The grave was discovered by a research team sponsored by the University of Cincinnati and led by husband-and-wife archaeologists Jack L. Davis and Sharon Stocker.

With questions still to be answered about the Mycenaean civilization prior to the 13th century BC, the University of Cincinnati renewed excavations at the "Palace of Nestor" in 2015, with the support of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens and the permission of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Due to local bureaucracy issues and an unforeseen strike, they were unable to get a permit for their desired site and were instead only given permission to dig in a neighboring olive grove.

A recent computerized facial reconstruction based on the warrior's skull, created by Lynne Schepartz and Tobias Houlton, physical anthropologists at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, shows a broad, determined face with close-set eyes and a prominent jaw.

In the summer of 2016, further excavations in the area surrounding the gravesite unearthed pottery fragments that enabled Davis and Stocker to date the site to 1500–1450 BC.

With that information, they were able to determine that the warrior lived during the end of the shaft grave period before the construction of the palatial centres in Mycenaean Greece, including the Palace of Nestor.

[1] Researchers are currently studying the artifacts in detail, with all excavation objects remaining in Greece and their final placement to be determined by the Greek Archaeological Service.

[1] Four gold signet rings unveiled in late 2016 are engraved with intricate Minoan images and clearly indicate significant Mycenaean-Minoan cultural transfer in this era.

[10] Among the various tomb artifacts found, a small item 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) in length, and embedded in limestone was revealed after a year of cleaning to be a beautifully carved sealstone.

'"[12] Davis and Stocker believe that the artifacts uncovered in 2015 in the 3,500-year-old grave "were symbols of his power as a ruler of the town of Pylos", located on the southwestern coast of Greece.