Grave Circle B

Grave Circle B was a grave complex located outside of the Bronze Age citadel at Mycenae. In use from around 1650-1550 BC, it enclosed 14 shaft graves and 12 cist graves. These graves were used and reused, possibly along family lines. Most of the 35 skeletons found were men; only four were positively identified as female. This, as well as the forensic data showing that the deaths were mostly violent, suggests that these graves were used for an elite warrior class. The site is notable for the extensive presence of grave goods. The quality of goods at the site (which includes weapons and pottery) reveals an increasing differentiation of wealth within Mycenaean society and the rise of an elite class. Some scholars also believe that many of the items were either imported from or influenced by Minoan centers on Crete, which gives insight into the relationship between Crete and mainland Greece at this time. The grave circle was excavated in the early 1950s by a team of archaeologists from Greece.