Mycenaean graves

Where did the Mycenaeans bury their dead?

In grave circles A and B

Which was the older grave circle?

Grave Circle B

Which grave circle was found first?

Grave circle A

How was each grave circle named?

Grave circle A was found first as it was inside the walls of Mycenae whereas GC B is 200m west of the city

How many graves are in each grave circle?

6 shaft graves in GC A and 24 graves in GC B

What are the four types of grave?

Cist grave, shaft grave, tholos tomb and chamber tomb

What is a shaft grave?

Large and deep as a shaft is dug and the bottom was filled with a wall and a roof over the body, which was usually laid onto their backs

What is a cist grave?

A shallow stone lined pit dug into the earth and covered up; since they were small, the body was curved to fit inside

What is a tholos tomb?

A monumental structure with a stone dome and sometimes a side chamber to place the body in (also called a beehive tomb)

What is a chamber tomb?

A tomb dug from rock in which one or multiple bodies would be placed in a chamber

What are the names of some famous Mycenaean tombs?

The tomb of Clytemnestra, the tomb of Aegisthus, and the Treasury of Atreus - these are all tholos tombs

Who was Clytemnestra?

A legendary queen and the wife of Menelaus

Who was Aegisthus?

Agamemnon’s cousin and Clytemnestra’s lover and second husband in mythology

How large are Clytemnestra and Aegisthus’ tombs?

They are each 13m in diameter and built in approx 1350 BC - both of the domes have since collapsed, but Clytemnestra’s has been rebuilt

What did the Treasury of Atreus contain?

Presumably belonging to a Mycenaean king, it contained enough food and drink to get him to the underworld, along with his weapons

Facts about the Treasury of Atreus

Diameter of 14.5 metres and a height of 13m, built in 1400BC and the dromos was 36m long with a second burial chamber too

What is the dromos?

The passageway leading to the tomb