Tiryns
Encyclopedia
Tiryns is a Mycenaean archaeological site
in the prefecture of Argolis
in the Peloponnese
, some kilometres north of Nauplion.
. It reached its height between 1400 and 1200 BC. Its most notable features were its palace, its cyclopean
tunnels and especially its walls, which gave the city its Homer
ic epithet of "mighty walled Tiryns". In ancient times, the city was linked to the myths surrounding Heracles
, with some sources citing it as his birthplace.
The famous megaron
of the palace of Tiryns has a large reception hall, the main room of which had a throne placed against the right wall and a central hearth bordered by four Minoan
-style wooden columns that served as supports for the roof. Two of the three walls of the megaron were incorporated into an archaic
temple of Hera
.
The site went into decline at the end of the Mycenaean period, and was completely deserted by the time Pausanias
visited in the 2nd century AD. This site was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann
in 1884-1885, and is the subject of ongoing excavations by the German Archaeological Institute at Athens and the University of Heidelberg.
Tiryns was recognized as one of the World Heritage Site
s in 1999.
, the ruins of which survived around 15 km SouthEast of Mycenae
, in a long hill length 300 m, 45–100 m in width, and height not exceeding the 18 meters. Around the hill lies the city and at the top is placed the fortified acropolis with the residence of the king, as happened to the other Mycenaean's acropoles, where the residents resorted there at times of great danger to protect themselves within the strong walls. Tiryns is first referenced by Homer
who praised the amazing walls. Ancient tradition joined Tiryn's walls with the Cyclops
, as they caused so much admiration that they were considered to be more than human forces, that only supernatural beings could be able to construct them. Pausanias
, at the 2nd century AD, as seeing the ruins of the walls at the desolated now citadel, wrote that with two mules together could not move even the smaller stone.
The construction of walls is attributed to Proetus
, brother of the king of Argos Acrisius
.
According to the legend, Proetus pursued by his brother resorted to Lycia, but with the help of the people there he managed to return to Argolis, occupied and fortified Tiryns with the assistance of the Cyclops.
So the legend is linking the three Argolic centers, Argos
, Tiryns and Mycenae with three mythical heroes, and more specifically Acrisius
, his brother Proetus
, and his grandson Perseus
, the founder of Mycenae. But the tradition was born at the beginning of the historical times, at a time when Argos was fighting to become the hegemonic power in the area, and had the need to feel a glorious past no less than the two neighboring acropolises.
The strong walls of Tiryns were very dangerous for the Doric colony of Argos. When Kleomenis of Sparta defeated the Argives, their slaves occupied Tiryns for many years, according to Herodotus.
Herodotus also mentions that Tiryns took part in the battle of Plataea in 480 BC with 400 hoplites (soldiers).
The superstructure was clay and the roof from tiles baked in fire. The first Greek genders, the creators of the Middle Helladic civilization and the Mycenaean civilization after that, settled Tiryns at the beginning of the Middle period (2000-1600 BC) and the city had its largest growing in the Mycenaean period. The Acropolis presents three construction phases, the first at the end of the Late Helladic II period (1500-1400 BC), the second in Late-Helladic III (1400-1300 BC) and the third at the end of the Late-Helladic III B (1300-1200 BC). The surviving ruins of
the Mycenaean citadel is dating at the end of the third period.
The disaster that struck the Mycenaean centers at the end of the Bronze Age
affected Tiryns, but it is certain that the area of the palace was inhabited continuously until the middle of the 8th century BC (a little later a temple was built in the ruins of the palace). At the beginning of the classical time Tiryns, such as Mycenae, became a most insignificant city, but participated both to the Greco–Persian Wars, sending 400 men to the battle of Plataea
. Even declined, the two glorious Mycenaean centers were disturbing the Argives, whose political propaganda wanted to monopolize the glory of the mythical ancestors.
Thus, in 468 BC, Argos completely destroyed both Mycenae and Tiryns, and transferred - according to Pausanias - the residents to Argos, to increase the population of the city. However, Strabo
says that many Tirynthians resorted to the -nowadays- city of Porto Heli, where they founded the city Halieis.
Despite its importance, little value was given to Tiryns, its mythical rulers and traditions, by epics
and drama. Pausanias dedicated a short piece (2.25.8) to Tiryns, and the newer travelers, traveling to Greece in search of places where the heroes of the ancient texts acted, did not give to the ruins of Tiryns the importance they deserved.
considered the palace of Tiryns to be medieval, so he came very close to destroying the remains in order to excavate deeper for Mycenaean treasures. Fortunately, the next period of excavation was under Wilhelm Dörpfeld
, a director of the German Archaeological Institute
, so this time the ruins were estimated and reflected on properly. The excavations were repeated later by Dörpfeld and with the cooperation of other German archaeologists, who continued his work until 1938. After World War II
, the work was continued by the Institute and the Greek Archaeological Service.
