Mycenaean


 * The Mycenaean Period (1600-1100 BCE)**

The **Mycenaean** rose to power in around 1600 BCE. They built strongholds called citadels to protect the palaces of their rulers. They also buried their dead in vaulted, round, stone tombs.


 * Citadel at Mycenae**

Sketch of Citadel at Mycenae The magnificent city is believed to be the home of Agamemnon, the Greek of the army that defeated the city of Troy in the Greek stories. The walls around the city have been rebuilt three times, each time stronger than the last. The drywall masonry was so impressive that it is known to be the cyclopean style, because it was believed that only the giant Cyclops could have the strength to move the stones and build the walls. The highest point in the center of the city was the ruler’s residence. His large audience hall was called the megaron.

Palace at Pylos Because the people of Pylos lived in a more remote and defensible location in the extreme southwest of the Peloponnese, they felt less vulnerable to attacks. Unfortunately, within a century of its creation, the palace at Pylos was destroyed by fires believed to have been set by the violent upheavals that brought the collapse of Mycenae. The palace at Pylos had little fortifications, and was built on a raised site. It was focused mostly on the ruler’s residence and megaron. The megaron in the palace at Pylos was truly a magnificent sight. It was built with painted pillars, beams, floors, and ceilings. The walls were covered with elaborate paintings of large mythical creatures and other styles.
 * The Palace at Pylos**

Interior of Tholos. Limestone vault, height around 13 m. The Mycenaean Tombs were some of the most architecturally sophisticated monuments of the Aegean period. The earliest burials were shaft graves, pits around 20 to 25 feet deep. Royal graves were surrounded with stone slabs. Ruling family members were dressed in opulent dresses and jewelry. Around 1600 BCE, beehive tombs (also known as tholos tombs) were built for the kings and princes on the mainland. Out of the hundreds of such tombs found, nine of them were discovered in the vicinity of Mycenae. The tomb was surrounded by a dome shape structure called the corbel vault. On top of the entrances of the corbel vaults were incised geometric bands and chevrons. The corbel vault was covered in dirt, making it a conical hill. A famous beehive tomb discovered was the treasury of Atreus.
 * Mycenaean Tombs**

//Warrior Vase. Mycenae, Greece. c. 1300-1100 BCE.// //Ceramic, height 41 cm.// Kraters, bowls for mixing water and wine, were created and used in feasts and as grave markers by the Mycenaean. A famous Krater was the Warrior Vase, which displays scenes of marching men.
 * Ceramic Arts**


 * Source**: Art History Third Edition by Marilyn Stokstad