A wildfire erupted near the ancient Mycenaean ruins of Mycenae in Peloponessos, forcing authorities to quickly evacuate tourists who were visiting to archaeological site.

The fire started near the tomb of Agamemnon, the Bronze Age king of Mycenae, an important center of ancient Mediterranean civilization that thrived in the region two thousand years before Christ.

Mycenae is an archaeological site in the Argolis region of north-eastern Peloponessos, located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south-west of Athens.

In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece, Crete, the Cyclades and parts of southwest Anatolia. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000

The flames touched the stone ruins but the Ministry of Culture confirmed there was no major damage and the museum, housing priceless treasures, survived unscathed by the fire.

The blaze went through “a section of the archaeological site and burnt some dry grass without menacing the museum”, the commander of the southern Peloponnese region’s fire brigade, Thanassis Koliviras told Athens News Agency.

Dozens of firefighters rushed to the scene on Sunday afternoon and were supported by several water-dropping airplanes and helicopters, which helped contain the fire.