Lion Gate

Welcome to the Lion Gate, the grand entrance to the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae. Built around twelve-fifty Before the Common Era, this gate is one of the most iconic symbols of the Mycenaean civilization, a culture that…

As you walk up the steep ramp toward the gate, notice how the path is designed to put visitors at a disadvantage. In ancient times, anyone approaching the citadel would be forced to keep their right side—the side not protected by…

You are now standing directly beneath the Lion Gate. Look up at the triangular relief above the massive horizontal lintel. …

Just inside the Lion Gate to your right is Grave Circle A. This is where Heinrich Schliemann, the famous archaeologist, made his most spectacular discovery in eighteen seventy-six. …

Adjacent to the grave circle are the remains of a building identified as the Granary. While it may not look as impressive as the gate or the graves, it was just as important. …

We now ascend to the highest point of the citadel, the site of the Royal Palace. The heart of the palace was the Megaron, a grand rectangular hall with a central hearth surrounded by four wooden columns. …

Finally, we move to the northern side of the citadel to see the North Gate and the entrance to the Secret Cistern. The North Gate is a smaller, more utilitarian version of the Lion Gate, but it served an important defensive…

As you leave the citadel of Mycenae and pass through the Lion Gate one last time, take a moment to reflect on the rise and fall of this great civilization. For centuries, the Mycenaeans were the masters of the Aegean, their…