Mycenae ruins, with a Lion Gate

The Mycenae ruins are located on the Argos Plain in the northeast of the Peloponnese Peninsula in Greece. The ancient city of Mycenae was the capital of the Achaeans between 2000 BC and 1000 BC. The Lion Gate is now preserved, which is the main gate of the ancient city. The gate pillars are built of a single stone, covered with a huge stone lintel. On the lintel, there is a whole huge stone with two female lions engraved in relief. The female lion is the symbol of the mother goddess of the Mycenaean religion. This gate is the first building in which reliefs are used by humans. The city wall was built around the mountain with huge stones. It is 5 meters thick, 8 meters high, and has a circumference of about 900 meters. It is very strong. The royal palace was located on a high point in the center of the city, and only its ruins remain.