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THE MYCENAEAN CITY
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gate to the citadel, situated in the missing north wall.[1]

16. The East Gate.[2]This gate is well preserved, and can be seen in fig. 12 and fig. 13. The wall of the city, coming from the north and forming a bow-like projection (h g f e in fig. 14) beyond the entrance, makes a veritable cul-de-sac, where an assailant approaching from the south would be hemmed in between both walls of the fortress before he could reach the gate (a b). Such an arrangement, in a somewhat altered form, is well known to have existed at Mycenae and Tiryns.

In fig. 13 the reader will see on the left (a) the great East Wall of the city, partly covered by a fragment (f) of the gate of the VII Stratum. On the right the end of the other citadel wall incloses the gateway. The left corner is seen at b and c, but the façade is hidden by the great square wall (h) which the Romans erected as the foundation of the East Hall of the Athena Precinct.

As we enter the passageway, which is about 2 m. broad, we see on our left the wall of the city extending over 5 m. until it ends (fig. 14) at the well-preserved corner (c). The right wall is preserved to a height of only 2 m., while above it (fig. 13) lie ruins (e) belonging to the VII Stratum. Its original height was at least 4 m., since it must have had an elevation equal to that of the lower wall of the citadel. Beyond the bow-shaped gateway was the door,


  1. Dörpteld, Troja und Ilion, p. 126. Cf. Dörpfeld, Mitth. Ath., 1894; Heinrich, op. cit. p. 35; Tsountas and Manatt, op. cit. pp. 370–371.
  2. Dörpfeld, Troja und Ilion, pp. 126–131.