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Article: Mycenae `rich in gold'.
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- September 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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POLYCHRYSOS ("RICH IN GOLD")--HOMER USED THIS WORD SEVERAL TIMES TO DESCRIBE the great palace of Agamemnon at Mycenae (my SEE nee). For archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the phrase possessed an irresistible attraction, as it suggested that magnificent treasures might lie hidden beneath Mycenae's great walls and dusty landscape. And, so it was that Schliemann left his excavations at Troy, where he had found what he believed to be King Priam's treasures. Now he wanted to find those of Priam's enemy, Agamemnon. He was not disappointed.
In 1876, with the assistance of his wife, Sophia, and a number of local workmen, Schliemann opened the first of six shaft graves in ...