Mycenae: Cyclopean Wall

Cyclopean Wall enclosing the Mycenae citadel in Greece

Cyclopean Wall at the Mycenae citadel

Cyclopean Wall
A massive wall known as the Cyclopean Wall surrounded the Mycenae citadel, now a part of the Mycenae archeological site in the Peloponnese peninsula, Greece.

The image shows a section of the Cyclopean wall, built with irregularly shaped stones of different sizes without using mortar or cement. As you can see, the stones fit perfectly. Considered an engineering marvel, it has withstood the ravages of time.

This wall was the model for polygonal walls built later in Greece. The Polygonal Wall in Delphi is an example.

Legend has it that Perseus, the founder of Mycenae, employed Cyclopes, mythical giants from Asia, to build this wall to protect the citadel.The Cyclopean Wall owes its name to them.

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, the Mycenae archeological site was the center of a mysterious bronze-age culture, known as Mycenaean civilization, that rose from nowhere around 1900 BCE, flourished in the Peloponnese peninsula and disappeared suddenly around 1100 BCE. Whatever little we know about the Mycenaean civilization is fascinating.

Mycenae Citadel Images
– Lion Gate Pediment
– Cyclopean Wall
– Grave Circle A
– Layout of the Mycenae Palace
– Palace Wall
– Ruins of the Palace
– A Cistern
– North Gate