Mycenae Lion Wall

The piece of artwork I have chosen to critique is the Lion Gate architecture found on page 39 in the textbook. The Lion Gate is the main entrance to the citadel of Mycenae. Mycenae is located on top of a small mountain. The gate is ten feet both wide and high, and narrows as it rises. The triangular shape prevents the lintel from falling in and breaking by evenly distributing weight. It was constructed of rock, gold, and clay. It is also a perfect example of a post-and-lintel arch. The top part above the lintel is a corbeled arch and is made up of two lions, which are known as symbolizing power. This is first sculpture that was found on main land Greece.

One reason I feel that the Lion Gate is significant is because it shows the Mycenaean’s outlook on life. The Mycenaean’s were far more defensive than the Minoans based upon this entrance. They lived behind very thick walls known as the Cyclopean Masonry. It was named this because according to legend, only a creature as big as the cyclops could move the large stones the wall was built with. This entrance way and its surrounding walls makes it very clear the Mycenaean’s felt they needed to defend themselves against some sort of enemy.

This piece of art is also significant because it shows that a lot of thought was put into sculpture, even this …show more content…
It is still standing today on the peninsula of Peloponnesus, although Mycenae was destroyed long ago. I think that this sculpture showed us just a small taste of what the Greeks were capable of building. I also think that this is a great first example of not only the actual building technique of the Mycenaean’s but it shows that they thought farther than just how they were going to construct it and involved basic math in the plans so that it would not fall in on itself. They also were able to construct a nice relief sculpture on top of the arch to symbolize their