Mycenae Lion Gate. Circa 1249 BCE.

The Lion Gate guards and provides the main access to the citadel. It was closed by a double, heavy wooden door which was secured by a sliding bar. It was added during the second building phase of the citadel, dated to about 1249 BCE.
The two lions arranged symmetrically around a column is the first example of representational monumental sculpture in the European continent. While its significance has been lost to the depths of history, its placement above the main gate of the most powerful citadel of late Bronze Age has led to speculation that it symbolized something important like a family crest of a coat of arms.

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Animals Architecture Art Bronze Age Citadel Cyclopean Doors and Gates Martial Mycenae Mycenaean Original Photo Palace Peloponnese Relief Sculpture