Archaeological Site of Tiryns

The city built by the Cyclopes!
The fortification of the hill of Tiryns (located at the 8th km of the road from Argos to Nafplio), which protects the palace complex, is such an impressive construction that the ancient Greeks could not accept that it was completed by human hands. Thus, the architects of Tiryns were considered to be the Cyclopes, whom the mythical founder of the city, Proetus, brought with him from distant Lycia.

Tiryns is associated with all the great heroes possessing supernatural powers: Bellerophon, Perseus, and Heracles. Indeed, the construction of the wall is unimaginable and a challenge to logic, even for today’s visitors. One stands in awe before the perfect interlocking of these massive boulders, unable to comprehend how or by whom such a mechanical feat was achieved.

From the findings, we know that the gentle hill of Tiryns has been continuously inhabited from the Neolithic Era until the Late Antiquity.

It flourished during the Early Bronze Age. Between 2700 and 2200 BC, there was a populous and prosperous settlement here. The circular building with a 27-meter diameter, which dominates the top of the hill, undeniably signals the power of the city. The fortification of Tiryns was completed gradually to protect the palace complex, religious spaces, and funerary monuments. Storerooms, workshops, and residences complete the image of a city that flourished for nearly 2,000 years, until the 5th century BC.