Location: 4 km (2 mi) Northwest of Nafplio, Peloponnese Map
Open: 8:30am- 3pm daily
Tel. 27520 22657
Information
Service Unit:
Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolida
T.K. 21 100, Tiryns (Prefecture of Argolis)
Phone: +30
27520 - 22657
Fax: +30 27520 24690
Email:
efaarg@culture.gr
Tiryns is an ancient Mycenaean and Greek archaeological site situated 4 km (2 mi) Northwest of Nafplio, Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. This strategic hill was inhabited since Neolithic period. Tiryns Archaeological Site reached its peak during Bronze Age between 1400 and 1200 BC. Around this time period the massive walls were constructed. Cyclopean boulders that make up the military defenses of the town are said to be brought here by Cyclops, mythical creatures of enormous size and only one eye. Other ancient legends claim that this was the work of legendary Heracles who was also born here. In the end of the Mycenaean period Tiryns went into decline. It was completely destroyed by the armies of Argos in 468 BC. By the time Roman traveler and geographer Pausanias visited the site in the 2nd century AD it was already in ruins. Archaeological excavations started in Tiryns in 1884 under supervision of Heinrich Schliemann.
Location: 10 km (6 mi) North of Tiryns
Open: 8:30am- 3pm daily
The low hill of Tiryns, at the 8th kilometer of the Argos-Nafplio
road, was inhabited continuously from the Neolithic era until late
antiquity. In prehistoric times the area flourished mainly during
the early and late Bronze Age. In the second phase of the Early
Helladic era (2700-2200 BC) there must have been an important center
with dense habitation and a uniquely constructed circular building,
27 m in diameter, at the top of the hill. During the Late Bronze
Age, the hill was gradually fortified and surrounded within its
"cyclopean" walls the palace complex as well as other buildings used
mainly by the ruling class as places of worship, warehouses and
workshops but also as residences. In historical times, Tiryns,
although it must have taken the form of an organized political
community, could not compete with Argos, which destroyed it in the
first half of the 5th century by exiling its inhabitants.
The
traveler Pausanias who visited it in the 2nd century AD. he found
her in ruins. During the Byzantine era, a cemetery church was
founded on the Upper Acropolis and probably a small settlement to
the west of the Acropolis. The end of the now insignificant
settlement must be connected with the conquest of Argos by the Turks
in 1379 AD. In Venetian sources, Tiryns is referred to as Napoli
vecchio, while the name Tiryns is given back to the area in modern
times, replacing the usual name "Paleokastro". In 1828, a building
for the operation of an agricultural school was founded by the
governor Ioannis Kapodistrias in the area south of the Acropolis.
Today it houses the rural prisons. After the 17th and 19th century
travelers (Des Mouceaux, Dodwell, Leake), Tiryns was discovered in
1876 by Henry Schliemann, who with his extensive excavations in
1884/5 handed it over to archaeological research.
The
legendary founder of Tiryns is handed over to the late Prince
Proetus, who took refuge after the dispute with his brother Akrisios
in Lycia. On his return he brought with him the Cyclops who built
the majestic walls for his sake. The mythical heroes Bellerefontis
and Perseus, as well as the demigod Hercules, are also associated
with Tiryns.
The excavations of the German Archaeological
Institute and the Hellenic Archaeological Service, from 1876 until
today, brought to light one of the most important Mycenaean citadels
and traced the stages of civilization of the prehistoric and
historical periods of Argolis. After the pioneers Heinrich
Schliemann and Wilhelm Dφrpfeld (1884-1885), Georg Karo and Kurt
Mόller explored the area in the first half of the twentieth century.
At the end of the 1950s, the Curator of Antiquities of Argolis,
Nikolaos Verdelis, undertook the task of restoring the western side
of the fortification, which had collapsed and was covered by the
rubble of the old excavations. After 1967 the excavations were again
entrusted to the German Archaeological Institute, which under the
direction of Ulf Jantzen, Jφrg Schδfer, Klaus Kilian and Joseph
Maran continues the excavations including the Lower Acropolis and
the Lower Town. At the same time, excavations are carried out by the
local Ephorate of Antiquities both in the archaeological site to be
visited, and in the wider area.
