Mycenae Tomb Entrance
Ancient Greek Mythology, Religion, Art
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This large tomb outside of Mycenae dates to around 1350 BCE has several interesting characteristics. Above the entrance is a triangular hole in the stones, suggesting the triangular stone with lions above the Mycenae city gate and designed to relieve the great structural stresses of this design.
The lintel stone across the top of the doorway is massive, as much as 150 tons. If you look closely, you can see that the sides of the entrance slant inwards - the width of the doorway gets smaller as you go towards the top, characteristic of these kinds of tombs. This is known as a tholos (beehive) tomb and the last kings and queens of Mycenae were all buried in similar structures, though this is the best preserved and grandest of the group.
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