Tiryns - Homeric world

Contains all that is needed for Tiryns

Who founded Tiryns and what’s the significance of such origin ?

• Tiryns was founded by Proitos, brother of Acrisius who was the grandfather of Perseus. Therefore, mythologically speaking, it’s believed to be built before Mycenae

• This is mythologically impressive - blood ties to Perseus, legendary hero and founder of Mycenae.

When was Tiryns built ?

15th - 13th century BC ( approximately )

What is impressive about Tiryns ?

• Heracles is believed to be born in Tiryns in some sources though often Thebes is used instead, therefore providing the city with another tie to a mythical hero.

• There were lots of frescoes in the palace, showcasing the talent and skill of people living in Tiryns.

• It has many impressive features such as : it’s megaron, galleries etc.

Layout of Tiryns

Important locations and features :

• Cyclopean ramp

• Cyclopean walls

• Main gate

• secondary internal gate + “Killing Box”

• Galleries

• Palace

• Megaron

• Tholos tomb

Where was Tiryns located + details

• East Peloponnese, Greece, 10 miles from Mycenae

• Hills to the East + South-East

• Built on a hill ( 18m above sea level )

• Surrounded by plains

• Sea - 2km to the South-West

• It’s a citadel ( walled city )

Citadel

• Difficult for enemies to break through - provide protection for people inside city.

• height advantage - see further when on walls

• easier to defend on walls than down ( i.e. throwing missiles down )

Hills to the East and South-East

• Natural defences - no need to build extra defences here

• extremely difficult - impossible for invading armies to traverse

• Delays attacker movements

• Easier to fend off attackers if they arrive as they will be utterly exhausted and drained.

Built on a hill ( 18m above sea level )

• Tiring for invaders to go up

• delays the attackers

• Sight advantage - can see invading armies before they get too close.

Plains all around

• easy access to food

• useful for farming and agricultural activites.

Cyclopean ramp

• The main approach up to the city - it’s on the east side of the city and leads up to the main gate.

• called “Cyclopean“ for it’s massive size

• Only a small part of it remains in present day Tiryns

Cyclopean walls

• Originally 10m tall ( present day 7m tall )

• Most straight except the west wall which is curved

Curved Wall

• Could have been there for structural stability and protection - harder to break than straight walls

• Soldiers could have been stationed up on top and would have a good view of invading armies and be able to react and throw objects at them.

Main gate

• 3m high and 3m wide - present day is half the size

• Similar to Mycenae’s Lion Gate in size

• Pivot holes for the doors and slots in the gate posts for a bar to lock the gate is still visible.

• connects to a second gate.

Secondary internal gate + “Killing Box“

• There’s another gate after the main gate with the sides closed off by walls ( present day walls are shorter and gate is barely visible )

• This creates a narrow corridor

• invaders would get funnelled into the corridor between the 2 gates.

• Soldiers on the walls would either jump down and start attacking them or stay on top and shoot projectiles down.

Galleries

• They were used as storage spaces for grain, documents, weaponry, ammunition and spoils etc.

• Some galleries were as long as 30m

• There were rooms leading off to other areas.

• When in battle, because of it’s location being relatively close to the gates, soldiers could quickly retrieve weaponry/armour here and continue to battle.

Palace

• Built on the highest point of the city ( Acropolis )

Reasons for building here :

• defensive purposes - separated from main city + ramp direction favours the main city more, if invaders come, it is less likely they will go for the palace first.

• symbolic purposes - superiority in being a royal, being the king.

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• There are multiple courtyards and rooms which displays a progression of nobility

• each sector is more and more private and reserved for nobility and upper class people.

Megaron

• grand entrance way led to the megaron

Order of rooms :

• Porch

• Ante room

• central hearth in the middle

• platform for the throne to the right of the hearth.

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• Floor was plastered and decorated with beautiful painted designs ( Octopi + dolphins )

• The walls were plastered and decorated with Frescoes ( rich ladies and hunting scene with dogs )

• series of apartments and colonnades for rulers near Megaron

• bathroom with polished limestone slab floors and holes in the floor for drainage was found.

• Two staircases found - suggest a second level to the megaron.

Tholos Tombs

• Built into the side of a hill

• 6m tall and 6m wide with an entrance of about 1.5m

• A large round stone was found inside the tomb which could have been the altar.

• had a corbelled roof

How is the city split up ?

The city was split up into 3 sections :

• The Upper City, where the citadel and palace was

• The Middle and Lower City, where there have been found remains of houses and kilns which implies it was full of houses and workshops.