The unveiling of a monument
that was protected for many centuries under the soil of abandonment
and its long-term exposure without maintenance to the weather
conditions and the action of visitors, caused significant damage to
the archaeological site. With the actions of the Ephorate of
Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, the competent regional
service of the Ministry of Culture and the direct support of the
Peloponnese Region, the monument was included in the projects funded
by the NW and the DG Community Support Framework. The participation
of the German Archaeological Institute, which financed the studies
of the German architect Jan Martin Klessing in Tiryns, was also
decisive. During this time a large number of collaborators
(archaeologists, designers, skilled and unskilled workers)
participated in the program of upgrading one of the most important
archaeological sites in Argolida, which has been included in the
list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition, under the
responsibility of the Directorate for the Restoration of Ancient
Monuments of the Ministry of Culture, landscaping works were carried
out, which now includes organized routes, visitor service buildings,
a new entrance and a parking lot.
Description
Tiryns was
first inhabited in the Neolithic era (7th-4th millennium BC), as
evidenced by the few ceramic finds from the deeper archaeological
layers, and remained uninterrupted in use until the time when its
imposing fortification was founded.
The oldest architectural
relics date to the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC). Large
complexes of houses are adapted on the slopes of the hill and are
organized around a huge circular building (diameter 27-28 m.) At the
top of its southern outcrop, the Upper Acropolis. Despite the
different views on its use (fortified palace, monumental burial
building or sanctuary), the circular building can be interpreted in
the context of the organization of the first urban system as a space
that functioned as an administrative center and was morphologically
adapted to the specific geological background.
During the
Middle Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC) earthworks and constructions were
carried out on the Upper Acropolis with the aim of shaping flat
surfaces for the construction of buildings. Despite the difficulties
in exploring the remains of this era due to the later construction
activity, the habitation of the area is considered of course.
However, the great prosperity of Tiryns is associated with the
Mycenaean era (1600-1050 BC). The fortification and the building
complexes of the Acropolis, which is divided into three parts: the
Upper, the Middle and the Lower Acropolis, were formed during the
palace years (14th and 13th century BC). The "cyclops? walls were
built in three construction phases dating to the beginning and end
of the 14th century and the middle of the 13th century BC. and are a
gradual extension of the fortification from the south and higher to
the north and lower part of the hill.
The main entrance of
the Acropolis was on the east side and led through a large ramp, 47
m long, to the Upper Acropolis. The large Gate, which has an
identical construction to the Lions' Gate in Mycenae, marked the
beginning of an impressive procession to the Palace. Passing through
corridors that were interrupted by inner courtyards and two Propyla,
the big and the small, one ended up in the central courtyard. This
peristyle Courtyard with the Altar on its south side was a unit with
the large Palace. In these places the greatness of the Mycenaean
palace ideology peaks and is personified. Here the supreme
authority, the wanaka of the signs of the Linear NW Scripture,
receives the official foreigners and his subjects but also performs
the most important worship rites, gathering in his face all the
powers. The palace complex is framed by the east and west wings with
top examples of Mycenaean architecture, the so-called small mansion
and the bath respectively. The ornate frescoes that adorned the
floors and walls not only of the great Palace but also of other
buildings of the palace complex convey the echo of the grandeur of
the Mycenaean era. But the main form of expression of the power of
the palace system are the architectural achievements. Apart from the
impressive fortification, these include the so-called Galleries.
Built on the eastern and southern part of the wall of the Upper
Acropolis, they consist of a long corridor, which is adjacent to a
series of rooms, which probably served as storage spaces. The east
and south galleries have been built according to the effluent system
and end in pointed arches.
To the north of the Upper
Acropolis and at a lower level is the Middle Acropolis, a place that
hosted, among others, part of the palace workshops. It leads to a
staircase protected by a curved Bastion and a Tower, a prime example
of the defensive character of the Mycenaean fortification
architecture.
The northern part of the fortification that was
built at the beginning of the 13th century BC. is an almost
self-existent part, the Lower Acropolis. Inside the wall, 28 rooms
with pointed ends have been excluded as well as two masonry with the
same exponential access to the underground water sources, the
so-called Syringes. Dense building complexes used for housing,
workshops and storage areas were organized along the axis of a main
road that ended at the North Gate. Another monumental construction
Gate to the west was the main access to the Lower Acropolis.
