THE LION GATE
MYCENAE, GREECE
Image Number 300
The Lion Gate was the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae, southern Greece. It was erected during the 13th century BC in the northwest side of the acropolis and is named after the relief sculpture of two lionesses above the entrance. ]The Lion Gate is the sole surviving monumental piece of Mycenaean sculpture, ]as well as the largest sculpture in the prehistoric Aegean. The Lion Gate is a massive and imposing construction, standing 3.10 m (10 ft) wide and 2.95 m (10 ft) high at the threshold. It narrows as it rises, measuring 2.78 m (9 ft) below the lintel. The gate itself consists of two great monoliths capped with a huge lintel that measures 4.5×2.0×0.8 m (15×7×3 ft). Above the lintel, the masonry courses form a corbelled arch, leaving an opening that lightens the weight carried by the lintel. This relieving triangle is a great limestone slab on which two confronted lionesses carved in high relief stand on either sides of a central pillar. The heads of the animals were fashioned separately and are missing. The imposing gate of the citadel with the representation of the lionesses was an emblem of the Mycenaean kings and a symbol of their power to both subjects and foreigners.
TECHNICAL NOTES
The image was taken with a tripod-mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 200. Exposure of 1/320th of a second and aperture F7.1. 45 mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter. The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.