Mycenaeans Up to Date Nov 2011 Abstracts

8/13/2019 Mycenaeans Up to Date Nov 2011 Abstracts

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Mycenaeans Up to Date: The Archaeology of the NE Peloponnese

Current Concepts and New Directions

ABT!ACT

Tiryns and the Argolid in Mycenaean Ti"es: New Clues and #nterpretationsJoseph Maran

On the basis of case examples from different phases within the Late Helladic period and byusing evidence of recent excavations in Tiryns it will be argued that we cannot adequatelyunderstand the roughly six centuries of Mycenaean culture, if we perceive them in theframework of notions of linear growth! and decline!" #nstead, this period seems to have

been much more characteri$ed by a sequence of upheavals brought about by the agency ofsocial actors" The first upheaval to be addressed comes with the emergence of Mycenaeanculture and of Mycenae as the foremost site in the %rgolid" The next period of radical change

is associated with the building of the first Megaron palaces, since, at least in Tiryns, this newarchitectural form was radically imposed on a completely different kind of building structure"The demise of the palaces presents us with another striking case for an upheaval, which, asmany think, was already foreshadowed by a severe crisis in the last decades of palatial rule"However, there are indications for a much more complex sequence of events than suggested

by the notion of palaces already in a state of decline" %nother time of significant change isrepresented by the re&structuring of the political landscape in the '(thcent" )*+ and by therise of Tiryns to the status of a regional centre"

Mycenaean Cult on Mount Arachnaion u""aryOlga Psychoyos & Yannis Karatzikos

The site of roph" #lias, on the highest peak of Mount %rachnaion -. ''// m0, is known as aplace of cult from the 1eometric time onwards" %n ongoing investigation, started in (223, hasprovided evidence that rituals were already performed there during the Mycenaean period" 4ofar, it consists of finds gathered in the blackened ashy earth accumulated amidst the craggy,limestone bedrock, in clefts and crevices, on the entire surface of the summit plateau" Theyinclude sherds of kylikes, over a hundred fragments of clay votive figurines and two steatiteseals, dating from LH###%' to LH###)"

Tending the past$ ensuring the futureElizabeth French, British School at Athens

%s we progress into the ('st*entury, it is high time to evaluate how we stand at each of ourma5or sites in the 6orth&+ast eloponnese" 7e are facing a period of austerity andretrenchment in all areas, particularly the arts and academia & we shall need to live on ourhump archaeologically" This is thus a good moment to assess our achievements to date and toreali$e where sins of omission have occurred" 8sing Mycenae as the example # shall consider

what has been accomplished over the many years of excavation and by the many scholarswho have worked on the site" #s there anything that we can do now to enable our legacy to beused more profitably as a field of study in coming years9

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Pottery and Petsas %ouse: !ecent research on &% ###A ' MycenaeKi Shelton, !" Berkeley

The results of nine seasons of excavation by the %rchaeological 4ociety of %thens at :etsasHouse; in the settlement of Mycenae have confirmed the preliminary excitement of the early'/thc" )*+" ?inally, a brief summary of Mycenae;s settlement and what it can tell us about art,

craft, and culture during the height of the palatial period is presented through an analysis of adecade of work at etsas House"

The East %ouse in the &ower Town of Mycenae: the Past the Present and the (uture#phiyenia $o%rnaito%

TheEast 'o%se, an architectural complex on the slope facing the west fortification wall of thecitadel of Mycenae, a few meters to the east of the southernmost of the so called :#vory;Houses and partly excavated by 6" @erdelis in '/A(&'/A=, was apparently erected during themature '(th c )*, with as yet no evidence of earlier building activity" The first season ofexcavation has demonstrated the remarkably long occupational history of the site, down to theHellenistic era and has yielded intriguing evidence of successive Mycenaean occupation

phases" The systematic archaeological investigation of the East 'o%seand of the ad5oiningarea to the east of the#ory 'o%segroup, in one of the most important, yet unexplored sectorsof the Lower Town of Mycenae, is expected to yield valuable information about thearchitectural history and layout of one of the most extensive and best preserved Lower Townsin Late )ron$e %ge 1reece"

)ra*e Circle A at Mycenae: The PeopleArgyro (a)plioti

This paper presents and discusses the first complete study in context of the human skeletalremains from 1rave *ircle % at Mycenae, currently kept in the 6ational Museum in %thens"Morphological analysis of this skeletal material was supplemented by strontium isotope ratioanalysis of samples from the ma5ority of the 1rave *ircle % individuals and the resultsdiscussed include information on their biological sex, age at death, dental and skeletal health,

physical activities and probable geographical origins" ?or some of this material it was evenpossible to identify the specific dead from the six graves represented"

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A Mycenaean %ouse at Chania$ Mycenae'eleni Palaiologo%

