palace of nestor
It is the best preserved Mycenaean palace in Greece and has now re-opened after restoration
This impressive complex in the Peloponnese was built around 1300 BCE by King Nestor, ruler of ancient Pylos – who is mentioned by Homer in both The Iliad and The Odyssey and is reputed to have taken part in the Trojan War.
Perched on a hilltop with glorious views of Navarino Bay, it was an administrative, political and financial hub. In addition to the main palace stood the king’s residence – a smaller, older palace – and a large workshop or guardhouse. The residential buildings were two storeys high with 105 rooms on the ground floor alone.
The site was first excavated in 1939 by Carl Blegen of the University of Cincinnati, who discovered a large cache of clay tablets written in Mycenaean Linear B script, an adaptation of Linear A script used by the Minoans in Crete, therefore demonstrating a clear link between the two cultures. Linear B is the precursor to Modern Greek. Excavations resumed after the war in 1952 and continued until the 1960s where the works revealed the presence of a huge throne room with a circular hearth, a brightly coloured geometric floor and walls decorated with fine frescoes. Storerooms were filled with hundreds of wine cups. Perhaps most famous is the bathroom, which boasts a deep, decorated bathtub ideal for luxurious royal soaks. According to legend Nestor’s daughter bathed Telemachus here. The complex burned down in 1200 BCE and was never rebuilt. The palace has now re-opened to visitors after a three-year restoration, costing €2.5 million.