Palace of Mycenae

Mycenaean palaces mirrored both economic viability and political force; the palace at Mycenae was the most spectacular of the palaces.

Date: 1600-1120 b. c.e.

Category: Art and architecture

Locale: Within the citadel of Mycenae, northeast Argive plain, Pelopon-nese, Greece

Summary The palace of Mycenae (mi-SEE-nee), known in legend as the palace of Agamemnon, occupies the center of the citadel at Mycenae, near the southern wall. The walled citadel was constructed atop a highly defensible rocky hill with rugged ravines on the north and south sides.

An early palace on the citadel is presumed to date to about 1600 to 1500 b. c.e.; however, little is known of this structure. The archaeologically visible complex is the later palace, probably constructed between the midfourteenth through the mid-thirteenth century b. c.e. The citadel, rising 328 feet (100 meters) over the surrounding plain, is circumscribed by a cyclopean wall of 2,953 feet (900 meters) in length. The wall varies in thickness from 16 to 26 feet (5 to 8 meters), with an average height of 26 feet (8 meters). The principal entrance was through the monumental lion gate, located in the northwest corner of the wall. Cisterns within and beyond the citadel assured a water supply during periods of drought or siege. A wide ramp led from the lion gate to the palace.

The palace complex consisted of structures serving state and residential functions. The design centered around the megaron, or throne room. The megaron was a rectangular structure, 75 by 38 feet (23 by 11.5 meters). In entering the megaron from the front, visitors passed through a courtyard and a covered portico. The room of significance was the nearly square megaron chamber, which measured 43 by 38 feet (13 by 11.5 meters). In the center of the megaron was a circular hearth more than 11 feet (3.5 meters) in diameter. Four wooden columns supported the roof. The megaron’s plastered walls contained at least one fresco depicting warriors, chariots,

The lion gate at the palace of Mycenae. (Courtesy, Hellenic Ministry of Culture)

And elaborately dressed women. The floors consisted of painted stucco with linear motifs. Attached to the megaron's courtyard were one or possibly two small rooms. Another series of rooms lay off two corridors on the north side of the court, possibly serving administrative or residential functions for state officials.

Several building complexes were located to the east of the palace. Of importance is the House of Columns, named for the numerous column bases that remain. This structure has been suggested by George Mylonas, a principal investigator, to have served as the residence of the ruler, or wanax. In proximity are a complex of rooms that may have served as manufacturing quarters for luxury items. Other palace rooms and complexes within the citadel served administrative, storage, and workshop (textile, ceramic, and gold work) functions.

Significance The economic importance of the palace is manifest in both the redistributive nature of the citadel and the trade networks (particularly for ceramic goods) that were established through the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Concentrations of agricultural products (for example cereals, olives, and wool) and manufacturing surpluses most likely served as a power base for the wanex and kinsmen.

Devastation either from internal or external forces came to Mycenae near the end of the thirteenth century b. c.e. The palace may have escaped destruction until about 1120 b. c.e., when Mycenaean economic and political power collapsed.

Further Reading

Castleden, Rodney. Mycenaeans. New York: Routledge, 2005.

Mylonas, George E. Mycenae and the Mycenaean Age. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton University Press, 1966.

Taylor, Lord William. The Mycenaeans. Rev. ed. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1999.

Rene M. Descartes

See also: Art and Architecture; Manufacturing; Mycenaean Greece.