The Mask of Agamemnon and the Treasures of Mycenae
The story of Schliemann's golden discovery, what the shaft graves held, where the treasures are now, and how it all connects to the citadel you visit.
The golden Mask of Agamemnon is the single most famous object from Mycenae, and its story is bound up with the citadel you visit. In 1876 Heinrich Schliemann excavated the royal shaft graves of Grave Circle A, just inside the Lion Gate, and uncovered a hoard of gold — masks, daggers, cups and jewellery — that remains the richest find of prehistoric Europe. Schliemann named the finest mask after Homer's King Agamemnon, though it is now dated earlier than the legendary Trojan War. The originals are in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, while the on-site Archaeological Museum of Mycenae, included in your ticket, tells the story where it happened. This guide covers the discovery, the treasures, the mask's true date, and where to see everything today.
How did Schliemann discover the treasures of Mycenae?
The treasures of Mycenae came to light in 1876, when the German businessman-turned-archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, already famous for his excavations at Troy, turned his attention to the citadel Homer had called 'rich in gold'. Guided by the ancient descriptions and by the traveller Pausanias, Schliemann dug just inside the Lion Gate and uncovered Grave Circle A, a ring of deep shaft graves holding the dead of Mycenae's ruling dynasty from the 16th century BC. What he found astonished the world: layer upon layer of gold laid with the bodies, including the funerary masks that would make Mycenae legendary. Schliemann believed he had reached the tombs of Agamemnon and his followers, and famously — if apocryphally — was said to have declared that he had gazed upon the face of the king.
Schliemann's discovery transformed the understanding of early Greece, proving that a rich and sophisticated Bronze Age civilisation had existed on the mainland long before the classical age, the civilisation we now call Mycenaean after this very site. His methods, by modern standards, were rough and hasty, and his romantic identifications — naming the mask for Agamemnon, another grave for Cassandra — have not stood up to later scholarship. But the significance of what he uncovered is beyond doubt. Standing at Grave Circle A today, within the citadel walls, you look at the exact spot where this epoch-making find was made. Our concierge recommendation is to read the story before you visit, so that the low stone circle just inside the Lion Gate becomes not just a ring of slabs but the birthplace of Mycenaean archaeology.
What treasures were found in the shaft graves?
The shaft graves of Grave Circle A held the richest single hoard of prehistoric Europe, a dazzling array of gold and craftsmanship buried with the ruling elite of Mycenae in the 16th century BC. Among the finds were several gold funerary masks, laid over the faces of the dead; gold diadems, breastplates, and hundreds of thin gold ornaments; finely wrought rings and jewellery; gold and silver cups, including the famous vessels later associated with Homeric feasting; and, most exquisitely, bronze daggers inlaid with scenes in gold, silver and niello showing hunts and warriors. Weapons, seal stones and objects of amber, faience and rock crystal spoke of far-reaching trade. The sheer quantity and artistry of the gold confirmed that Mycenae had been, exactly as Homer remembered it, a city rich beyond compare.
These objects tell us a great deal about the Mycenaean world at its dawn. The masks and the lavish burials reveal a warrior aristocracy that prized display and believed in honouring its dead with wealth for the afterlife. The inlaid daggers show astonishing technical skill and a love of dramatic narrative scenes, while the imported materials trace connections across the Aegean, to Crete, Egypt and beyond. Later finds from the beehive tombs and the wider site, including the celebrated Warrior Vase and Linear B tablets, filled out the picture of a literate, organised and outward-looking society. Our concierge recommendation is to look closely at the replicas and finds in the on-site Archaeological Museum of Mycenae, then seek out the genuine gold in Athens, to appreciate both the artistry of the objects and the world that produced them.
Is the Mask of Agamemnon really Agamemnon?