The entrance of the citadel
has always been on the east side, but had a different position and form in each of the three construction phases. In the second phase the gate had the form of the Lion Gate
of Mycenae. Left there was a tower and to the right was the arm of the wall, so the gate was well protected, since the attackers were forced to cross a very narrow corridor, while the defense could hit them from above and from both sides. In the third phase the gate was moved further out. The palace of the king, inside the citadel, similar to that of Mycenae, dimensions 11.80 x 9.80 m, consists of three areas: the outer portico with the two columns, the prodomos (anteroom) and the Domos (main room) with the cyclical fireplace that was surrounded by 4 wooden columns. The lateral compartments of the palace seems to have a second floor.
Rich was the decoration of the walls of the outer arcade. They had a zone at the bottom of alabaster slabs with relief rosettes and flowers. The rest was decorated with frescos. Three doors lead to prodomos and then another to Domos
. In the middle of the eastern wall is visible in the floor the place that corresponded to the royal throne. The floor was rich decorated with different themes in the area around the walls and the space between the columns of the fireplace. Of course, here the walls were decorated with paintings.
In the ruins of the mansion, which burned during the 8th century BC, the inhabitants of the Geometrical period age built a Doric temple, a smaller size than the mansion, with two parts, the prodomos and the cella. The width of the temple, is just beyond the half of the width of the mansion, while the back wall of the temple is reaching the height of the rear columns of the fireplace. Three springs, one in the western side of the large courtyard, where could be accessed by a secret entrance, and two at the end of north side of the wall, to which the access could be done by two tunnels which were opened in the wall, similar to those that used as shelters, are witness for the care which was taken here, as in other Mycenaean acropolises, to the basic problem of water - at a siege time.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
in the prefecture of Argolis
Argolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
in the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, some kilometres north of Nauplion.
General information
Tiryns was a hill fort with occupation ranging back seven thousand years, from before the beginning of the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
. It reached its height between 1400 and 1200 BC. Its most notable features were its palace, its cyclopean
Cyclopean masonry
Cyclopean masonry is a type of stonework found in Mycenaean architecture, built with huge limestone boulders, roughly fitted together with minimal clearance between adjacent stones and no use of mortar...
tunnels and especially its walls, which gave the city its Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
ic epithet of "mighty walled Tiryns". In ancient times, the city was linked to the myths surrounding Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, with some sources citing it as his birthplace.
The famous megaron
Megaron
The megaron is the great hall of the Grecian palace complexes. It was a rectangular hall, fronted by an open, two-columned porch, and a more or less central, open hearth vented though an oculus in the roof above it and surrounded by four columns. It is the architectural predecessor of the...
of the palace of Tiryns has a large reception hall, the main room of which had a throne placed against the right wall and a central hearth bordered by four Minoan
Minoan civilization
The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that arose on the island of Crete and flourished from approximately the 27th century BC to the 15th century BC. It was rediscovered at the beginning of the 20th century through the work of the British archaeologist Arthur Evans...
-style wooden columns that served as supports for the roof. Two of the three walls of the megaron were incorporated into an archaic
Archaic period in Greece
The Archaic period in Greece was a period of ancient Greek history that followed the Greek Dark Ages. This period saw the rise of the polis and the founding of colonies, as well as the first inklings of classical philosophy, theatre in the form of tragedies performed during Dionysia, and written...
temple of Hera
Hera
Hera was the wife and one of three sisters of Zeus in the Olympian pantheon of Greek mythology and religion. Her chief function was as the goddess of women and marriage. Her counterpart in the religion of ancient Rome was Juno. The cow and the peacock were sacred to her...
.
The site went into decline at the end of the Mycenaean period, and was completely deserted by the time Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
visited in the 2nd century AD. This site was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
in 1884-1885, and is the subject of ongoing excavations by the German Archaeological Institute at Athens and the University of Heidelberg.
Tiryns was recognized as one of the World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s in 1999.
History-Archeology
In Tiryns flourished one of the most important centers of the Mycenaean world, and in particular in ArgolisArgolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
, the ruins of which survived around 15 km SouthEast of Mycenae
Mycenae
Mycenae is an archaeological site in Greece, located about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese. Argos is 11 km to the south; Corinth, 48 km to the north...
