The ruins were never taken away, and they were only for archæologists of antiquity and of the modern times, an object of interest. The “gate of lions” of Mycenæ, which has been built in over-old Grecian style, has been known long ago; it gave entrance to the bourg; Pausanias, who, while traveling in Greece, two centuries after Christ, visited the old city of Atreus, probably found the gate in a far better condition than it is at the present date; it was, for him, an object of the highest interest, and he was of opinion that the Cyclops themselves had builded the gate and walls. Further, he relates: “Under the ruins of Mycenæ, is a well, and the under-earthly apartments of Atreus and his descendants, which served them as treasuries. There are also tombs; in the first place, that of Atreus, and then all the graves of those who returned with Agamemnon from Troja, and who, like he, were murdered by Aegisthus. Only Clytemnestra and Aegisthus have not been deemed worthy of being buried there; their graves are outside of the wall.” Dr. Schliemann, reading this account of the archæologist of antiquity, had not the slightest doubt but that the history of Greece was more than a mere tradition, and how wonderfully have his presentiments been fulfilled! When we enter the bourg by means of the “gate of lions,” we are soon enabled to continue on our way through a corridor, which is formed by a well-preserved stone wall which surrounds a circular plain of about fifty feet in diameter; the wall reaches nearly to the height of a person’s breast. On this plain, Dr. Schliemann commenced his excavations; already at a small depth they found the first traces; several slabs of a yellowish lime, adorned with ancient reliefs, and showing that they once had served as slabs on graves. On taking them away, they saw a broad shaft in the earth, twenty feet long, and ten feet deep; a second, parallel to the first, followed, and afterwards, three others were found behind the smaller sides of the first two. Of course, Dr. Schliemann was bound to penetrate to the extreme depth of these shafts, and while digging, he found earthenware, and small objects manufactured of gold. At last, they came to the extreme depth on a hard floor, and here three skeletons were lying, at a little distance from each other, surrounded by innumerable weapons and objects of luxury, partly of gold, and partly of silver; one of these corpses was distinguished by exceedingly well-preserved teeth. [Sidenote: THE TOMB OF AGAMEMNON.] This was the tomb of Agamemnon and his faithful warriors. Dr. Schliemann, in his correspondence to the London _Times_, describes the treasures which he found lying around the bodies, in the following manner: [Sidenote: DR. SCHLIEMANN’S ACCOUNT.]