Lion Gate at the Mycenae citadel, Greece
Mycenae Lion Gate
Built in the 13th century BCE, the Lion Gate is the entrance to the citadel at Mycenae and part of the Cyclopean Wall that surrounds it.
It belonged to the Mycenaeans, a mysterious late bronze-age civilization that rose from nowhere around 1900 BCE, flourished mostly in the Peloponnese peninsula, and then disappeared suddenly around 1100 BCE. Whatever little we know about the Mycenaean civilization is fascinating.
As you can see from the image, the sculpture on the pediment above the lintel of the gate has a pillar flanked by two headless lions. Experts believe that the original sculpture had the metal heads atop the body of the lions.
Pausanias (110 -180 CE), a Greek traveler and historian, wrote about the Lion Gate in his book, Descriptions of Greece, which was used by the archaeologists to identify the Mycenae citadel.
Related Images
– Lion Gate Pediment
– Cyclopean Wall
– Grave Circle A
– Layout of the Mycenae Palace
– Palace Wall
– A Cistern
– Entrance to the underground cistern
– Entrance to the Tomb of Agamemnon
– Roof of Agamemnon Tomb
– A wall on the passageway at the entrance to the Tomb of Agamemnon
– Tomb of Agamemnon Interior
Related Images
– Entrance to the Tomb of Agamemnon
– Roof of Agamemnon Tomb
– A wall on the passageway at the entrance to the Tomb of Agamemnon
Related Pages
– Mycenaean Civilization, Minoan Civilization
– Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, Crete, Greek Islands, Greece
– Ephesus
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