Mycenae: Lion Gate

Lion Gate at the Mycenae citadel at the Mycenae citadel in Peloponnese, Greece

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. The North Gate is the other entrance to the Mycenae citadel.

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.

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

Tomb of Agamemnon Images
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 Pages
Mycenaean Civilization, Minoan Civilization
Athens, Olympia, Delphi, Meteora, Crete, Greek Islands, Greece
Ephesus

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