Heinrich Schliemann begins excavation at Mycenae (1876)

Heinrich Schliemann, a German businessman and archaeologist, began excavations at Mycenae in 1876. His work focused on Grave Circle A, following descriptions from Homer and Pausanias. The excavation was conducted under the supervision of Panagiotis Stamatakis, a Greek archaeologist required by Schliemann's permit. Findings from this dig, including shaft grave evidence, were published in 1878.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Mycenae is an archaeological site in Argolis, Greece, associated with the Mycenaean civilization (c. 1600–1100 BC). Grave Circle A, a royal cemetery south of the Lion Gate, represents a significant characteristic of this early phase. Schliemann, an advocate for the historicity of Homeric places, initiated digs at this site in 1876, following earlier work at Hisarlik.

Excavation Details. Schliemann excavated Grave Circle A in 1876–77, guided by descriptions from Homer and Pausanias. The work was supervised by Panagiotis Stamatakis, a Greek archaeologist attached to the excavation as a condition of Schliemann's permit. The dig revealed shaft grave evidence indicating extensive Cretan influence in the region from c. 1600 BC.

Publication. The findings from the 1876 excavations were published in 1878 in the work 'Mycenae: A Narrative of Researches and Discoveries at Mycenae and Tiryns'. This publication documented the discoveries, including pottery material found by Stamatakis in 1877, which spanned the Early Helladic period.

People involved

Sources

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