Ancient Mycenae, Jason and the Argonauts, and the Trojan War

Posted On: Oct 5th, 2015 at 21:48

Greece
Day seven: Argos, Mycenae, Nemea and Kleones
Generally when people think of Ancient Greece they think of Athens and the Parthenon, but the story starts right here – Argos and Mycenae.
The Mycenaean culture was the first on mainland Greece and most likely they evolved from, or were influenced by, the Minoans. The Minoans are considered the first real ancient culture in Europe, in the sense of ‘civilisation’. The Mycenaeans were the predecessors of the Spartans and were the culture that was responsible for the Olympic games and all the real ancient structures. Like most places, however, earlier settlements occurred that stretch well back into the Bronze Age.
Argos – about eight miles from Mycenae – was a settlement as far back as 6,000 years ago, atop the acropolis that is now a castle. It was here that many famous stories originated – Jason and the Argonauts being one. The Argonauts were given this name because in those days the sea was very close to Argos and Jason named them, basically, the ‘sailors of Argos’, which is a literal translation from the words ‘nautilus’ and ‘Argos’.
Mycenae was the main citadel of the famous Mycenaeans. Their walls are so distinctive that you can spot a Mycenaean citadel from miles away – huge blocks cut into strange shapes and fitted together perfectly to form impenetrable fortresses. Mycenae itself was the home of King Agamemnon – the very same man who gathered other armies together and went chasing after Helen after she was kidnapped by the Trojans. We all know what happened next with that story, which occurred around 1250 BC, but the Mycenaean saga goes much further into the past. The citadel of Mycenae was in use at least 5,000 years ago, somewhere around 3000 BC, and along with Argos this area saw the rise of the first true European civilisations.
Standing among the huge walls of Mycenae was a very humbling experience. It’s hard to imagine King Agamemnon, huge armies with tens of thousands of Greek warriors, and hundreds of ships sailing towards Troy in 1250 BC +/- when one is faced with a site that appears so relatively small. But when you add in the fact that Agamemnon gathered armies from all over Greece – Arcadia, Argos, Athens, Boiotia, Corinth, Crete, the Cyclades, Euboea, Kephalonia, Magnesia, Phocia, Rhodes, and Sparta – then it really isn’t so hard to imagine!
Mycenae and Argos, for me, are the two most special places in Greece, for they are responsible for everything that came after it. And anyone reading this – anyone with a European background that is – owes their very existence to these people, these places, and all that happened within and around them.

The view from King Agamemnon’s palace at Mycenae towards Argos. The Argos acropolis can be seen in the centre of the picture in the distance, and the sea to the left. It’s from here the Greeks set sail for Troy…

Mycenae – the impenetrable fortress and main city of the great Mycenaean culture

The incredible Lion Gate – the main entrance to Mycenae built in the 13th Century BC when the city was refortified, probably during the time of the Trojan Wars

The massive temple of Zeus at Nemea