Grave Circle A | archaeological site, historic landmark

Greece / Argolis / Ayia Triada /
 archaeological site, historic landmark
The cemetery known as Grave Circle A lies within the Western Annex of the citadel of Mycenae, having been included within the fortified perimeter of the Cyclopean walls in the 13th century BC. Before this, like the older Grave Circle B to its west, Grave Circle A had been outside the fortifications. Grave Circle A is dated to about the 16th century BC. It contains six shaft graves (as well as some earlier cists), with evidence for 19 burials. These contained more numerous and more impressive burial goods than those found in the earlier Grave Circle B, including inlaid daggers, cups, rhytons, jewels, and five funerary masks, much of this in gold. Among the gold masks was that identified by the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann as belonging to the famous king Agamemnon, who led the Greeks against Troy, but which would precede any historical Agamemnon by some 300 years. Like Grave Circle B, Grave Circle A was surrounded by a low stone wall (made up of a double row of upright slabs of stone some 1 meter in height), and has a diameter of about 27 meters. The shaft graves were surmounted by carved or painted funerary stelae.

Additional archaeological information: www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/mycenae/article_mycen...
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_Circle_A,_Mycenae
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   37°43'49"N   22°45'23"E

Comments

  • The picture shows a view of the grave circle from the ramp flanking it just to the west.
This article was last modified 7 years ago