Essays on Mycenae

The Mask of Agamemnon

There are a lot of artworks that will always contain some secret concerning its true origin and authenticity. One of such sculptures is definitely the case with the Mask of Agamemnon. This artifact from the Greek Bronze Age was discovered by distinguished German archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, in Mycenae dated 1876. After the stunning discovery of the real location of the legendary Troy, Schliemann was next planning to find the final resting place of Agamemnon, the famous king of ancient Mycenae who headed the Greek troops during the Trojan War. All his grand triumphs and tribulations are eulogized in Homer’ ...

In the formation of art of the peoples who lived in the Mediterranean basin, a huge role was played by the so-called Aegean, or Mycenaean art. The Aegean culture was formed and developed in III—II millennia BC and was created by tribes that lived on the island of Crete, the Peloponnese, the West coast of Asia Minor (Boardman 21). In 1871, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann excavated Hissarluka on the hill "pre-Homer" cities that can be dated to the III Millennium BC and which belong to the prehistory of the Aegean culture. Soon Schliemann began excavations in the ...

A photo1 of the Roman reproduction of the bronze sculpture, Diskobolos, housed in the Glyptothek in Munich helps us imagine how realistic the sculpture might feel upon viewing. The disc thrower’s right foot is flat on the ground indicating a stable connection with the earth so the thrower can push down on his leg for more power and support. His left leg is lifted at a right angle from the knee with the foot maybe two inches above the ground. His left lower leg and foot are turned in a way which is parallel to the right angle formed from the ...