Mycenae

After Delphi, Mycenae was the site I was most looking forward to, and although it didn't quite have the oomph of Delphi for me, it was certainly an amazing place. The OH, who is deeply into the Neolithic, understandably so given where we live, did his usual irritating thing about it being 'Modern Rubbish' because it is a Bronze Age Site. But I didn't care. The so called Tomb of Agamemnon was absolutely amazing. It's all very well saying its the same basic shape as Maes Howe here in Orkney, but let's be honest, you have to get into Maes Howe by crawling through a tunnel and one man could touch the ceiling of the chamber if he sat on the shoulders of another. You enter the tomb of Agamemnon through a doorway that positively dwarfs you, because it is eighteen feet high  and inside the chamber towers up to  forty four feet at its highest. While we were in there someone with more vanity than manners decided to demonstrate the acoustics by singing. I would say bursting into song, but whatever it was she was singing was more stately than that. Showing Off is what she was doing, and we didn't appreciate it one bit.

 

After the tomb we went to the Citadel Site, through the famous Lion Gate. The gate has been heavily restored, but the lions have no heads since it can't be decided whether they were originally lions or lionesses. The case can be argued both ways apparently. And we couldn't get into the actual citadel building remains because they are restoring that, apparently they are doing a reconstruction so that in a few years time visitors will be able to see what a Bronze Age Attic Palace interior actually looked like. Sounds like an interesting project, although I doubt I'll rush back to see it. There'll no doubt be pictures on the Web in due course.

 

And talking of pictures, here are a few photos of the tomb and citadel site

 

 

The Entrance to the 'Tomb of Agamemnon'

 

The domed 'beehive' ceiling.

 

 

The Lion Gate

 

 

One of the Grave Circles - Plus a view of the plain. The citadel dominated all the country around

 

 

Right up at the top is where they're doing the reconstruction - it would have been a long climb on a hot day, so perhaps not being able to go was a blessing in disguise!