The site had been inhabited since the Neolithic period, that is, for around seven thousand years.

It reached the height of its importance between 1400 and 1200 BC, when it rose to become one of the major centers of the Mycenaean world. Its Cyclopean walls earned the city the epithet recorded by Homer: "Tiryns of the mighty walls." Tiryns is closely linked to the myths surrounding Heracles, as the city served as the hero's home during his exploits and is even cited in some sources as his birthplace. Around 1150 BC Tiryns had a population of approximately 15,000.

In 1999, UNESCO inscribed Tiryns—along with the ruins of Mycenae—on the World Heritage List, recognizing its outstanding architecture and its significance as a testament to the development of ancient Greek civilization.
When we tried to visit the site, the archaeological grounds were closed.