The style of architecture used by the Mycenaeans in their cities developed during the Early Mycenaean period. As with the art of the Mycenaeans, their architecture owes a great deal to the influence of the Minoans of Crete (see Minoan Art and Mycenaean Art). The plan and layout of the Bronze Age cities on the mainland resemble the “palaces” of Crete in many ways, however, the Mycenaeans did develop their own style over the following centuries. The characteristic features of Mycenaean constructions include the megaron, the use of extremely large blocks of stone, large fortification walls built around the cities, and corbel vaulting. The major classes of building projects among the Mycenaeans include the palace, the city planning and fortifications, and their immense tombs. In addition to the great architectural feats, the Mycenaeans also produced great engineering works in their system of roadways and waterworks.

The Minoan palaces were built around a large open courtyard, whereas the Mycenaeans preferred an indoor hall known as a megaron as the centerpiece of their palatial constrictions. The megaron was a unique feature of mainland architecture, and could be found in the royal palaces as well as in many of the larger private homes. A megaron is essentially “a free-standing unit composed of a more or less square room entered at one side through a porch with two columns… the principal room was dominated by a round fixed hearth” (Biers 70). Smoke from the hearth was allowed to escape through an opening in the roof. The ceiling was held up by four columns evenly spaced in a square around the hearth. Against the wall opposite the entrance way a throne was situated on a raised platform. The central hearth and the presence of the royal in the room have suggested to some that the megaron was the location of Mycenaean cult ritual. It should also be mentioned that the megaron was an early step in the evolution of the Classical Greek temple.

Megaron of the palace at Pylos

Many of the Mycenaean constructions utilized stone blocks of an enormous size. Some of the blocks are the size of a small truck! The use of such boulders in the construction of city walls testifies to the engineering prowess of the Mycenaeans at moving unbelievably heavy loads and fitting together large stones with a great deal of precision. The later Greeks were so impressed by the walls built by the Mycenaeans, that they could not believe that humans constructed them. They thought that the giant Cyclopes must have built them. Thus, this type of architecture got its common name, Cyclopean architecture.

The other unique feature of Mycenaean architecture is corbel vaulting. This technique can be used to span arched corridors and circular domes in buildings and is often used to lighten the weight above doorways. The corbel vault is created by arranging courses of stones with each successive course projecting slightly more into the space, until a single stone can be placed over the top of the triangular arch. The tunnel at Mycenae leading to the “secret spring” and the tholos tombs of the Mycenaeans are the most recognizable uses of corbel vaulting.

Palaces of the Mycenaean Cities
The palaces of the mainland Mycenaeans are sprawling buildings usually located at the center of the fortified citadel. Within the palace complex residential space, storerooms and workshops were arranged around the central megaron, considered to function as the audience chamber for the royals. Most were probably two-storied, but in all cases the second story has not survived and must be hypothesized from stairways. The plan of the palace varies a great deal from site to site, but they all share the megaron as their central feature. The palace at Mycenae was mostly destroyed by later construction on the site, so only small portions of the building are visible today. The palatial complex at another major Mycenaean center, Tiryns, is slightly better preserved. This plan features two megarons suggesting a public audience chamber as well as one reserved for more important visitors and family.

The most thoroughly excavated palace is that of Pylos, the fable home of King Nestor. The site is one of the few Mycenaean cities that was undamaged by later settlement on the site, so modern excavations have been quite fruitful. The information recovered from Pylos reveals the high level of decoration that occurred in Mycenaean palaces. The walls, floors and ceilings of the megaron were covered in frescoes of bright colors. Since Pylos suffered a major destruction event around 1200 BCE, many of the rooms still contained their original contents. Thus, it is possible to discuss the uses of the numerous rooms at Pylos with a fair amount of certainty. Multiple rooms were set aside for housing thousands of drinking cups and other dinnerware. The residential suites on the ground floor were quite spacious, but those of the upper floor(s) can only be imagined. In one room a built-in sunken bath has even been preserved. For more information about the individual sites and their palaces see Significant Sites of the Mycenaeans.

Reconstruction of the large megaron at Pylos

The more impressive of the private residences were inspired by the large palaces, and were quite similar in layout and plan, usually centered around a megaron-like room.

Citadels and Fortifications
The citadel of Mycenae was probably the greatest and the largest of all the Mycenaean cities. Located on the top of a hill, the city was meant to take the fullest advantage of the natural defenses. The fortified wall surrounding the city was built up in progressive stages with the last section completed only a short time before the city was abandoned. The city walls were immense, incredibly thick, and consisting of several ton boulders. The 'Lion Gate of Mycenae, a rather late addition, is one of the few examples of a decorated entranceway in the Bronze Age on mainland Greece. The space above the lintel is filled with a sculptured image of two lions on either side of a Minoan style column. Underground tunnels were built to wells and springs at both Mycenae and Tiryns in preparation for sieges. Also Significant Sites of the Mycenaeans.

Tombs
The tombs of the Mycenaeans are famous for their unique construction and, of course, the amazing riches that were found in many of them. The first style of tomb popular on the mainland was the shaft grave. Two well preserved examples from Mycenae are known as Grave Circle A and Grave Circle B. Both were communal graves, the first held 19 skeletons and the second, 24. The spectrum of ages represented in each suggest common family burials. Both contained many fine examples of Early Mycenaean art pieces, including the now infamous Mask of Agamemnon.

Grave Circle A

The tholos tomb became popular for the burials of entire royal families later in the Mycenaean period. These tombs are known throughout Greece during the Bronze Age and are easily recognized by their bee-hive shape created by corbel vaulting of a round building. The most famous of these tholos tombs by far is the so-called Treasury of Atreus discovered by Heinrich Schliemann. These tholos tombs were entered through a dromos, or entrance passage. At the Treasury of Atreus, this dromos is of monumental proportions, 6m wide and 36m long. The dome of the tholos is equally impressive, 14.6m in diameter and 13.5m to the top of the dome. The stone work of the interior is very refined for the period, with a smooth surface of limestone.

Dromos of the Treasury of Atreus

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References

Biers, William R. The Archaeology of Greece. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1996.
Dickinson, Oliver. The Aegean Bronze Age. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Mylonas, George E. Mycenae and the Mycenaean Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966.
Vermeule, Emily. Greece in the Bronze Age. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1964.

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