Tomb of Clytaimnestra
The grave of Klytaimnestra ( modern Greek τάφος της Κλυταιμνήστρας taphos tis Klytemnistras ) is called a Tholos grave in Mycenae . According to the classification of Alan Wace , it belongs to the third Tholos group and dates to the Late Helladic Period (SH III B). It is the youngest Tholos tomb of Mycenae and was built around 1220 BC. Built in BC.
designation
The tomb was named after Clytaimnestra , wife of the Mycenaean ruler Agamemnon , although it is unlikely that she was buried here. Pausanias reported that Clytaimnestra and Aigisthus were not allowed to be buried within the city walls because of the murder of Agamemnons. Therefore, the two Tholos tombs west of the Acropolis were assigned to these two mythical people. Today we know that the city expanded even further to the west and that these tombs were located within Mycenae, but these names are retained. Heinrich Schliemann called the grave the treasure house at the lion gate and Friedrich Adler the grave of Agamemnon .
description
The grave is about 130 m west of the Lion Gate of Mycenae . The access path ( Dromos ) is 37 m long and 6 m wide. It was built from well-hewn and partly sawn conglomerate blocks. A wall made of small irregular stones was found 1.5 m east of the right Dromos wall, which was supposed to protect the Dromos wall from groundwater. The left dromos wall probably collapsed at a very early stage and was rebuilt, but some stones were mixed up.
The entrance is 5.60 m high, 2.54 m wide at the bottom and tapers to 2.42 m at the top. A so-called relief triangle is located above the gate, which is intended to divert the load of the superstructure onto the side walls and thus relieve the load on the deck beams. The facade was originally decorated with stone decorative elements. To the right and left of the entrance there were two half-columns made of dark gray alabaster , which, as the column bases still show, were provided with 13 fluting . The masonry and the relief triangle used to be covered with red and green marble.
Three large capstones serve to cover the approximately 4 m long doorway. Holes for the hinges of the wooden gates were found in the middle capstone. From this one concludes that the grave was used for a longer period of time or that access was required for the cult of the dead. The tomb dome has a diameter of 13.50 m and a height of 13.50 m. The inner lining of the relief triangle is still completely intact. The rock floor was originally sprinkled with sand and lime. In the middle of the dome, a drain was laid to remove any water from the grave. For this purpose, a drainage pipe had been dug under the door threshold and under the dromos outside and covered with stones. A hill was built from earth over the dome grave. A curved retaining wall was found east of the grave to prevent the earth from sliding down.
The scanty finds are exhibited today in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens . They consist of a bronze mirror, jewelery made of gold foil, ivory plates, seal stones and necklaces and balls made of glass, faience and lapis lazuli . In dromos was found Geometric pottery , Hera idols such and archaic Kuhidole. From this one concludes that at this time the access slowly buried. In the Hellenistic period the tomb was apparently forgotten. In the 3rd century BC A theater was built above the dromos, from which the bottom row of seats can be seen to the left and right of the entrance. In addition, the foundations of Hellenistic houses were found at the beginning of the approach.
exploration
The grave was found in 1808 while a water pipe was being built to supply the nearby village of Charvati with water. Veli Pascha von Morea is said to have looted the grave in the same year. In September 1876, Sophia Schliemann , the wife of Heinrich Schliemann, carried out the first systematic excavations at the grave of Klytaimnestra. However, it only reached the rock floor in the middle of the Tholos tomb. In 1922, the British archaeologist Alan Wace completely exposed the grave. In 1950, the Anastelosis Department of the Greek Archaeological Service under the direction of Ioannis Papadimitriou began repair work on the tomb of Clytaimnestra. First the eastern dromos wall, which was in danger of collapsing, was dismantled, the stones were numbered and the wall was rebuilt. In 1951, the upper part of the dome was added, which had only been preserved up to a height of 8.55 m. Original stones that had been found were used for this, and missing stones were replaced with new ones. During this work, the funeral circle B was discovered .
literature
- Heinrich Schliemann : Mykenae . Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1964, p. 55–57, 134–137, 161–164 (reprint of the Leipzig 1878 edition).
- Heinrich Schliemann: Tiryns. The prehistoric palace of the kings of Tiryns . With preface by Geh. Oberbaurath Prof. F. Adler and contributions from Dr. W. Dörpfeld. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1886, preface, p. XLI-XLIII .
- AJB Wace : Mycenae 1939-1954. Part III: Notes on the Construction of the 'Tomb of Clytemnestra' . In: The Annual of the British School at Athens . tape 50 , 1956, pp. 194-198 , doi : 10.1017 / S0068245400018621 .
- Richard Speicher: Peloponnese . 2nd Edition. W. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart / Berlin / Cologne 1989, ISBN 3-17-010031-9 , pp. 126-127 .
- George E. Mylonas : Mycenae. A guide to its ruins and history . Ekdotike Athenon, Athens 1993, ISBN 960-213-213-2 , pp. 72-73 .
Web links
- Μυκήνες (Mycenae). Retrieved April 22, 2014 (Greek).
- Mycenaean Tholos Tombs and Early Mycenaean Settlements. Retrieved April 22, 2014 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Alan Wace, Leicester Bodine Holland: Excavations at Mycenae. The Tholos tombs . In: The Annual of the British School at Athens . tape 25 , 1923, pp. 283-402 , doi : 10.1017 / S0068245400010352 .
- ^ Pausanias, Travels in Greece. 2.16.7.
Coordinates: 37 ° 43 ′ 50.6 ″ N , 22 ° 45 ′ 18.1 ″ E