Description of the attraction
The ancient Greeks always treated their dead with special respect. The burial of the deceased, his worthy escort to another world was considered the sacred duty of the living. Even during wars, a truce was concluded for some time in order to be able to bury the killed soldiers. It was considered the most terrible curse to die and not be buried; criminals were usually honored with such a fate.
Ancient burials are certainly of great interest to archaeologists. Since the funeral rite was an important part of the culture of the ancient Greeks, the construction of tombs was treated with special reverence. The structure itself and its contents (weapons, jewelry, various utensils, etc.) can tell a lot about the social status of the deceased and the culture of that period. The rich burials of the Mycenaean civilization are characterized by mine, chamber and domed tombs.
In the first half of the 20th century, a Mycenaean burial site of great interest to historians was discovered by the Swedish archaeologist Axel Persson near the village of Dendra (Midea municipality, Argolis). Since the famous Mycenaean acropolis of Midea and the necropolis of Dendra are nearby, it can be assumed that it was the inhabitants of Midea who used Dendra as a cemetery. During the excavations, a whole complex of domed tombs (tholos) and chamber burials were revealed. Researchers believe that these burials were valid from 1500 to 1180 BC.
Despite the fact that most of the treasures of the Mycenaean tombs were plundered for several thousand years, a lot of interesting artifacts still survived in Dendra. During the excavations, jewelry, ceramics, weapons, various tools and utensils were found. The artifacts are mainly made of gold, silver, precious and semiprecious stones, ivory, glass, bronze, and clay. One of the most famous finds at Dendra is the unique bronze armor (1400 BC).
Artifacts found during excavations of Mycenaean tombs at Dendra are on display at the National Archaeological Museum (Athens) and the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion.