, in a long hill length 300 m, 45–100 m in width, and height not exceeding the 18 meters. Around the hill lies the city and at the top is placed the fortified acropolis with the residence of the king, as happened to the other Mycenaean's acropoles, where the residents resorted there at times of great danger to protect themselves within the strong walls. Tiryns is first referenced by Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
who praised the amazing walls. Ancient tradition joined Tiryn's walls with the Cyclops
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
, as they caused so much admiration that they were considered to be more than human forces, that only supernatural beings could be able to construct them. Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
, at the 2nd century AD, as seeing the ruins of the walls at the desolated now citadel, wrote that with two mules together could not move even the smaller stone.
The construction of walls is attributed to Proetus
Proetus
Proetus was a mythical king of Argos and Tiryns. His father Abas, son of the last surviving and died Danaid Hypermnestra, had ruled over Argos and married Ocalea. However, Proetus quarreled continually with his twin brother Acrisius, inventing shields or bucklers in the process...
, brother of the king of Argos Acrisius
Acrisius
Acrisius was a mythical king of Argos, and a son of Abas and Aglaea , grandson of Lynceus, great-grandson of Danaus. His twin brother was Proetus, with whom he is said to have quarreled even in the womb of his mother...
.
According to the legend, Proetus pursued by his brother resorted to Lycia, but with the help of the people there he managed to return to Argolis, occupied and fortified Tiryns with the assistance of the Cyclops.
So the legend is linking the three Argolic centers, Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
, Tiryns and Mycenae with three mythical heroes, and more specifically Acrisius
Acrisius
Acrisius was a mythical king of Argos, and a son of Abas and Aglaea , grandson of Lynceus, great-grandson of Danaus. His twin brother was Proetus, with whom he is said to have quarreled even in the womb of his mother...
, his brother Proetus
Proetus
Proetus was a mythical king of Argos and Tiryns. His father Abas, son of the last surviving and died Danaid Hypermnestra, had ruled over Argos and married Ocalea. However, Proetus quarreled continually with his twin brother Acrisius, inventing shields or bucklers in the process...
, and his grandson Perseus
Perseus
Perseus ,Perseos and Perseas are not used in English. the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians...
, the founder of Mycenae. But the tradition was born at the beginning of the historical times, at a time when Argos was fighting to become the hegemonic power in the area, and had the need to feel a glorious past no less than the two neighboring acropolises.
The strong walls of Tiryns were very dangerous for the Doric colony of Argos. When Kleomenis of Sparta defeated the Argives, their slaves occupied Tiryns for many years, according to Herodotus.
Herodotus also mentions that Tiryns took part in the battle of Plataea in 480 BC with 400 hoplites (soldiers).
The history of the settlement
The area was inhabited by the prehistoric time. The lesser neolithic settlement followed , in the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, a flourishing early pre-hellenic settlement. From this period survived under a yard of a Mycenaean palace, an imposing circular structure 28 meters in diameter, which should be a fortress or a residence of a king. Its base was powerful, and was constructed from two concentric stone walls, among which there were others cross-cutting, so that the thickness reached 45 m.The superstructure was clay and the roof from tiles baked in fire. The first Greek genders, the creators of the Middle Helladic civilization and the Mycenaean civilization after that, settled Tiryns at the beginning of the Middle period (2000-1600 BC) and the city had its largest growing in the Mycenaean period. The Acropolis presents three construction phases, the first at the end of the Late Helladic II period (1500-1400 BC), the second in Late-Helladic III (1400-1300 BC) and the third at the end of the Late-Helladic III B (1300-1200 BC). The surviving ruins of
the Mycenaean citadel is dating at the end of the third period.
The disaster that struck the Mycenaean centers at the end of the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
affected Tiryns, but it is certain that the area of the palace was inhabited continuously until the middle of the 8th century BC (a little later a temple was built in the ruins of the palace). At the beginning of the classical time Tiryns, such as Mycenae, became a most insignificant city, but participated both to the Greco–Persian Wars, sending 400 men to the battle of Plataea
Plataea
Plataea or Plataeae was an ancient city, located in Greece in southeastern Boeotia, south of Thebes. It was the location of the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC, in which an alliance of Greek city-states defeated the Persians....
. Even declined, the two glorious Mycenaean centers were disturbing the Argives, whose political propaganda wanted to monopolize the glory of the mythical ancestors.
