About three and a half thousand years ago, a man was buried on a Greek hillside near Pylos, surrounded by an incredible wealth. Interestingly, many of these treasures appear to have been appropriated from a more advanced civilization before his own. Was the Griffin Warrior affiliated with a war party that sacked the Minoan stronghold of Crete, eventually plunging the island into chaos? Experts now theorize that the people of the Griffin Warriors, the Mycenaean Greeks, descended on Crete with the intention of colonizing this once prosperous land. His grave goods show that they ransacked whatever they loved and wasted everything else.
One of the most captivating artifacts buried with a warrior is an intricately carved stone, one inch long, used to stamp a personal seal into clay—a seal. Its exquisite craftsmanship clearly reflects its Minoan origins. Closer examination of the stone reveals a striking resemblance between the depicted warrior and the remains of the Griffin Warrior himself, including distinctive long curls. Ivory combs and a bronze mirror found in the tomb may provide indirect evidence linking the warrior to the well-dressed hero in the carving.
See more
