Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 23.djvu/428

Rh been founded by King Prœtus, the brother of Acrisius, who was succeeded by the hero Perseus. It was the scene of the early life of Heracles, who is hence called Tirynthius. The massive walls were said to have been the work of Cyclopean masons. Its period of greatest splendour was during the 11th and 10th centuries ; but the city continued to exist till about 468, when it was destroyed through the jealousy of the inhabitants of the neighbouring Argos, who had not assisted in the final defeat of the Persians at Platsea.

Excavations made in 1884-85 by Schliemann and Dōrpfeld over part of the rock on which Tiryns stood have exposed a most interesting building, quite unique as an example of a Greek palace of the 11th or 10th century B.C., and of special interest from the way in which it closely illustrates the Homeric palaces of Alcinous and Odysseus, and throws a new light on scenes such as the slaughter of the suitors (Od., xxi. and xxii.).



. 1.—Plan of the palace in the upper part of Tiryns. 1. Main gate in the outer wall. 2. Inner gate, approached between massive walls. 3. Main propylæum. 4. Inner propylæum. 5. Court (αὐλἡ) of the men, surrounded by a colonnade on three sides; the altar to Zeus Herceus is by the entrance. 6. AWovcra, portico of the men's megaron. 7. HpttSofws, inner porch. 8. Men's megaron, with roof supported on four columns, and the circular hearth in the middle. 9. Bath-room and small 6adfj.oi. 10, 10. Chambers round the great court. 11, 11. Guard chambers by the main propylseum. 12. Passage (a6prj) from the main propylaeum to the women's part. 13, 13. Courts of the women. 14. Women's megaron. 15. Chambers (OdXdfiot) in the women's part. 16. Passage from women's part to the rock-cut stairs. 17. Small postern door in the semicircular bastion, approached by flight of i ock-cut steps. 18, 18. Massive outer wall of city. 19. Inner wall to guard the entrance passage. 20. Part of outer wall, with intermediate passage and rows of chambers, as shown in fig. 2.

The rock on which Tiryns is built is of an irregular oval shape, about 330 yards long by 112 at the widest part, and is surrounded by a very massive wall, varying from 30 to 40 feet in thickness and averaging when complete about 50 feet in height, measuring from its base outside. Inside, the wall was probably not more than 10 or 12 feet high above the ground, so the masonry acts as a retaining wall to a considerable depth of eartli which covers the rock (see fig. 2 below). The wall is built of very large hammerdressed blocks, some as much as 10 feet long by 3 feet 3 inches or 3 feet 6 inches wide, with smaller ones to fill up the interstices. The whole was bedded, not in mortar, but in clay, which has mostly been washed out of the joints; originally the surface was probably protected with a coating of stucco. The only important gateway, which was on the east side, away from the sea, probably resembled the "lion gate" at Mycenae. The other entrances are mere slits in the wall. One of these and the chief gate are shown in fig. 1. Internally the area of the city was divided by cross walls into three parts at successive levels. The lowest and middle divisions have not yet been excavated; the upper part at the south end of the rock was completely exposed in 1884-85 by Schliemanu and Dörpfeld, and the almost complete plan of the various structures clearly made out. This division contains the palace of the ruler of Tiryns, a building which shows careful and skilful construction, elaborate decoration, and a well-arranged plan, suitable to the wants of a wealthy autocratic chief, who lived in a manner which partly recalls the luxury of an Oriental king, and also resembled the feudal state of a mediaeval baron, surrounded by a crowd of vassals. From the main gate, which was defended by a tower, a strong passage led between the outer wall and an inner one to an inner gate, thence to a propylseum or double porch, with two wooden columns on each side, adjoining which were chambers for guards. Then came another similar, but smaller propylæum, and opposite to that was the entrance to the great court (avXr;), nearly 53 by 70 feet, in which stands the altar to Zeus Herceus, with a circular pit beneath it to catch the victims blood.



This court was surrounded by wooden columns supporting a roof, like a mediaeval cloister; on the south side are chambers for attend ants (6a&/j.oi). On the north side is the great hall (/dyapov ), with an outer portico supported by two columns (at0ov&amp;lt;ra) and an inner vesti bule (irp&Sofj.os) with three doors. The hall is about 40 by 30 feet, with a cir cular hearth-stone in the centre (eerta or tffxdpa-). Four col umns supported the roof, the central part of which probably rose above the rest like a mediaeval "lantern"; and in this thprp vncj r&amp;gt;rr&amp;gt;V&amp;gt; Fl - 2 - Section through the outer wall of the city at 20 in fig. 1. A. Outer base of wall. B. Inside level ably a dpor leading of city. C. Intermediate platform for the garrison. D. Chambers opening on to it, with roof formed of projecting courses of stone in large blocks. E. Top of main wall, paved with clay, level with the inside. F. Wooden columns on existing stone bases, form ing a porticus or covered walk along the top of the wall. G. Outer wall of the colonnade built of brick, now missing. H. Probable roof of the colonnade of wood, covered with beaten clay. out to the flat roof round it possibly the dpffoOvpr) of Homer (Od., xxii. 126), through which one of the suitors escaped and so got arms from the treasury or armonry, which was on an upper floor (see Od., xxii. 142 and xxi. 5). On the west side of the hall are a number of small chambers (0ad^oi) for the unmarried men, and a bath-room about 12 by 10 feet, with its floor formed of one great slab of stone, sloped so as to drain out at one side through a pipe which passes through the wall. The women's part of the house is of equal importance to that of the men, and has its hall and two open courts with pillars. It is approached in a very cir cuitous way, either by a passage (a6pr;) leading from a side