The powerful city of Mycenae was mentioned by Homer as the kingdom of Agamemnon in his epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey.

History and myth about the city are interwined, and nobody really knows the point where myth stops and history begins. Homer's poems were regarded as beautiful legends until the 1870's, when Heinrich Schliemann excavated the site and uncovered weapons, jewels and ornaments, gold and silverware.

The city was the centre of the Mycenaean Civilization and the kingdom was the most powerful in Greece from 1600 until 1100 B.C. Ages went by until the tragic poets Aeschylus and Sophocles revived the glory of the city and the fate of the Royal House of Atreas through their tragedies.

The city consisted of a fortified citadel and the settlement around it. The main entrance to the citadel is the Lion Gate, the most ancient sample of monumental sculpture in Europe. The walls are so high and thick that ancient Greeks believed that they were built by Cyclops, the giants described in the Odyssey.

Inside the citadel the finds include the royal apartments and throne room, the royal cemetery (Grave Circle A), sanctuaries and other important buildings, while on the outside private residences and Grave Circle B with 14 royal and 12 private graves have been found.

On the nearby hill of Panagitsa stands the most imposing building of Mycenaean architecture, the Treasury of Atreas or tomb of Agamemnon. Most of the finds, like murals, jewels and the -so called- Agamemnon's gold mask are now in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.

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