Thus, in 468 BC, Argos completely destroyed both Mycenae and Tiryns, and transferred - according to Pausanias - the residents to Argos, to increase the population of the city. However, Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
says that many Tirynthians resorted to the -nowadays- city of Porto Heli, where they founded the city Halieis.
Despite its importance, little value was given to Tiryns, its mythical rulers and traditions, by epics
EPICS
The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System is a software environment used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large experiments. EPICS also provides SCADA capabilities...
and drama. Pausanias dedicated a short piece (2.25.8) to Tiryns, and the newer travelers, traveling to Greece in search of places where the heroes of the ancient texts acted, did not give to the ruins of Tiryns the importance they deserved.
Excavations
The Acropolis was first excavated by the German archaeologist Tirs in 1831. In 1876, Heinrich SchliemannHeinrich Schliemann
Heinrich Schliemann was a German businessman and amateur archaeologist, and an advocate of the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer. Schliemann was an archaeological excavator of Troy, along with the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns...
considered the palace of Tiryns to be medieval, so he came very close to destroying the remains in order to excavate deeper for Mycenaean treasures. Fortunately, the next period of excavation was under Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Wilhelm Dörpfeld
Wilhelm Dörpfeld was a German architect and archaeologist, the pioneer of stratigraphic excavation and precise graphical documentation of archaeological projects...
, a director of the German Archaeological Institute
German Archaeological Institute
The German Archaeological Institute is an institution of research within the field of archaeology , and a "scientific corporation", with parentage of the federal Foreign Office of Germany-Origin:...
, so this time the ruins were estimated and reflected on properly. The excavations were repeated later by Dörpfeld and with the cooperation of other German archaeologists, who continued his work until 1938. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the work was continued by the Institute and the Greek Archaeological Service.
The archaeological site
The walls extend to the entire area of the top of the hill. Their bases survive throughout all of their length, and their height in some places reaches 7 meters, slightly below the original height, which is estimated at 9,10 m. The thickness of the wall is very large, usually reaches the 6 meters, while at the points that are opened the famous tunnels up to 17 m. A strong transverse wall is separating the acropolis in two sections -the south includes the palatial buildings, while the northern protects only the top of the hill area. In this second section, which dates to the end of the Mycenaean times, from time to time are opened small gates and many tunnels, covered with a triangular roof, which is served as a refuge for the inhabitants of the lower city in times of danger.The entrance of the citadel
Citadel
A citadel is a fortress for protecting a town, sometimes incorporating a castle. The term derives from the same Latin root as the word "city", civis, meaning citizen....
has always been on the east side, but had a different position and form in each of the three construction phases. In the second phase the gate had the form of the Lion Gate
Lion Gate
The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses in a heraldic pose that stands above the entrance...
of Mycenae. Left there was a tower and to the right was the arm of the wall, so the gate was well protected, since the attackers were forced to cross a very narrow corridor, while the defense could hit them from above and from both sides. In the third phase the gate was moved further out. The palace of the king, inside the citadel, similar to that of Mycenae, dimensions 11.80 x 9.80 m, consists of three areas: the outer portico with the two columns, the prodomos (anteroom) and the Domos (main room) with the cyclical fireplace that was surrounded by 4 wooden columns. The lateral compartments of the palace seems to have a second floor.
Rich was the decoration of the walls of the outer arcade. They had a zone at the bottom of alabaster slabs with relief rosettes and flowers. The rest was decorated with frescos. Three doors lead to prodomos and then another to Domos
Dömös
Dömös is a village in Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary.- Setting, geography :Dömös is located on the right side of the Danube, 16 kilometers from Esztergom and 45 km from Budapest. The also beautiful town, Visegrád is located 5 km east from Dömös. The highway No. 11 cross the village...
. In the middle of the eastern wall is visible in the floor the place that corresponded to the royal throne. The floor was rich decorated with different themes in the area around the walls and the space between the columns of the fireplace. Of course, here the walls were decorated with paintings.
In the ruins of the mansion, which burned during the 8th century BC, the inhabitants of the Geometrical period age built a Doric temple, a smaller size than the mansion, with two parts, the prodomos and the cella. The width of the temple, is just beyond the half of the width of the mansion, while the back wall of the temple is reaching the height of the rear columns of the fireplace. Three springs, one in the western side of the large courtyard, where could be accessed by a secret entrance, and two at the end of north side of the wall, to which the access could be done by two tunnels which were opened in the wall, similar to those that used as shelters, are witness for the care which was taken here, as in other Mycenaean acropolises, to the basic problem of water - at a siege time.