European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A saw j w rot excavations at Royal cemetery known As grave Circle a uncovered Palace of agamemnon in years after site was found by Hel Nelch Schliemann. The first 16 Steps terminate Al a Small rectangular platform that is underground and outside the Wall. Next there Are 20 Steps Down going in a Westward direction from another platform three Steps on its North Side Lead to another passage that turns at right angles and proceeds steeply downward towards the Northeast for More than 50 Steps. It terminates at the Cistern which is fed by a Terra Cotta Acque duri bringing in water. The rectangular Cistern is roughly three feet by four feel and 16 feet deep. Near the City arc several huge Beehive like tombs the most prominent of which Are supposed to be those of clytemnestra and atreus. The name of agamemnon s wife was Given to the Tomb by villagers at the Lime of its discovery in the Early 19th Century but it is unlikely it was her Tomb. It measures 14 feet in diameter and it is reported that a turkish Gover nor of the District at the time removed its contents. No description of what was found inside is preserved probably one of the most impressive monuments to the mycenaean age is the Tomb called the Treasury of atreus. Which the villagers Call the Tomb of agamemnon. It is Well preserved with Only the decorations of its facade and Interior missing. The main room is about 16 feet in diameter and its vaulted ceiling rises More than 14 feet. It is made of almost perfectly joined blocks. It was built in 13th Century . Before the time of atreus. And archaeologists say it probably was built by some great King. The Tomb s contents probably were emptied in Antiquity. Nothing survives of its original furnishings. The mystery surrounding the tombs and the Circle Graves probably will always be one of the More intriguing aspects of Mycenae. One of the most astonishing features of the Graves is the great wealth and the wide contacts that the items found in them give witness to. Excavators found vessels of Gold and Silver Golden jewelry richly decorated Dag Gers beads and Fine pottery the men s faces were Cov ered with Golden masks and the bodies of children were wrapped in Golden sheets. Who were these people of Royalty 1 and where did their wealth come from these Are questions that have intrigued Arr geologists for years there Are no such Graves elsewhere in Greece. Perhaps archaeologists will soc the mystery some Day the answer May yet be uncovered at Mycenae. Mycenae should hold a spot near the top of anyone s list of places to visit in Greece not Only for its historical significance but for its marvels of ancient engineering the cyclopean Walls the Cistern and the Lions Gate. There s nothing quite like it anywhere  in Lateran museum in Rome cts abduction of Helen of Troy. A 29, 1977 Lions Gate Entrance to ancient Mycenae known now As the City of  the stars and stripes Page j3