Archaeological Sites
The Archaeological Site of Tiryns
Tiryns, situated 20 km south-east of Mycenae on a low hill near the inlet of the Argolic Gulf, is another excellent example of the Mycenaean civilization—imbued with many legends and mythological heroes. Located on the fertile Argolid plain, Tiryns lies between Nafplio and Argos in the eastern Peloponnese in Greece.
Tradition says that the citadel was founded by the prince of Argos, Proetus, who, pursued by his brother, Acrisius, fled to Lycia and returned bringing with him the Cyclops who constructed these enormous walls. The fortification of the hill, completed at the end of the 13th century BC, surrounds the citadel with a total perimeter of approximately 750 m. The impressive walls, built of stones even larger than those of Mycenae, are up to 8 metres thick and 13 m high. They can rightly be regarded as a creation that goes beyond the human scale, as reveals the word “cyclopean” – built by Cyclops, the mythical giants from Lycia.
Five kilometers east of the citadel, a unique technical achievement of antiquity has been located. In this area is an enormous embankment, originally lined with boulders at its ends – some boulders can still be seen today – built to divert the rainwater of the Manesis torrent that flowed towards Tiryns and caused floods in the Early Bronze Age. In parallel with the construction of the dam, a diversion channel was opened towards the southwest, which carried the waters south of Profitis Ilias hill into the bed of another torrent (Ramadani). The dam should be dated in the 13th century BC, that is the period of Tiryns’ heyday, and is comparable to the Mycenaeans’ large-scale drainage works in Lake Kopais, Boeotia.
Fortress of Palamidi (in Nafplio)
The fortress of Palamidi is a true architectural masterpiece. This fort was built during the Venetian occupation in the early 19th century and consists of eight bastions, each was self-contained, ensuring that if one bastion was breached the others could still be separately defended. The bastions were built one on top of the other and they all connected with one wall. The Venetians named the bastions by ancient Greek names, such as Leonidas, Miltiades, Achilles, Themistocles, to give emphasis on the strength of the castle.
The beautiful chapel of Agios Andreas is built within the central bastion, which was the best equipped of all the bastions and hence was used as the main headquarters. During the Turkish occupation, Christians were forbidden to enter the fort.
However, the struggle for liberation from the Turks began at Palamidi fort. Palamidi fort was seized by Greek rebels, lead by Staikos Staikopoulos on 29th of November in 1822. The first Greek among these rebels to set foot in the fort was Dimitrios Moschonisiotis, from the bastion of Achilles. The next day saw the abandoned chapel being cleared and prepared for a Service. The chapel has since then been consecrated to Apostle Andreas and 30th of November is celebrated as his feast day.
Palamidi was also used as a prison for a period of time. In 1833, Theodoros Kolokotronis, one of the leaders of the Revolution was imprisoned here, charged with high treason. Prisoners were made to do physical labor and the 999 steps leading up to the fort were in fact built by the prisoners under the supervision of the Bavarian army.
Source: https://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/nafplion/sightseeing/nafplion-palamidi-castle/
Ancient theatre of Argos
It is situated southwest of the Larissa Acropolis and was built by Polykleitos in the late 5th cent. BC. It is a big architectural accomplishment, since it is one third carved into the rock. In its prime it could seat up to 20.000 people. It is considered the largest theatre of ancient Greece. It was the venue of musical and theatrical contests, but also of sittings of the Achaean League (Confederation). It was also the place where the Fourth National Assembly sat centuries later.
Source: https://www.argolisculture.gr/en/list-of-monuments/ancient-theatre-argos/
Myceanae
Mycenae (Μυκήνες) is one of the most important archaeological sites of Greece. The fortified citadel is nested over the fertile plain of Argolis near the seashore in the northeast Peloponnese.
Mycenae is the largest and most important center of the civilization that was named "Mycenaean" after this very citadel. Mycenaean is the culture that dominated mainland Greece, the Aegean islands, and the shores of Asia Minor during the late Bronze Age era (circa 1600-1100 BCE). The Mycenaean Era occupies the tail end of the Helladic Civilization, which flourished in mainland Greece since 3000 BCE.
Source: https://www.ancient-greece.org/archaeology/mycenae.html#google_vignette
Ancient theatre of Epidaurus
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, Peloponnese: The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is regarded as the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece in terms of its perfect acoustics and fine structure. It was constructed in the late 4th century BC and it was finalized in two stages. Originally the theatre had 34 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways.
It is situated near the ancient sanctuary of Asklepios, a celebrated healing center of the classical world. It was used as a therapeutic and religious center dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing. Today the sanctuary is an extended archeological site with interesting buildings. The theatre is surrounded by lush greenery, an integral part of the theatre itself. This famous ancient theatre distinguishes for its architectural symmetry and the great acoustics.
Due to its incomparable acoustics, the actors can be perfectly heard by all 15,000 spectators, as you can even hear the sound of a pin dropping. It is known from the antiquity until the present days for its size, the unique architecture and harmonious proportions. It was built by the architect Polykleitos on the side of a mountain and overlooking the sanctuary of Asklepius. This is a superb example of classical theater with an orchestra and the circular area between the seats and the stage. The highest distance of the concave is 58 meters, while the diameter of the stage is 20 meters.
For centuries the monument remained covered by a slope of trees until the year 1881, when several excavations took place. As the theatre was built after the classical times, not a single original ancient drama had been presented there, but all performances were repetitions of classic plays. Since 1938, when modern dramas started to be presented again in the theatre, it has hosted hundreds of plays.
The famous Epidavria Festival, presently Athens Epidaurus Festival, begun in1954 and it is held every summer with famous ancient dramas or modern plays. Over the years, the festival has hosted both Greek and foreign artists.
Source: https://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/epidaurus/sightseeing/epidaurus-ancient-theatre/