Amphipolis
Berea
Mycenae
Pella
Vergina

The content on this website is maintained by Robert Myallis, pastor at Zion's Lutheran Church, of Jonestown, PA. 

The photos were taken by Emily Myallis, a diaconal minister in the ELCA who also serves at Zion's Lutheran.

This website and travel to Greece was made possible by a grant from the Fund for Theological Education, which provides grants to assist the education and formation of Christian  leaders from numerous denominations.

Bible quotes are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, unless cites otherwise.

The above photo of Greece comes from NASA; The icon of Saint Paul comes from George Mitrevski's website. 

 

 

Mycenae

Mycenae, not mentioned in the Bible, is the home to the main palace of the ancient Mycenaean civilization, which flourished from around 1500-1100 BC.  The picture is of the main gates.  The ancient Greeks believed the giant stones on the side were too big for normal humans too have moved and hence believed that the Cyclops had moved them. 

Mycenae is also interesting because for many years Homer's Iliad (where the Greeks battle Troy over Helen) was thought to be completely fiction.  However, they discovered mass amounts of gold and masks in tombs here, perhaps giving credibility to Homer's claim that Mycenae was rich in gold;  The famous gold burial mask here is called Agamemnon's mask after King Agamemnon, who led the Greek forces in the Battle of Troy (his brother's wife was Helen!). 

How is Mycenae significant for understanding the world of Paul?

Besides all sorts of legends and gold, the decline of the civilization is telling. Trade routes with cities in modern day Lebanon and Israel broke down because of war there. This decline in revenue made it infeasible to maintain their palace system and eventually their cities (and their writing) faded away. It speaks to the way in which the Eastern Mediterranean, even in 1100 BC, was interconnected.

source:
info on Mycenae:  placards at archeological site and museum, July 2006.