Architectural Geology of Mycenae, Part 2: The Lion Gate, Peloponnese, Greece
Constructed at about 1250 BC, this monumental entrance remains one of the most impressive uses of stone in all of human architecture. Despite the gate's traditional name, most modern archeological sources identify the big cats depicted in bas relief as lionesses rather than lions. Their missing heads may have been crafted from bronze or another metal rather than stone.
Interestingly, the Triassic-to-Jurassic limestone used for much of Mycenae's cyclopean masonry is found here only in the sculpted triangular section. The jambs and lintel of the doorway, and also the massive, dressed-face ashlar blocks, are the hard, Pliocene-to-Pleistocene conglomerate quarried in the valley nearby.
If you look closely, you'll see that the conglomerate contains visible chunks of the older limestone and other rock types eroded and then transported from higher elevations into the Argos Graben. Some of these particles are quite angular in shape, which indicates that they did not travel far before being relithified. Still, there are enough rounded and subrounded cobbles for this rock to be classified as a standard conglomerate rather than as a breccia.
To see the other photos and descriptions of this series, visit my
Architectural Geology of Mycenae album.
Architectural Geology of Mycenae, Part 2: The Lion Gate, Peloponnese, Greece
Constructed at about 1250 BC, this monumental entrance remains one of the most impressive uses of stone in all of human architecture. Despite the gate's traditional name, most modern archeological sources identify the big cats depicted in bas relief as lionesses rather than lions. Their missing heads may have been crafted from bronze or another metal rather than stone.
Interestingly, the Triassic-to-Jurassic limestone used for much of Mycenae's cyclopean masonry is found here only in the sculpted triangular section. The jambs and lintel of the doorway, and also the massive, dressed-face ashlar blocks, are the hard, Pliocene-to-Pleistocene conglomerate quarried in the valley nearby.
If you look closely, you'll see that the conglomerate contains visible chunks of the older limestone and other rock types eroded and then transported from higher elevations into the Argos Graben. Some of these particles are quite angular in shape, which indicates that they did not travel far before being relithified. Still, there are enough rounded and subrounded cobbles for this rock to be classified as a standard conglomerate rather than as a breccia.
To see the other photos and descriptions of this series, visit my
Architectural Geology of Mycenae album.