What was found in the Mycenaean tombs?

Between Graves IV and V, five golden masks were unearthed, including the Mask of Agamemnon discovered in Grave V. Boars’ tusks were found in Grave IV. Additionally, gold and silver cups were discovered, including the Silver Siege Rhyton. Several gold rings, buttons, and bracelets were also found.

Where did mycenaeans bury their dead?

Mycenaean cemeteries were located near population centers, with single graves for people of modest means and chamber tombs for elite families. The tholos is characteristic of Mycenaean elite tomb construction.

What were the Mycenaean tombs called?

The Mycenaean chamber tomb is the type of chamber tomb that was built by ancient Mycenaeans. This form of mortuary architecture was in use in the Late Bronze Age in the areas under the cultural influence of the Aegean.

How were Mycenaean tombs built?

The tholos was built out of ashlar blocks using a technique known as corbelling to create the dome (see page title illustration). This involved laying the stones so that each horizontal course slightly overlapped the one below it until the distance was small enough so that a single slab could be used to close the gap.

Did mycenaeans believe in the afterlife?

Mycenaean tombs and their accompanying artifacts reveal a society that was religious, possibly believed in an afterlife, and worshiped many of the same deities as the later Greeks. They also strongly depict a culture that above all, prided itself in heroic military accomplishments.

How many graves were in grave circle A?

The tombs in Grave Circle A contained a total of nineteen burials: nine males, eight females and two infants. With the exception of Grave II, which contained a single burial, all of the other graves contained between two and five inhumations. The deceased were placed on their backs, generally on an east-west axis.

How did the Mycenaean tomb develop from the shaft grave to the tholos tomb?

The bodies were generally placed in a contracted position, regardless of the space in the tomb. Mycenaean shaft graves originated and evolved from rudimentary Middle Helladic cists, tumuli, and tholos tombs with features derived from Early Bronze Age traditions developed locally in mainland Bronze Age Greece.

Did the mycenaeans believe in an afterlife?

Why are the walls of Mycenae called Cyclopean masonry?

The term comes from the belief of classical Greeks that only the mythical Cyclopes had the strength to move the enormous boulders that made up the walls of Mycenae and Tiryns.

What does this burial site tell you about Mycenaeans society?