Geography Index

Tiryns

An ancient city on the Peloponnesian Peninsula.

  Tiryns was a thriving and important city at the time of the Trojan War, circa 1240 BCE. Founded by the hero Tiryns, a son of Argos, son of the god Zeus, Tiryns had the distinction of having stone walls that were supposedly made by the Cyclopes—multi-armed, one-eyed giants who were the servants of Zeus. One observer reported that the stones were so large that "a pair of mules could not move the smallest from its place to the slightest degree." This type of construction was also evident in the Lion Gate of Mykenai (Mycenae), further to the north of Tiryns. When mentioning Tiryns in The Iliad, Homer included the phrase, "famed for its walls."

  During the Trojan War, Diomedes commanded the Achaian (Achaean) soldiers from the Peloponnesian cities of Tiryns, Argos, Asine, Eiones (Eionae), Epidauros (Epidaurus), Hermione, Mases, Troizen (Troezen), and Aigina (Aegina).¹

  Circa 371 BCE, it was necessary to abandon Tiryns when the Spartans became a threat to the smaller, independent cities of Argolis. The populations of Tiryns, Hysiae, Orneae, Mykenai, Mideia, and other towns were relocated to the newly created city of Megalopolis.

1. Aigina—a town or place in Epidauria, not Aigina the island.

Latitude North, Longitude East
37.6015, 22.7987