At the end of the 13th
century BC, a strong earthquake caused severe damage to the walls
and buildings of the Acropolis, which were completely destroyed by
the fire that followed. The enormous natural disaster acted as a
catalyst for the dissolution of the palace system of government.
Despite the damage suffered by the Acropolis, during the 12th
century BC. A large settlement with an urban fabric was organized in
the plain. Inside the Lower Acropolis, a large building functioned
as a sanctuary. Decline, however, was inevitable.
By the
beginning of historical times the fortified Acropolis must have been
almost completely abandoned. The few inhabitants left in Tiryns
lived in scattered farms surrounded by cemeteries. The impressive
findings of a depositor in the Upper Acropolis, the so-called
Vothros, but also the archaic inscriptions from the area of
Syringa confirm the existence of worship rituals, while the names
of the Gods that are witnessed are those of Hera, Athena and Apollo.
The walls bordering the
citadel of Tiryns were built in three main construction phases and
gradually fortified the entire hill from its south-highest to the
north-lowest part. Red and gray limestone was used as a building
material, which is found in abundance both on the hill itself and on
the hill of Profitis Ilias east of the citadel. The size of the
boulders that were used mainly for the walls of the third phase
caused wonder and admiration already in antiquity, a fact that is
directly reflected in the myth of the Cyclops. The boulders weigh
many tons, which justifies the view of the traveler Pausanias (II,
25, 7-9) that not even a pair of semitones was able to move the
smallest of them.
The first construction phase of the wall
The walls of the first phase dating to the beginning of the 14th
century BC. (HR IIIA1) surrounded the southern and highest part of
the hill, the area that covered the later palace and the two
courtyards (4 and 2) south of it. The gate, found in the excavation
of 1909, was located on the east side just in the area of the
later large propylon (1) but several meters deeper. The strong walls
of this gate served as the foundation during the construction of the
large prop. The course of the wall that adapts to the natural
geological background of the hill is not perfectly straight but has
a zigzag layout. The size of the boulders used is relatively small,
their height ranges from 0.60-0.70 cm, so that many intermediate
small stones are not required for their support. Boulders, which
usually have a treated surface, are usually arranged in horizontal
layers. Only gray limestone is used for this phase. Some parts of
the wall of this phase are still visible in various places today.
such as e.g. right and left of the gate and on the west side of the
later corridor 53-55 to the NE corner of the space occupied by the
later palace. At this point the wall bends to the west to the east
wall of the later large mansion, where it bends again to the south,
disappears under its foundations and reappears at the NW corner of
the palace tower. From this point it heads south with a jagged
arrangement and up to the point of the later tower 43-44, where it
bends again to the east. In this course the wall is covered by the
later phases and is not visible until its eastern side, south of the
gate. The level of this phase inside the wall was 2-3 m deeper than
today. The access to the gate was made through a hill in the area of
the later corridor 54 and the gate 53. The area north of the wall,
the later Middle Acropolis, must have remained fortified at this
stage.
The second construction phase of the wall
At the
end of the 14th and the beginning of the 13th century (HR IIIB1) the
wall of the acropolis was expanded. To the south, a bastion was
built that extended the acropolis to the limits of the natural rock
of the hill. Its outer side is the north side of the later gallery
59. At this point an entrance was formed, from which one could
follow the staircase 58 to climb to the hill of the citadel. To the
east a courtyard (56) was created, outside the gate of the first
phase. The outer gate was moved to the northern end of the
courtyard, where a small space (55) was proposed that closed on both
sides with wooden doors. The access of the first phase continued to
be used to access the new external gate. In addition, this side was
protected by a new section of wall that framed the new outer
courtyard (56) and the new gate on the south and east sides. In this
phase the courtyard 56, the old gate and the inner courtyard 2 were
excavated up to the current level. Perhaps in this phase the area of
the middle acropolis was fortified. Besides, for the same period,
a first fortification of the Lower Acropolis was erected.
Probably in the middle of
the 13th century the outer gate (53) which was to be the main gate
of the final phase of the acropolis was moved to the north again.
