 Walk toward
the light! Beyond the corbelled rock entrance (a triangular space similar to the relieving
triangle over the Lion Gate) and a small interior landing, a stairwell cuts 18 meters deep
in total darkness. Know where the metal support poles are before plunging ahead! |
 In c.
1200 BC this northeast extension to the Mycenean citadel was added to extend its
fortification walls to safeguard the water supplied by this underground cistern. Photo
shot from atop the Cyclopean wall on the south side of the extension. |
 An
underground pipeline channeled water from a hillside spring some distance away (note the
olive trees thriving even in the heat of August) and the cistern was created to store that
water in case of siege or drought. |
 The
northeast extension also enclosed several Mycenean houses, the foundations of which have
been uncovered. Hellenistic remains are visible throughout the site, as well... |
 I
wonder how many Mycenean goat herders sat atop (more likely against) this very wall in
antiquity, listening to the very same tinkling of goat bells filling the air... |
