Cistern

Walk toward the light! Beyond the corbelled rock entrance (a triangular space similar to the relieving triangle over the Lion Gate) and a small interior landing, a stairwell cuts 18 meters deep in total darkness. Know where the metal support poles are before plunging ahead!

In c. 1200 BC this northeast extension to the Mycenean citadel was added to extend its fortification walls to safeguard the water supplied by this underground cistern. Photo shot from atop the Cyclopean wall on the south side of the extension.

An underground pipeline channeled water from a hillside spring some distance away (note the olive trees thriving even in the heat of August) and the cistern was created to store that water in case of siege or drought.
The northeast extension also enclosed several Mycenean houses, the foundations of which have been uncovered. Hellenistic remains are visible throughout the site, as well…

I wonder how many Mycenean goat herders sat atop (more likely against) this very wall in antiquity, listening to the very same tinkling of goat bells filling the air…