The new gate was now protected by two new sections of the wall
created north and on either side of it by huge boulders. The
similarity of this gate with the gate of the Lions in Mycenae, both
in dimensions and in the construction material, a cobblestone was
used, is characteristic. Also on the NW side of the middle citadel a
tower (48) was built, to protect the west side of the wall and
perhaps an access from this side. In addition to gray and red
limestone is used for the construction of the wall of this phase. In
important places, such as the corners, very large boulders are
placed and although the surfaces are treated, the horizontal
arrangement of the boulders is not always maintained. The sides of
the wall, especially at the points of extension, do not bend so
often, resulting in larger single surfaces.
The third
construction phase of the wall
Around the middle and especially
in the second half of the 13th century, the wall acquired its final
form that the visitor distinguishes today. The galleries were built
in the south and in the east (59.57). Their construction in the
"exponential way; which creates pointed arches is a great technical
achievement of the time. These galleries were attached to the
outside of the second phase of the wall. To the west, the western
bastion (47) was built to protect the western stairway and the
entrance from this side. A new tower (43.44) was built in the SW
corner for the same reasons. As part of this extension of the wall,
the outer gate (51) was moved once again, which was now placed
between the legs of the wall on the east side. A ramp (52) led to
this gate. Red and gray limestone was used to build the wall of this
phase. The size of the boulders used exceeds the boulders of the
previous phases, while much more intermediate small stones are used
to support them. The surfaces are no longer so well treated. Apart
from the impressive size of the boulders, the achievements of the
time include the pointed arches and the construction of a
fortification wall with a curved outline.
In the Lower
Acropolis, the fortification of the beginning of the 13th century
(YEIIIB1) was replaced by an almost self-existing strong wall that
reaches 7 m. This wall rests directly on the natural rock and is in
its lower layers jointed with white soil. The Syringes, built in the
exponential way of accessing the underground springs, on its NW side
have been built at the same time as this. Inside the wall, a total
of 28 rooms with a square outline and a pointed end have been
excluded. Some of the rooms also had a second floor. Most of them
seem to have suffered significant damage during the earthquake of
the late 13th century, because they were closed after that.
The northern and lower part
of the hill of Tiryns, the Lower Acropolis was fortified for the
first time in the early 13th century BC. (HR IIIB1). This
fortification was replaced during the third construction phase of
the wall in the middle of the 13th century (HR IIIB2) by a strong
wall up to 7 m thick that follows the natural contour of the hill
and extends to the south until it meets the fortification of the
Middle and Upper Acropolis.
Despite the experimental
excavations carried out in this area by both Schliemann (1884) and
Dragendorff (1913), in which traces of buildings and pottery of the
Early Helladic and Mycenaean eras were found, the Lower Acropolis
remained unexplored for many decades. Until the beginning of the
1960s, when the ground access to the groundwater, the so-called
syringes and the excavations in the NW part came to light due to the
restoration works on the west side of the wall, the prevailing
opinion was that the entire area of the Lower Acropolis was
uninhabited in the Mycenaean years and was fortified to serve as a
refuge for the inhabitants of the city of Tiryns in case of attack
and siege. With the excavations first of the Hellenic Archaeological
Service (N. Verdelis) and then of the German Archaeological
Institute (P. Grossmann and J. Sch? Fer) came to light the remains
of four Mycenaean buildings after the construction of the wall that
had been destroyed at the end of HR IIIB and covered by a layer of
HR IIIG.
These new data turned the scientific interest in the
Lower Acropolis and made clear the need for systematic investigation
of this area which, being untouched by the old excavators, offered
the possibility of a modern excavation with the aim of drawing
conclusions about the building development in prehistoric times.
many questions that remained unanswered for decades. The systematic
research was conducted in the years 1976 to 1986 by the leading
prehistoric archaeologist Klaus Kilian, as a representative of the
German Archaeological Institute. Kilian's research carried out with
modern excavation methods and interdisciplinary collaboration was
decisive for the course of archeology of the Mycenaean era. Not only
was the sequence of the construction phases of use of the Lower
Acropolis during the Early Helladic and Mycenaean eras clarified,
but a binding dating system of the respective pottery was also
created. In addition, it became clear that the decline of Tiryns and
the collapse of the palace system of government was not due to the
destructive action of invaders but was associated with intense
seismic activity during the 12th century BC.
The Lower
Acropolis is connected through the northern extension of the
corridor (50) with the Upper Acropolis, but it also has two accesses
of its own. A small entrance at the turn of the west side of the
wall between the middle and the lower citadel that closed with a
door as evidenced by the traces of its taps on the monolithic
threshold, and an opening at the northern top of the wall without
traces of a door. This opening, which is protected by an outpost on
the east side of the wall, was located much higher than the external
level and access to it had to be made with a portable wooden ladder.
