Mycenae is the key site of the Mycenaean culture t...

Mycenae is the key site of the Mycenaean culture that flourished from 1600 to 1200. In the Iliad it s the only city state, next to Orchomenos, to be called a City of Gold , and with a good reason. The remains at Mycenae are mainly LHIIIb (13th century BC) when the Mycenaeans were at the height of their power, and the remains show this. The massive Cyclopean defence walls with a thickness up to 8 meters, the elaborate Megaron palace and of course the majestic Lion Gate, the first piece of monumental sculpture in proto-historic Europe. This is THE place to go for every lover of Homeros and Mycenaean architecture. The only downside is that it s super crowded in the summer season, with busses full of ignorant tourists, wanting to have a quick fix of early European history. The best moment to visit Mycenae is in the late season in the early morning, with a little luck you ll have the site for yourself for an hour or two.