Mykenai
/my.kɛ̂ː.nai̯/noun
The ancient Greek name for Mycenae, the major Bronze Age citadel in the northeastern Peloponnese.
Did you know?The name’s ultimate origin is uncertain and may be pre-Greek; later Greeks connected Mykenai with Perseus, Agamemnon, and a dynasty marked by murder and betrayal.
Etymological Timeline
Prehistoric period
Pre-Greek
*Mykānai
“A proposed pre-Greek place-name; its original meaning is unknown.”
2nd millennium BCE
Mycenaean Greek
𐀔𐀒𐀊𐀚𐀄 (mukānai)
“The place-name associated with the Bronze Age palace center at Mycenae.”
8th–5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
Μυκῆναι (Mykênai)
“Mycenae; the ancient citadel and surrounding settlement.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Mycenae
“Mycenae, preserved in Roman geographical and literary writing.”
Modern English
English
Mycenae
“The archaeological site and ancient city in the northeastern Peloponnese.”
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