Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mycenae

Mycenae is an archaeological site located about 90km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. In the second millennium BC Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece.

This ancient city was once thought to exist only in the ancient Greek legend and in the epic poetry of Homer, and wasn’t discovered until 1870 by an amateur archaeologist named Heinrich Schliemann.

The Mycenaean people were known to be warriors who lived for heroic battles, were ruled by Monarchs, and whose highest rank in society comprised of priests and bureaucrats. Mycenaean traders had an extensive network with their neighboring civilizations.

Legends also says that Agamemnon is the Mycenaean Greek king who led his troops into battle against Troy, which eventually was sacked.

The ancient city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is well known for it’s Lion’s Gate at the main entrance into the citadel.

(Excerpt from this website)

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