–> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--·Introduction0: 00·Mycenae, namesake and showplace of the0: 04·civilization that dominated Greece in0: 06·the late Bronze Age, has been famous0: 08·since antiquity for the tombs of its0: 10·rulers. We know little about these0: 13·people beyond what archaeology can tell0: 15·us. In the home epics, Agamemnon, Lord0: 20·of Mycenae, is leader of the Greeks of0: 22·Troy, famous for the wealth of his0: 24·lands. 0: 26·This may represent a faint memory of0: 28·Mycenae's actual prominence in the late0: 30·Bronze Age when the city's rulers seem0: 33·to have dominated a more or less loose0: 35·confederation that covered most of the0: 38·pelpines and eventually conquered Mauan. 0: 44·The Mycenaeans exploded into prominence0: 47·around 1500 BC when some combination of0: 51·trade and dealings with Crete and Egypt0: 54·allowed a previously unremarkable0: 56·warrior aristocracy to become enormously0: 59·wealthy. This wealth was on display in1: 02·the tombs built in and around the1: 04·Acropolis of Mycenae which we are now1: 07·entering.·Grave Circle A1: 10·Just inside the Lion Gate is grave1: 12·circle A. The shaft tombs here dated to1: 16·the 16th century BC at the beginning of1: 19·Mycenae's days of glory. Originally, they1: 22·lay outside the citadel. They were only1: 24·brought inside in the 13th century BC1: 27·during the final extension of the walls. 1: 30·Over the intervening centuries, however, 1: 33·their location was never forgotten. Once1: 35·they were enclosed inside the new walls, 1: 38·a ring of horizontal limestone slabs1: 40·still partially in situ was built around1: 43·them. 1: 45·When Heinrich Schliemann uncovered graves1: 48·in 1876, 1: 50·he was convinced he had discovered the1: 51·remains of Agamemnon and his companions1: 54·murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus after1: 57·the Trojan War. He was wrong. The graves2: 00·are centuries earlier than any plausible2: 02·date for the Trojan War. But the finds2: 04·in the tombs were spectacular. There2: 07·were six tombs with between one and five2: 09·bodies in each, a total of 15 burials. 2: 13·The bones of the individuals buried here2: 15·were well preserved, in one case by a2: 18·quirk of soil conditions, even the flesh2: 20·and hair. The grave goods were2: 22·spectacular, weapons, jewelry, a silver2: 25·ron, and golderary masks.·Grave Circle B2: 30·After the last shaft in Grave Circle A2: 32·was dug, the royal family of Mycenae2: 35·moved on to even more spectacular Tholos2: 37·tombs all outside the citadel. Before we2: 40·explore these, a brief word about grave2: 43·Circle B, which was partially2: 45·obliterated by one of those tholos tombs. 2: 48·Unlike Grave Circle A, which was2: 50·carefully preserved, Grave Circle B was2: 53·ignored by the rulers of Mycenae's2: 55·golden age. Presumably those buried here2: 58·belonged to a different dynasty. The3: 00·graves here are older than those in3: 02·Circle A. In fact, they predate the Mian3: 05·apogee by about a half century, having3: 07·been dug in the 17th century BC. The3: 10·goods in most the 25 graves discovered3: 12·here were relatively modest, though3: 15·gold, ivory, and rock crystal attested3: 18·to trade and warfare that would soon3: 20·make the Masonans very rich.·Tomb of Clytemnestra3: 24·Just beside Grave Circle A is the3: 26·so-called tomb of Clytemnestra. The3: 29·conventional name comes from a later3: 31·tradition recorded by Palscanius that3: 34·Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, the murderers of3: 37·Agamemnon, were not thought worthy of3: 39·being buried within the walls. In3: 41·reality, of course, we have no idea who3: 44·was buried here. This is the latest of3: 46·the nine tholos tombs at Mycenae, all of3: 49·which date to the last two centuries of3: 52·the Mycenaean era. Like the others, it3: 55·consisted of a dromos, a long approach3: 57·passageway, which we're currently in, 4: 00·and the tholos, the tomb proper, built4: 02·into the side of a hill. The tholos4: 05·always had a beehive shape. In later4: 08·examples, like this one, the masonry was4: 10·carefully dressed. Note the corballed4: 13·arch over the door made to prevent the4: 15·full weight of the structure from4: 17·pressing down on the lintel.·Tomb of Aegisthus4: 21·Next to the tomb of Clytemnestra is the4: 24·so-called tomb of Aegisthus, named after4: 27·the queen's lover and co-conspirator. 4: 30·This is one of the oldest tombs at4: 33·Mycenae, built of much rougher masonry. 4: 42·Because of its crude construction, the4: 44·vault of the tholos collapsed in4: 46·antiquity.·Treasury of Atreus4: 50·The undisputed masterpiece of Mycenaean4: 52·feryary architecture, unfortunately4: 54·currently swarming with tour groups, is4: 57·the structure known as the treasury of4: 59·Atreus. 5: 02·The dromos was preceded by an artificial5: 04·terrace of undressed stone. The walls of5: 07·the dromos were made of carefully squared5: 09·blocks backed by impermeable waterproof5: 12·clay. The spectacular entrance of5: 15·a tholos, which we'll see momentarily, 5: 18·there we are, was flanked by green5: 21·limestone columns with a red marble5: 25·relieving triangle. 5: 28·Originally, a double wooden door sealed5: 39·the tholos. It weighs an estimated 1205: 42·tons. 5: 44·It's a bit too loud to speak inside, so5: 46·I'll give my spiel about the interior5: 48·here. There are 33 concentric courses of5: 51·masonry in the tholos walls, all5: 53·carefully shaped and trimmed to create5: 55·an unbroken surface. There are rows of5: 58·nail holes in the stones from the third6: 00·course onward. Originally, these held6: 02·bronze rosettes. A side chamber opens6: 05·from the fol with a depression at the6: 06·center. The king who commissioned this6: 08·tomb was almost certainly buried here. 6: 11·The burial was robbed many centuries6: 13·ago, but the tomb remains a monument to6: 16·the mysterious Bronze Age rulers of6: 19·Mycenae. 6: 21·Let's go inside. 6: 57·creating a room that looks like it'd be.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4353922/posts
About the Author
