The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is a large tholos or beehive tomb on Panagitsa Hill at Mycenae, Greece, constructed during the Bronze Age around 1250 BC. The stone lintel above the doorway weighs 120 tons, with approximate dimensions 8.3 x 5.2 x 1.2m, the largest in the world.
What is the Treasury of Atreus constructed of?
The best preserved, mistakenly named The “Treasury of Atreus”, is a huge circular chamber built of finely cut rectangular stones. The tholos is approached along a dromos or pathway about 20 feet wide and 118 feet long. The side walls are cut out of the rock and lined with ashlar.
What is the most remarkable feature of the Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae?
The Treasury was built into the side of a Mycenaean hill. The entry chamber is semi-subterranean with a corbel arch portal. At 120 tons, the lintel stone above the portal is one of the tomb’s most impressive features.
Is the Treasury of Atreus post and lintel construction?
THE POST-AND-LINTEL IN MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION Mycenaean architects experimented with the use of posts and lintels as elements of more complex architectural plans. Two examples of this sort of innovation can be found in the Lion Gate of Mycenae and Treasury of Atreus.
Is Agamemnon’s tomb real?
Treasury of Atreus, also called Tomb of Agamemnon, a beehive, or tholos, tomb built about 1350 to 1250 bc at Mycenae, Greece.
Was Agamemnon a real person?
There is no good evidence as of now whether Agamemnon was a real person or not. It’s possible that his name existed and was later attached to the leader of the Greek army at Troy, but this is all just conjecture.
Why was the Treasury of Atreus built?
It seems that the aim of placing the Treasury of Atreus in the centre of the panoramic view of the Argive plain from the west side of the upper acropolis, was to remind those who entered the palace of what the ruler achieved in his lifetime.
Where is the Treasury of Atreus located?
Mycenae
The Treasury of Atreus, the largest and most impressive of the nine tholos tombs found at Mycenae, stands by itself at the southern edge of a bowl in the east slope of the Panagia ridge.
Who built Treasury of Atreus?
It has been observed that those on the east side are larger, more ornate and closer to the acropolis than those on the west side, and so are thought to have been built by rulers of Mycenae. The other five were most probably built by members of Mycenae’s aristocracy.
Which Egyptian kingdom used post-and-lintel?
The Egyptians developed post-and-lintel construction—the type exclusively used in their monumental buildings—even though the use of the arch was developed during the dynasty of Snefru (2780–2689 BC). Walls were immensely thick.
What was found in grave circle A?
gold death masks
What Schliemann discovered in his excavation satisfied both his opinion of Homer’s historical accuracy and his craving for valuable treasures. Among the objects he unearthed in Grave Circle A was a series of gold death masks, including one he proclaimed “The Death Mask of Agamemnon.”
How old is the Treasury of Atreus?
