Mycenae

Alcestis Papadimitriou

City: Athens

Year: 2015

Publisher: John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation

Series: Museums Cycle

Description: Hardback, 352 p., numerous colour figures, 34,2x27

Abstract

The showcasing of Greek culture has been an unwavering aim of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, and every endeavour towards this end has been an exercise in creativity, due to the extensive diversity of our country’s cultural heritage. Every year, the Foundation has been consistently and methodically setting benchmarks for this purpose, through the annual publications of the “Museums Cycle”. We are aware that this endeavour acquires particular significance within the current state of affairs in our country. Alongside our programs which support social welfare networks, improve public healthcare Institutions, strengthen quality of education and bolster scientific Initiatives, we consider it our duty to showcase the vast cultural heritage of Greece, with the quality it demands.

The choice of the Archeological Museum of Mycenae for this year’s volume came about effortlessly. It is a place where historical facts are interwoven with mythology and protagonists like Atreus, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Menelaus, Iphigenia and Orestes come alive before the eyes of the visitor. Epic sagas, myths and tragedies taking place at Mycenae or elsewhere tell the tales of their legendary rulers and the power they had accrued at the pinnacle of their prosperity. The findings of archaeologists in Mycenae, as well as numerous other parts of the ancient world, attest to the breadth of Mycenaean civilization, which inspired artistic realms across the globe in both antiquity and modern times.

The archaeological site and the museum create a wonderful complex that introduces the visitor to the incomparable art of striking jewelry, unique ceramics and monumental architecture. The natural beauty of the hillside that overlooks the valley with views of Argos and Nafplion transforms each visit to this slice of Argolic land into a profound and salient experience. In her narrative, archaeologist Alcestis Papadimitriou chooses to go beyond the legends surrounding Mycenae. Within the beautiful, well-documented text, she guides us through the quotidian reality of Mycenae, the workshops, the homes, the tombs, the temples, the palace and its walls.

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Contents

Foreword by the Minister of Culture and Sports [11]

Foreword by Marianna J. Latsis [13]

Author’s Preface 15]

The Bronze Age [17]

Mycenae: the landscape [21]

A journey through time [22]

The kingdom of the dead [49]

The palatial period [151]

The postpalatial period [219]

Historical times [231]

The world of Agamemnon [249]

Bibliography [321]

Archival photography credits [323]

Acknowledgements [325]