Similar to Mycenae in many respects, Tiryns is distinguished by the massiveness and efficiency of its defences. Its walls are built of such huge blocks that its construction was later attributed to the legendary one-eyed giants, the Cyclopes.
Two strongly defended gateways gave access to the fortress: both had a steep and narrow approach overlooked by the defenders who could pick off anyone rash enough to approach in hostility. In places the massive walls contained corbel-vaulted galleries.
The interior of the defences were divided into two, the lower portion an open area in which people and their animals could take refuge in times of war. The upper citadel had guard posts, courtyards and a substantial royal palace with storerooms, workshops and domestic quarters.
A defended water supply was guaranteed by a pair of underground cisterns outside the walls to which access was gained through stone-walled corbel-roofed underground passages cut beneath the wall.
