Grave Circle B, Mycenae

A royal cemetery dating to roughly 1700-1600 BC, situated 117 metres west of the Lion Gate outside the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae in southern Greece. The circle has a diameter of 28 metres and contains 26 graves -- 14 shaft graves and 12 cist graves -- enclosed by a circular stone wall. Discovered accidentally in 1951 during work on the nearby Tomb of Clytemnestra, it yielded bronze weapons and drinking vessels with male burials, and jewelry and ornaments with female burials. Skeletal analysis revealed many occupants were related and several males bore healed combat injuries, pointing to an elite warrior class.