The Palace of Nestor
The Palace of Nestor is an excavation site located in Pylos, Peloponnese, Greece near Navarino Bay on a hill called Epano Englianos. It was believed to have been occupied during the Middle Bronze Age, but was completely built during the end of the Late Bronze Age which was 1300 B.C. This palace is said to have once belonged to one of the most powerful Mycenaean king named Nestor (Rossiter et. al 1977). It is believed that this palace was once a two-story palace that included different rooms such as a megaron, propylon, an archive room, and private chambers. It was also built out of mostly wood, stone, limestone and other materials. Excavations of “The Palace of Nestor” began in 1939 with an American archeologist named Carl Blegen. During this early excavation many artifacts were found. Some of the most impressive findings include approximately 1000 Linear B tablets. They were able to find the word “Pylos” writing on many of these clay tablets, which gave archeologists information into the prehistoric world of the Mycenaean’s (Encyclopedia. 2012). They also found remnants of vases, cups, and small jars (Blegen et al. Page. 15.2001). “ The Palace of Nestor”, is believed to have been destroyed by a fire. Recently, archeologists have also found a tomb of a warrior, who they believed could have lived before the Mycenae era. Many new artifacts, such as jewelry, were found in this tomb (Davis. 2015). Much of the excavation of The Palace of Nestor” continues to this day, and visitors are able to see many parts of this palace still intact today.
Bibliography:
-Blegen, Carl. Marion Rawson. A Guide to The Palace of Nestor. American School of Classical
Studies at Athens. 2001.
-Davis, Stocker. Grave of the Griffin Warrior Found at the Palace of Nestor, Pylos Greece.
The Griffin Warrior.com. 2015.
http://www.griffinwarrior.org/griffinwarrior-burial.html
-Rossiter, Leekley and Noyes. Mycenaean Palace Complex and Traditional Home of Nestor
Perseus Digital Library. 1976-1977.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/artifact?name=Pylos&object=site
-The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Carl Blegen: American Archaeologist.
Encyclopedia Britannica. February 2, 2017
Photography Bibliography:
-Palace of Nestor. Zoe Resort Website.
http://www.zoeresort.com/the-area.html
-Linear B Tablets. Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Nestor
-The Palace of Nestor.The Roadrunners Guide to Ancient World
