Vaulted tomb of Tiryns

In 1913, a domed tomb was excavated on the western slope of the hill of Prophet Elijah, about a kilometer from the acropolis of Tiryns. A 13-meter-long and almost 3-meter-wide road lined with limestone slabs leads to it. The entrance was decorated with frescoes with curls, and above it was a monolithic slab measuring 3×2×0.4 meters. The dome, with a diameter of about 8.5 meters, is made of large stones and limestone slabs. On the north side, a grave pit without decorations or Mycenaean pottery was discovered — the tomb was probably looted during the Roman era or was not used at all. In terms of construction time, it coincides with the third stage of the acropolis's construction. The fragments of Proto-Corinthian pottery found indicate that a cult of heroes existed here during this period. During the Roman period, the interior of the tomb was used as an oil mill. To the southwest of it, a second domed tomb was partially excavated in the 1980s. In 1915, an ancient cemetery with chamber tombs was found on the eastern slope of Mount Prophet Elijah. Archaeologists explored about fifty burials carved into the soft rock. People were buried there from the 16th to the 12th century BC. Most of the graves were looted in ancient times, which is probably when the “treasure of Tiryns” appeared. Some tombs were used later, after the decline of the Mycenaean civilization. Today, the site is hidden underground and planted with citrus trees. It is hard to believe that an ancient necropolis once stood beneath these groves.