A Note on the Recent Excavations at Mycenae, and the Scheme Proposed for their Publication

Extract

The following article by K. A. Wardle is the first of a series of studies on the finds from the excavation known as the Citadel House, a name given by Professor Wace to an area on the Mycenae acropolis to the south of Schliemann's grave circle. Its exact situation is between the South House and Tsountas's House and next to the Cyclopaean wall. In effect it is a continuation southwards of the so-called South House that Wace excavated in 1922. He recognized at that time that he had uncovered only a small part of a large building but circumstances did not permit him to proceed further with the excavation. Only in 1954 was work resumed on this site as part of a large programme that was mainly concerned with areas outside the citadel. To distinguish it from these other areas it was given the name of the ‘Citadel House’, a non-committal term but one that, in view of the later importance of the site, was liable to lead to misunderstanding, implying that it was the only house on the acropolis.

Professor Wace, had he lived, would no doubt have considered changing the designation but in deference to his memory the name has been retained and it has been used in all the short provisional reports that have appeared to date. Professor Mylonas, who understandably dislikes the present designation, refers to the site as ‘Wace's House’, but I think that Wace would not have favoured such a term. One cannot now say what other name he would have preferred to substitute, but I do not think he would have objected to the term ‘South House’, and unquestionably part of the ‘Citadel House’ is an extension of the South House; but one must bear in mind that the buildings that have been uncovered between the South House and Tsountas's House do not always have the same axis as the former.