Opposite the entrance on the west side leads an open stone
staircase.
In the second half of the 13th century BC, (HR
IIIB2), after the completion of the fortification, a huge building
activity develops, which destroys with its interventions the relics
of the earlier Mycenaean periods and the Middle Helladic era. The
Lower Acropolis is formed on a terrace and is built with a single
plan. The buildings are lined up along the walls and are separated
by open corridors in a north-south direction. A main road led from
the north gate to the south of the Lower Acropolis and was connected
to the corridor (50) that led to the Upper Acropolis.
A total
of ten building complexes (buildings I-X) were surveyed, which
served as homes but also as laboratory spaces for the processing of
metals and precious materials. Similar uses are witnessed for the
rooms inside the wall. Room 123 of Building VI, named by the Kilian
"priestess' house", was used purely for worship purposes. The
buildings of this period were leveled by a catastrophic earthquake
at the end of YEIIIB2 (1200 BC). After the disaster, the area was
cleaned and rebuilt. On the level layer of the ruins of the previous
phase, ground floor houses were built in a sparse layout and without
any specific plan.
Large free spaces are now left between the houses, while half of the
rooms in the wall are closed and no longer used. HR IIIIG period,
which according to the excavation of the Lower Acropolis lasts
longer than previously thought (1200-1050 BC), is a period of
constant destruction by individual fires of buildings inside the
Lower Acropolis, while in the plain outside a settlement with an
urban area of 25 hectares is organized on the walls. Despite the
generosity of the settlement of the Lower Acropolis, the use of a
large building as a sanctuary (room 117-110a) is testified, which
gave important cult objects, including the impressively large
figurines on display in the Museum of Nafplio.
During the
last phase of the YEII period (1070-1050 BC) there is a gradual
tendency to abandon the habitation of the Lower Acropolis. A few
years later at the beginning of the Iron Age very few activities can
be attested in this area.
To the east of the door that
connects the courtyard 30 with the courtyard of the building 29 of
the east wing of the palace, a pit-deposit was excavated in 1926,
the so-called cesspool, which contained mainly ceramics and a few
metal objects. The oldest finds date to the late geometric period
and the newest to around 650 BC, however the majority of the
tributes belong chronologically to the end of the geometric and
hypogeometric period. The quality of the finds, including the clay
shields and masks on display at the Nafplio Museum, and their
preservation, most of the finds are broken before being discarded
and bear traces of secondary combustion, supporting their
characterization as tributes. It is very possible that some of them
were hung in a sacred place while others were used for rituals
probably in the place of an altar. The find of the pit was connected
for these reasons with the reconstruction of the altar in the area
of the large courtyard and with the elongated building that covers
the eastern part of the large mansion of the Mycenaean era.
Thus it was considered that this building is a temple of geometric
times, founded in the area of the Mycenaean Palace and in which
the goddess Hera must have been worshiped. Unfortunately, the
complete unveiling of this building since Schliemann's time has
deprived the research of valuable excavations that could provide a
definitive answer to the still unanswered question about the use and
dating of the building. It can be considered certain, however, that
some cultic activities took place in the area of the Mycenaean
palace, as evidenced by the dedications of the pit.
In
addition to these important finds, a geometric layer was also found
in corridor 50 at the height of the niche, north of the entrance,
above boulders that had fallen from the wall. Moreover, in the Lower
Acropolis, although no architectural finds have been found, ceramic
finds are found mainly near the rooms of the wall.
In the
city outside the walls, the evidence is better since in various
places, mainly west and northwest, mattresses, wells, fragmentary
parts of houses and a large number of tombs have been explored. As
can be seen from the findings, habitation continues in Tiryns
throughout the geometric era. Due to the simple form of the houses
of this time and the activity in the area in later times up to the
harmful cultivation activity of our days, well-preserved remains of
the settlement have not been saved. of the side. This settlement
must also have been in the form of small farms with a sparse layout,
a fact which is confirmed by the lack of one or more organized
cemeteries beyond the boundaries of the settlement. And in the
geometric era the tombs are organized in small groups that are
adjacent to the residential relics.