Inspired by the stories of the heroes of the Trojan War in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, 19th-century explorers searched for the homeland of the legendary King Nestor in the "sandy Pylos," on the shores of southwestern Peloponnese.

Later, archaeologists investigated the hinterland, in the Engleianos mountain range, where they uncovered a palace and inscribed clay tablets that confirmed the location of ancient Pylos. The Palace of Nestor, as it is now known, was built shortly after 1300 BC as the seat of a monarch whose kingdom extended roughly over modern Messenia.

During the early phases of the Late Bronze Age in Greece (approximately 1630–1360 BC), the region of Messenia was an important center of Mycenaean civilization. Aristocratic families, who governed prosperous communities, acquired luxurious items imported from Minoan Crete and distant regions such as Egypt and the Near East.

They erected tholos tombs to honor their ancestors and were buried along with their weapons and wealth. The era of these warrior-lords heralded the rise of a powerful kingdom centered in Pylos, which exercised control over the economic, political, and religious activities of the area.

This catalog, with more than 300 images and texts from an international team of archaeologists, includes impressive recent discoveries, mainly from the tomb of a man known as the Griffin Warrior, who was found surrounded by objects of unparalleled artistry. As excavations continue throughout Messenia, modern technologies and analytical methods for interpreting the remains of the Late Bronze Age reveal the history behind the myths.