as the main gate of the ancient city
The Lion Gate in Mycenae has been preserved in almost perfect condition, except for the lions – their heads are completely destroyed. Archaeologists believe this happened because the material from which the heads were cast was initially worse than that used for the animals’ bodies.
According to an ancient legend, the lions’ heads were cast from gold, and during the fall of Mycenaean culture, were naturally stolen. By the way, originally the lions were intended to protect the city from evil spirits, and since this was a very important place, ordinary people could not come here.
At the end of the 19th century, the famous German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann conducted excavations and came to the conclusion that the gate was not an ordinary gate in our understanding, but a cult structure. He was led to this thought by finds discovered near the gate: antique masks, weapons and precious stones.
The gate was named Lion Gate thanks to the bas-relief with lions placed on it
Royal Palace
Excavations of the Royal Palace in Mycenae were conducted in the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, nothing remains of the former grandeur of this attraction, and today tourists can only see the foundation.
However, archaeologists managed to establish the location of the Megaron – the center of the palace, where the most important meetings and gatherings took place.
Ruins of the Megaron, center of the royal palace
Mycenaean Tombs
In different parts of Mycenae there are complex domed tholoi, built of huge stone slabs, shaped like giant domes with a diameter and height of up to 14 meters.
These tholoi were tombs that in the 16th-15th centuries BC replaced Mycenaean shaft graves.
Tholoi were constructed using the false corbel vault method, in which a kind of narrowing, vaulted ceiling was formed during laying.
The best-preserved tomb in Mycenae is the Treasury of Atreus. It is a circular burial chamber 13 meters high and 14 meters wide, accessed by a corridor 36 meters long, ending with an entrance 6 meters high.
Ruins of a tomb on the territory of the citadel in Mycenae, excavations are still ongoing here, this part is also called “Grave Circle A”
Archaeological Museum of Ancient Mycenae
The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae houses all artifacts found during excavations at the ancient settlement. Almost all museum items in the first hall were found in five ancient tombs that Homer mentioned.
The exhibition presents items made of ceramics (vases, jugs, bowls), ivory (jewelry, small animal figurines), stone (tools), gold (death masks, jewelry, goblets). Some of the most interesting and unique exhibits are considered to be figurines of Greek gods and cold weapons.
The second hall presents finds dating to the Bronze Age. These are coins, women’s and men’s jewelry, burial masks. The most famous is the “Mask of Agamemnon” (this is a copy, the real one is in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens).
In the third hall there are models of the settlement created by scientists. Thanks to them, you can see Mycenae of that ancient Greece and enjoy the beauty of building facades, engravings and bas-reliefs that once decorated the city. There is also an opportunity to look at photos of Mycenae taken in the 19th and 20th centuries during excavations.
Exhibits in the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae
Citadel and Treasury of Atreus
Thanks to the fact that the stone walls that surrounded the city on all sides have been preserved, the location of ancient Mycenae is well known, unlike, for example, the location of Troy.
The height of this attraction varied from 6 to 9 meters, and the total length is 900 meters. In some parts, openings were made in the walls where weapons and provisions were stored. The defensive walls are well preserved to this day.
Entrance to the Treasury of Atreus, in the photo you can see how large and imposing the walls of Mycenae were
The Treasury of Atreus is the largest Mycenaean tomb, erected in 1250 BC. The height of the interior is 13.5 meters, and the total weight of the structure is 120 tons.
Historians are sure that this attraction was previously decorated with gold, precious stones and bas-reliefs, some of which are now displayed in other museums of Greece.
The treasures found in the coffins testify to the unprecedented (for those times) standard of living and development of the city.
Inside the Treasury of Atreus
Ancient Nemea
As is known, many remains of ancient cities have been preserved in today’s Greece. One of them is ancient Nemea, located just 11 km from Mycenae. Therefore, if you’re traveling by car and have time after viewing Mycenae – I recommend visiting this ancient Greek city as well.
It is less large-scale than Mycenae, but no less interesting a settlement. The symbol of Nemea is considered to be the preserved stadium where the city’s best athletes performed. There are also ruins of several baths and remains of an early Christian basilica and private houses.
On the territory of ancient Nemea there is a modern museum where you can see the results of archaeologists’ work: gold jewelry, elegant ceramic products, items made of ivory.
Might be useful: Private tour of ancient Corinth and wine tasting in Nemea
Ruins of the sanctuary of Zeus in ancient Nemea
My practical advice for those who want to visit Mycenae
- Mycenae is located far from shops and shopping centers, so take everything necessary (first of all, water) with you.
- Choose a cool day for your trip to ancient Mycenae, because this attraction is located on top of a hill, and there’s nowhere to hide from the scorching sun there.
- It’s better to visit Mycenae on a weekday, as on weekends there are very many visitors.
- To avoid crowds of tourists, arrive in Mycenae as early as possible. The main mass of travelers arrives here at 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.