Mycenae (redirected from Mycenae (Greece))

Mycenae (mīsē`nē), ancient city of Greece, in Argolis. In historical times it had little importance and was usually dependent on Argos. Its significance is in its remote past as a center of Mycenaean civilization. The famous Lion Gate, which led into the city, and the Treasury of Atreus, the largest of the beehive tombs outside the walls of the city, are the most notable of its ancient remains.

Bibliography

See A. J. B. Wace, Mycenae (1949, repr. 1964); A. E. Samuel, The Mycenaeans in History (1966).

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Mycenae

Prehistoric city, northeastern Peloponnese, Greece. A natural rock citadel, it was the legendary capital of Agamemnon. It flourished during the Bronze Age, building the distinctive Mycenaean civilization. It was at its height in the Aegean c. 1400 BC and declined c. 1100 BC with the invasion of the Dorians from the north. Excavations at Mycenae began in 1840, but the most celebrated discoveries there were those by Heinrich Schliemann c. 1876. Ruins include the Lion Gate, acropolis, granary, and several royal beehive tombs and shaft graves.