BSA Course Day 15 - Tiryns, Mycenae & Nemea

Weather: Sunny & breezy, 29 degrees

Step count: 22,801

Today was the first day that the intense pace of the course really caught up with me, and as I made my weary way off the coach I would have jumped at the chance of a few more hours sleep instead of a morning at a site I knew nothing about. Thankfully the weather gods were on our side, sending a cool breeze and dramatic skies as welcome relief from the recent days of unrelenting heat, and I was soon absorbed in the Mycenaean history of Tiryns.

At first glance it appears that there is little left of Homer's 'mighty-walled Tiryns', which may have been the birthplace of Heracles and one of the many sites associated with his twelve labours. We soon found out that appearances can be deceiving, as tutor Michael challenged us to critically examine the remains to build a picture of the citadel and imagine how the palace complex would have been experienced by visitors.

Dwarfed by thick, high walls, which one legend tells were built by the Cyclopes, one-eyed giants of Greek myth, we made our way through several gateways which would have seemed quite small, dark and intimidating when fully enclosed, before reaching the upper citadel. A plan of the site helped us to understand the controlled and complex route to the throne room, where the wanax - a Bronze Age king, chief warrior, administrator, or perhaps a combination of all three - would have received those who came for an audience, cleverly demonstrating his power and control to visitors through the palace design.

We had the site to ourselves, and it certainly helped that we were a large group who could place ourselves on the spots where we saw remains of columns, doorways, or marks on the floor, to get a sense of the size and flow of the rooms and draw conclusions about what may have taken place there.

But, as we saw at Eleusis, there are some things which remain a mystery to scholars and archaeologists, and we could only guess at the purpose of a large circular structure amongst the buildings. Funerary? Ritual? Answers on a postcard with any suggestions!

Restored after an interesting morning, which ended up being another surprise highlight, I was more than ready for the renowned site of Mycenae. Home to Greek leader Agamemnon in Homer's Iliad, the site was famously excavated by Schliemann but holds far more interest beyond his involvement.

We started out exploring the huge tholos tombs, named by Schliemann as those of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, which were much bigger than the one we saw at Orchomenos. As they had been reconstructed we were able to experience the beehive shape, and to see the 'relieving triangle' - an architectural mechanism similar to the keystone in an archway designed to distribute the weight of the structure - above the doorways.

The climb to the citadel above took us through the famous Lion Gate, a decorative version of the relieving triangle, and past grave circles A and B which had yielded the treasures we had seen in the National Archaeological Museum just days before.

Tutor Laura explained that the dead were separated from the living not just through the design of the tombs, as in all tholoi burials, but were also physically separated from the city as these grave sites were located outside the citadel walls. Interestingly the various phases of building that can be seen indicate that the doorway of the main citadel was moved to face the grave circles in what seems to be a deliberate, and mysterious, act to create a link between them.

The climb to the very top was more than worth it. We were rewarded with a spectacular view across the plains of Argos, the elevated location intended for defence and as a display of power and wealth rather than pure aesthetics, while tutor Laura told us about the typical features of Bronze Age palaces as well as how erosion had caused part of the site to fall to the plain below.

The site museum held many fascinating objects, and I particularly liked the ritual figures in a design I had not seen before, which looked like they were celebrating, as well as the snake whose shedding of its skin symbolised rebirth and renewal.

We ended our epic day at Nemea, another of the four 'Crown Games' sites where Panhellenic athletic competitions were held from the 6th century BC, and home of the Nemean Lion whose defeat is perhaps the most famous of Hercules' 12 labours.

Entering the stadium through a long entrance tunnel and greeted by the roars of the crowd (thanks to tutor Laura and modern(ish) technology in the form of a boom box!), we had the chance to experience a little of life as ancient Greek athletes.

We learned that the starting mechanism for races was surprisingly sophisticated, with a lever and springs making the rope drop to let the athletes off the line at the same time. Undaunted by the heat, the most competitive of our group had to rely on just a countdown when they lined up for a race. The victor was rewarded with a makeshift crown of local flora rather than the traditional celery leaves, and sadly wasn't allowed to add his name to the numerous examples of graffiti made by the athletes or dedicated by their fans which were still visible in the tunnel.

The little site museum displayed many examples of objects focusing on athletic competition, and explained the rope drop mechanism which was well illustrated by a fun video which can be seen here.

The remains of the temple of Nemean Zeus, one of the first to combine all three architectural orders - Doric, Ionic and Corinthian - in one building, reminded us that athletic games were religious events dedicated to the gods.

Back 'home' in Nafplion we had a wonderful group dinner then headed to the famous local (Italian!) gelateria for a well-earned icecream.