Tiryns is located in the Eastern part of Pelopennse, Greece. It is most known for its great fortress surrounding the city. The great fortress of Tiryns is between Nafplion and Argos (Cartwrith, 2012). The site of Tiryns had been occupied since 3000 BCE, but it became an important place during the 13th century BCE when the Mycenaean culture populated this land. Tiryns stood close to the coast, which made it close to the Mediterranean Bronze Age Port (Cartwright, 2012). The most important part of Tiryns was the impressive and well-built wall that surrounded the city. Not only was this fortification built to keep away enemies from the main palaces, but also it highlighted the architectural skills the Mycenaean’s possess. Some of the first sections made of the wall date back to the 16th century are made of massive irregular limestone blocks (Darling, 2004, p.54). Once built, the fortification was 280m long, and was as high as 28m (Cartwrith, 2012). Past the large walls was a sophisticated technique used by Mycenaean’s called “corbeled arch”, in which people they piled very large rocks and formed them into pointed arch ways (Kleiner, 2015, p.95). The wall was later destroyed in 1200 BCE by earthquakes and massive fires (Cartwrith, 2012). Some people continued to inhabit this area, but by the 5th century it was destroyed by Argos (Darling, 2004, p.56).

     Excavations of this site began around 1876 CE and still continue today. Over the years, many Mycenaean artifacts were found at Tiryns, such as pieces of paint. Large parts of the walls have been nicely preserved and can still be seen today by visitors (Cartwright, 2012).

 

 

Bibliography

 

-Cartwright, Mark. Tiryns: Ancient History Encyclopedia. 14 May, 2012. http://www.ancient.eu/tiryns/

 

-Darling, Janina. Architecture of Greece. Greenwood Publishing Group. Connecticut. 2004.  Pp.54-56

 

-Kleiner, Fred. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History. Cengage Learning.

 1 January, 2015. Page.95

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Photos: 

1) The Eastern Casemates. In A Guide for Tourists: The Mycenaean Fortress. http://www.visit-ancient-greece.com/tiryns.html

 

2) South Tower of Tiryns. Ancient History Encyclopedia: Tiryns. 14 May, 2012. http://www.ancient.eu/tiryns/