Cataclysms

The acropolis of Hyle

Measurements and photographs: June 2002.
Published in the book "Metron Ariston" (11 Feb 2003) - ISBN 9608286069

Coordinates: Palace 38.485556  23.18214 - Southern Gate 38.482228  23.182472

This work was posted here in January 2011 (see Gla), but I have made
some corrections and new color diagrams.

The Bullhorn Dionysos

Gla

Measurements: June 2002
Photos: June 7, 2002

*See "The Homeric Hyle" for new color diagrams and corrections.


The hill

The Gla hill is situated about 2.0 km SE of the modern village Kastro at the NE shore of the lake Kephisis (later Kopais) in Boeotia. The lake was drained around 1900, so the hill rises 25-40 m above the plain. Its shape is like a key or a pear and is about 850 m (West to East) amd 570 m (north to South).

The "Mycenaean" fortification around the hill is about 2650 m long. The polygonal walls are 4π MC (5.70 m) thick and have been built with large stones (now broken). In some places there were towers so the thickness there is greater.

The name of this important prehistoric city is unknown. The archaeologist Noack thought that it was the Homeric Arne. However, according to Stephanos Byzantios, Arne was the prehistoric name of Chaeronia, a city on the west side of this lake, west of Orchomenos.

Homer (Iliad 2, 500) mentions the most important Boeotian cities but none of them -except Hyle (Ύλη) fits in the NE end of the lake Kephisis. In Iliad (5, 708) he informs us that the hero Oresbios was living in the city Hyle next to the lake Kephisis. Although there is no proof, I believe that this acropolis is Hyle.

The first excavations on the hill were made by de Ridder (1894) and later by Threpsiades (1955-60) and Iacobides (1980-86). The large "Mycenaean" palace is built on the highest point and has two L-shaped wings with many rooms, corridors and sewers. The northern side is built over a precipice about 35 m above the plain.

The southern Gate

The walls of the Gate (ΑΔ and ΒΓ) are not exactly parallel, so the angle ΑΘΒ is not a right angle. AB is equal to the width of the lintel of the Treasury of Atreus in Mycenae.

There are two rooms for the guards on each side of the Gate. Both of them have the same width but the length of the one on the south side is twice its width.

General plan of the palace

The first part on the eastern side

The second part on the eastern side

The third part on the northern side

The north wall of this wing is built over a precipice about 35 m above the plain. There is a narrow path 1.5 m in width between the wall and the precipice, so it is easy to cross this side from H to K and Λ. The height of the wall above this path is 5-6 m. The NE corner at H is broken and most of the blocks have fallen down.

Although most thresholds are rectangular and their width is equal to the width of the walls, some of them have one of their sides rounded after the lines. The rounded part that is protruding is about 1 d lower than the rectangular part.

The fourth part

There are three thresholds between prodomos and domos without walls.

The perimeter of domos is 25π.

The Treasury of Minyas

Measurements: 18 May and 1 September 2002

Plan of the Treasury of Minyas.

Dromos. The walls of the dromos have been completely destroyed and it is impossible to measure its length and width.

Entrance. The width of the entrance on the threshold is 2.71 m (1.5 cm less than that of the Treasury of Atreus). Schliemann gives 2.71 m too. The arc is 1 cm greater, or 168 d (6 MC). This is three times the width of the threshold (3 x 56 d = 168 d).

Tholos. The length of each stone is given in d as it was measured in cm on the ground. I did not measure the bottom of the second row because it is about the same as the first one. At the corners B, B' of the entrance it seems that the curve of the tholos for the first three rows becomes greater instead of smaller. Then it turns towards the tholos and becomes gradually smaller. The circumference on the ground is about 2705 d, so the diameter is 861 d. According to Schliemann, the diameter is 13.84 m from South to North and 14.05 m from SW  to NE. The average is 13.945 m (or 860 d). I made three measurements of the diameter and found 866 d (14.045 m).

Detail of the corner of the entrance and the tholos.

Each block is different in size and the lines are not exactly parallel. The dashed lines show the points where other measurements were made for the height of two or three rows.

The length of the first block at B is 128 d (1 rod) in the entrance (top), or 3 times the height of the block (3:1).

The ceiling of the Burial Chamber

Taken on May 18, 2002

The entrance of the Treasury of Minyas