Τίρυνς Τίρυνθα |
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General view of the Citadel of Tiryns, with Cyclopean masonry.
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Location | Argolis, Greece |
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Coordinates | 37°35′58″N 22°47′59″E / 37.59944°N 22.79972°ECoordinates: 37°35′58″N 22°47′59″E / 37.59944°N 22.79972°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Periods | Bronze Age |
Cultures | Ancient Greece |
Official name | Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
Designated | 1999 (23rd session) |
Reference no. | 941 |
State Party | Greece |
Region | Europe and North America |
Tiryns /ˈtɪrᵻnz/ or /ˈtaɪrᵻnz/ (Ancient Greek: Τίρυνς; Modern Greek: Τίρυνθα) is a Mycenaean archaeological site in Argolis in the Peloponnese, some kilometres north of Nauplion.
Tiryns was a hill fort with occupation ranging back seven thousand years, from before the beginning of the Bronze Age. It reached its height between 1400 and 1200 BCE, when it was one of the most important centers of the Mycenaean world, and in particular in Argolis. Its most notable features were its palace, its cyclopean tunnels and especially its walls, which gave the city its Homeric epithet of "mighty walled Tiryns". In ancient times, the city was linked to the myths surrounding Heracles, with some sources citing it as his birthplace.
The famous megaron of the palace of Tiryns has a large reception hall, the main room of which had a throne placed against the right wall and a central hearth bordered by four Minoan-style wooden columns that served as supports for the roof. Two of the three walls of the megaron were incorporated into an archaic temple of Hera.