The archaeological site of Tiryns

It was continuously inhabited from Neolithic age up to Late Antiquity. The heyday of Tiryns is associated with the Mycenaean era (1600-1050 BC). Since 1999, it is an UNESCO World Heritage site, along with Mycenae.

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Heading north from Nauplion to Argos, , you’ll enter... a time capsule. One of the greatest ancient Greek civilisations, the Mycenaean, stretches at a mere distance of 20 km., driving through the beautiful scenery.  

First stop 8 km away: Ancient Tiryns with the “Cyclopean” walls.  Up next, the Mycenaean Cemetery of Dendra, the Mycenaean Acropolis of Midea,the ancient Heraion, and, last but not least, the famous city of Mycenae.

Quick facts The low hill of Tiryns is a natural stronghold, watching over a large part of the plain and crucial passages to Argos and Mycenae, Nauplio and Epidaurus. 

According to myth, Tiryns was founded by the prince of Argos Proetus, who sought refuge in Lycia after a dispute with his brother Acrisius. On his return, he brought the Cyclops with him, who built the magnificent walls for his sake. Tyrins is also associated with legendary heroes Bellerophon and Perseus, as well as with demigod Hercules.

The area was continuously inhabited from Neolithic age up to Late Antiquity. The heyday of Tiryns is associated with the Mycenaean era (1600-1050 BC). In the first half of the 5th century, Argeians destroyed it and exiled its inhabitants. 

The Mycenaean acropolis with the “Cyclopean” walls started slowly coming to light from 1876 onwards, when Heinrich Schliemann discovered it, and, through his extended excavations in 1884/5 handed it over to archaeological research. You can admire several findings at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Archaeological Museum of Nauplio.

Since 1999, along with Mycenae, Tiryns is an UNESCO World Heritage site (the other UNESCO monument in Argolis is the Asklepieion in Epidaurus, designated in 1988). 

What there is to see at the archaeological site. Begin your tour at the central gate, reaching the height of the Lion Gate in Mycenae, and built with similar materials. Moving on, you’ll see the ruins of the famous “Cyclopean” walls of Tiryns. In Kato Acropolis, building complexes were found which served as residences, but also spaces serving as workshops, storage rooms, or temples. The defensive West Bastion is an excellent example of Mycenaean architecture. In the central courtyard of the Mycenaean palace, was where festivities and religious events took place. According to archaeologists, there was a building-temple of the Geometric era, where Hera was worshipped. 

The big palace complex excavated by E. Schliemann and W. Dörpfeld has a big megaron and a colonnaded courtyard in its centre. In the interior, there was the throne of the king and the hearth. Here, the anax (the highest ranking lord in Mycenae) received his subjects and foreign officials. 

Source: Ministry of Culture odysseus.culture.gr

Archaeological site’s tel.: 27520 22657.

Location

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