The Kingdom of Pylos: Warrior-Princes of Ancient Greece

Featured Exhibition

Designed composite showing the top of an ancient Greek sword handle and part of its decorated hilt.

Left: Sword Hilt with a Horned Handle, Minoan or Mycenaean, 1520–1440 BCE. Bronze, gold, and ivory. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, SN24–0044 / Photo © Palace of Nestor Excavations, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati / Photo: Jeff Vanderpool; Right: Dagger (detail), Mycenaean, 1520–1360 BCE. Bronze, silver, and gold. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / National Archaeological Museum, Athens, P8339

Encounter the latest discoveries from Messenia, an epicenter of Mycenaean civilization in Late Bronze Age Greece, displayed for the first time outside Europe. Archaeology and cutting-edge science reveal the world of the Griffin Warrior, whose grave held offerings of incomparable artistry. Princely burials in monumental tombs reflect a society that came to be ruled by the Palace of Nestor in ancient Pylos. Inscribed clay tablets and vivid wall paintings document the final years of a powerful kingdom.

This exhibition is presented in English and Spanish. Esta exhibición se presenta en inglés y en español.

Jun 27, 2025–Jan 12, 2026

Getty Villa

Villa Museum Galleries

Free

All exhibitions are included in your free, timed-entry reservation to Getty. Reservations are available six weeks in advance. Please note, there is a fee for parking.

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Co-organized by

The J. Paul Getty Museum and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture

Selected Works

Sealstone with a Battle Scene (The Pylos Combat Agate)

Minoan, 1630–1440 BCE. Banded agate, gold, and bronze. Found in the grave of the Griffin Warrior, Pylos. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, SN18-0112 / © Palace of Nestor Excavations, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati / Photo: Jeff Vanderpool
Wall Painting with a Griffin and Lion

Mycenaean, 1240–1190 BCE. Lime plaster and pigment, set into a modern watercolor reconstruction. Found in the Queen's Hall, Palace of Nestor, Pylos. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, CM5256 series / Image © J. Paul Getty Trust, photo: Jeff Vanderpool
Vapheio Cup

Mycenaean, 1630–1510 BCE. Gold. Found in Tholos Tomb 3, Peristeria. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, CM 2634
Rhyton with Stag and Bull Heads

Mycenaean, 1410–1240 BCE. Terracotta. Found in Chamber Tomb A6, Volimidia. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, CM 235
Reconstruction of a Wall Painting with a Lyre Player

1955–56, Piet de Jong. Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper. Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, PDJ530. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture - HOCRED / Photo © Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati
Sealstone with a Seated Lion

Mycenaean, 1630–1440 BCE. Green jasper. Found in the grave of the Griffin Warrior, Pylos. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, SN24-0016 / Photo: © Palace of Nestor Excavations, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati / photo: Jeff Vanderpool
Pendant with Hathor (front and back)

Levantine, 1630–1440 BCE. Gold, lapis lazuli, glass, and semiprecious stones. Found in Tholos Tomb VI, Pylos. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, NSF10540 / Photo: © Palace of Nestor Excavations, Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati, photo: Jeff Vanderpool
Tablet on the Priestess Eritha

Mycenaean, about 1180 BCE, Clay. Found in the Archives Complex, Palace of Nestor, Pylos. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / National Archaeological Museum, Athens, P12579, P23341 / Photo: The Pylos Tablets Digital Project. © Department of Classics, University of Cincinnati
Headdress Armature (The Routsi Crown)

Mycenaean, 1630–1510 BCE. Bronze, gold, silver, and organic textile. Found in Tholos Tomb 1, Myrsinochori-Routsi. © Hellenic Ministry of Culture – HOCRED / Archaeological Museum of Chora, CM 3786