The short answer is no — the Mask of Agamemnon almost certainly does not depict the Agamemnon of legend, and here is why. Schliemann named the mask for Homer's king because he believed the shaft graves belonged to the heroes of the Trojan War. But the graves of Circle A, and the mask itself, are now securely dated to around the 16th century BC, roughly three centuries before the traditional date of the Trojan War in the 13th or 12th century BC. Whoever wore this golden face in death, he lived and died long before any historical events that might lie behind Homer's epic. The name has stuck for its romance and fame, but it is a misnomer, and museum labels are careful to note as much.
None of this diminishes the mask's importance or its power. It remains one of the most iconic images of the ancient world, a serene, bearded golden face that has become the emblem of Mycenaean civilisation itself. Its true significance is as a masterpiece of early Mycenaean goldwork and a window onto the beliefs of a Bronze Age elite who sent their dead into the afterlife behind faces of gold. Some scholars have even debated details of its style, though it is widely accepted as genuine. Our concierge recommendation is to enjoy the legend while knowing the history: call it the Mask of Agamemnon by all means, but understand that you are looking at the face of an unknown king who ruled golden Mycenae centuries before Homer's heroes were imagined.
Where can I see the treasures of Mycenae today?
The greatest treasures of Mycenae — the gold masks including the Mask of Agamemnon, the inlaid bronze daggers, the gold cups and diadems, and the famous Warrior Vase — are displayed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, in its outstanding prehistoric and Mycenaean collection. If your trip includes both Athens and the Argolid, seeing the citadel and then the gold in Athens, or the other way round, gives the fullest experience: the site provides the setting and the story, while the museum lets you stand before the genuine, gleaming objects. For many visitors, encountering the real Mask of Agamemnon in Athens after walking the ruins of Mycenae is a highlight of a whole trip to Greece.
At the site itself, the Archaeological Museum of Mycenae, on the slope just below the citadel and included in your combined ticket, holds a wealth of genuine finds — pottery, figurines, jewellery, seal stones, fragments of frescoes and Linear B tablets — alongside faithful replicas of the great gold objects now in Athens. Seeing these in the very landscape where they were unearthed ties each object to its place, so that the graves, the walls and the palace on the hill come vividly to life. Our concierge recommendation is to visit the on-site museum as part of your Mycenae day, then, if your itinerary allows, make time for the National Archaeological Museum in Athens to see the originals; together they tell the complete story of the golden citadel of the Argolid.
Frequently asked
Who found the Mask of Agamemnon?
Heinrich Schliemann found it in 1876 in the royal shaft graves of Grave Circle A, just inside the Lion Gate at Mycenae. He named it for Homer's King Agamemnon, believing he had found the hero's tomb.
Is the Mask of Agamemnon really Agamemnon?
Almost certainly not. The mask dates to around the 16th century BC, roughly three centuries before the traditional date of the Trojan War, so it depicts an unknown earlier king. The name is a romantic misnomer that has simply stuck.
What was found in the shaft graves at Mycenae?
Gold funerary masks, diadems, breastplates, rings, gold and silver cups, and bronze daggers inlaid with gold and silver scenes, among much else — the richest single find of prehistoric Europe, buried with Mycenae's ruling elite in the 16th century BC.
Where is the Mask of Agamemnon now?
In the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, along with the other great gold treasures from Mycenae's shaft graves. At the site you see where they were found, and the on-site museum shows finds and replicas.
Can I see any real treasures at the Mycenae site?
Yes. The Archaeological Museum of Mycenae, included in your ticket, holds genuine finds — pottery, figurines, jewellery, seal stones and Linear B tablets — alongside replicas of the gold now in Athens, all shown where they were excavated.
What is the Warrior Vase?
A famous Mycenaean krater found at the site, decorated with a file of armed warriors marching off to war. Like the gold masks, the original is in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
Why is Mycenae called 'rich in gold'?
The phrase is Homer's, describing Mycenae in the Iliad. Schliemann's discovery of the gold-filled shaft graves in 1876 showed the description was strikingly apt for the Bronze Age citadel.