The Acropolis of Midea, along with Mycenae and Tiryns, is one of the three great centers of the Mycenaean Argolid. Its importance as a significant Mycenaean center is evident from the cyclopean-fortification, the finds from the excavations, its place in mythology and its connection with the rich cemetery at the neighbouring Dendra. Midea is mentioned in ancient literary sources and by travellers and scholars of teh 19th and 20th centuries, who noted and described the ruins of the fortifications, which had been visible throughout the centuries. The first trial excavations on the acropolis were carried out and undertaken in 1963 CE, whereas systemic excavations started in 1983 CE as a Greek-Swedish collaboration. In comparison to the work at Mycenae and Tiryns, which began in the last quarted of the nineteenth century CE, the excavation of the Midea is relatively recent.

Excavations and studies have shown that Midea was settled as early as the Late Neolithic period (circa late fifth and early fourth millennium BCE) and that there was a substantial-settlement there during the Early Bronze age and the Middle Bronze Age (circa 3200-1600 BCE) that developed in to a large and important center in the Mycenaean period (circa 1600-1100 BCE). Midea reached its height during the 13th century BCE, when the fortification wall with the gates and the best preserved structures on the lower acropolis were constructed.

At the end of the 13th century BCE, Midea, like Mycenae and Tiryns, was struck by a severe earthquake that caused extensive destruction to the fortifications and the buildings of the acropolis. The next Phase in the history of Midea was during the Archaic Period with the foundation of a sanctuary. In the late Roman period and then Byzantine times the site was inhabited again, but on much smaller scale.

circa 5800–3100 BCE

Acropolis of Midea
The acropolis of Midea represents a major Mycenaean citadel situated on a conical hill dominating the eastern Argive plain. Its impressive Cyclopean fortification walls, constructed in the mid-13th century BCE, enclosed a significant palatial center comparable in scale and importance to nearby Mycenae and Tiryns. Systematic excavations since 1983 CE have revealed a settlement occupied from the Neolithic period through the Bronze Age, with its zenith occurring in the Late Helladic IIIB period.

Archaeological investigations have uncovered monumental East and West Gates, extensive building complexes on terraced slopes for workshops and storage, and a large megaron, indicating the acropolis's function as a prominent administrative, economic, and ceremonial hub. The presence of Linear B inscribed stirrup jars and valuable artifacts, including jewelry molds and fragments of frescoes, attests to the site's role within the wider Mycenaean palatial system. Midea's prosperity concluded abruptly around 1200 BCE following a major earthquake and subsequent conflagration, a catastrophic event that mirrored the fate of other Mycenaean centers.

circa 1600-1100 BCE

Dendra
The Mycenaean cemetery at Dendra is situated approximately 1.5 kilometers west of the citadel of Midea and is demonstrably the principal necropolis for its ruling elite during the Late Bronze Age (LH II–LH IIIB). Discovered and systematically excavated by Swedish archaeologists beginning in the 1920s, the site consists of a magnificent tholos tomb and numerous chamber tombs carved into the hillside.

The lavish funerary assemblages unearthed, including the unique Dendra panoply of bronze armor, exquisite gold and silver vessels, and fine jewelry, provide crucial insights into the wealth, military technology, and social stratification of the Midean palatial center. The deliberate burial of horses, likely as part of elite funerary rituals, further highlights the prestige and specialized practices associated with Midea's highest-ranking families.

While the close geographical proximity and the richness of the grave goods establish a definitive link, archaeologists posit that Dendra served not only the residents of the Midean acropolis but possibly also members of its da-mo (people) from a potential lower town or surrounding region. The continued, albeit modest, reuse of some tombs after Midea's decline in the 13th century BCE suggests a persistent effort by later populations to maintain a connection to earlier elite lineages.