#n the plain almost = km 47 of the %cropolis at the site *hania a Mycenaean settlement hasbeen identified"The east part of a house has been excavated" %fter a southern entrance and to the east of a

corridor three rooms are revealed one living room with a long corner bench and two hearths,and two storerooms with storage vessels" )efore the entrance of the main room in thecourtyard a built staircase was leading to an upper level" %t the northern end of the building a

built ramp also gave access to the same storey" The walls are built of stones and clay to acertain height and the upper part of mudbrick and wooden tiers" The surface of the walls the

benches and the floors are plastered" The house was destroyed by earthquake and fire at theend of LH###), after a short life during this period" The debris has covered and sealed thefloors of the inhabited space and the pottery used or deposited before the destruction" The

building presents a monumental si$e and interesting architectural features" Human beings withprecious belongings had escaped before the disaster and the settlement was abandoned" Thesite was occupied again for the construction of a stone tumulus with cremation burials in

LH###*, at a short distance from the buildings"Later, %rchaic figurines of seated goddesses and horsemen have been dedicated to theremains of the house"

The destruction of the palace in Tiryns and the +day after, Conclusions fro" a &% ###B &ate deposit at the west staircase

Ele)theria Kar*aaki

Buring restoration works in '/// by the >" +phorate at the west wall in Tiryns a dump wasdiscovered in the upper citadel at the northernmost part of the west staircase" The deposit,which was excavated from Br" %lkestis apadimitriou, was ="< m thick and contained a largeamount of pottery and fragments of frescoes" These particular features allow the connection ofthe new deposit with the one that was found about one *entury ago during 1ermanexcavations at the staircase that brought to light the famous fresco"#n the first part of my paper # will present some results from the analysis of the stratigraphyand the decorated pottery, which led to the identification of three Late )ron$e %ge layers-Cone '&=0" Cone (, with its rich pottery sample, marks the destruction of the palace while theuppermost Cone ', containing more fragmentary pottery, was deposited slightly later and

probably can be connected with rebuilding activities after the destruction on the upper citadel"

Thus this deposit offers a unique stratigraphical evidence for the history of the upper citadel atthe end of the '=th century )*"#n the second part a hypothesis about the original position of the lower layer will be given andthe building activities on the upper citadel after the destruction of the palace will be discussed"

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The &ower Citadel of Tiryns what does it tell us a-out &% ### C.$obias M+hlenbr%ch, orgeschichtliches Seinar Philipps-!niersit.t

#n the history of research of the Mycenaean culture, LH ### *, the period following thedestruction of the palaces, for a long time was considered as a phase of cultural decline" 7iththe large&scale excavation led by Dlaus Dilian in the Lower *itadel of Tiryns between '/EA

and '/3= this view had to be challenged" He found a unique sequence of LH ### *&settlements, which covered the whole postpalatial period" )ut Dilians results increased theknowledge of the postpalatial times in several other aspects, too" The question arose if therewas continuity or change or both between the palatial and the postpalatial period"#n my paper # will present some results of my doctoral dissertation about the postpalatialstratigraphy of Tiryns -4upervisorsF rof"s Maran, Beger&Galkot$y, in printTiryns&4eries0" #will first deal with the settlement structure of the Lower *itadel in LH ### *, uncovered byDilian, and my social and political interpretations" 4econd # will present a model of the dietand economy in Tiryns in the postpalatial period"

Building Co"ple/ A at the &ower Citadel of Tiryns an outstanding Mansion of thePalatial Period!rs%la /a-Meinhar*t

arts of what is now called )uilding *omplex % have been known ever since the verybeginning of systematically excavating the Lower *itadel -6ikolaos @erdelis '/A(&'/A=I'/A


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Palatial wallpaintings fro" Tiryns: new finds and new perspecti*esAlkestis Papa*iitrio%, Joseph Maran, !lrich $haler

#n this paper, we will, firstly, present new finds of wall paintings which came to light duringconservation work in the area of the 2esttreppe at Tiryns, a dump of debris from theTiynthian palace located on the western slope of the acropolis and previously the findspot of

the ma5ority of the known wall paintings from the Mycenaean palace of Tiryns" 4econdly, wewill discuss the first results of an ongoing pro5ect of study of these and related older findswhich accompanied and now follows the conservation of the new fresco fragmentsundertaken 5ointly by the >th+phorate and the 1erman %rchaeological #nstitute in the years(22A to (22/" )efore offering a conspectus of motifs, we will in particular discuss aspects ofchronology and the former location of the paintings" The association of the new finds with

pottery closely datable to the end of LH ### )( as well as stratigraphic and iconographic linkswith older material permit no doubt that the ma5ority of the known Tiryns corpus decoratedthe palace at the eve of its destruction and does not constitute, as commonly assumed, astilistically older group distinct from the scanty in situ finds from the actual palace" %s to theoriginal location within the palace of paintings secondarily deposited in the 2esttreppe,

comparative considerations of documented clearing operations within the palace and the$ones of pictorial frie$es represented in the finds from re&deposited debris offer a route tosuggesting a highly likely former location for at least one of the most important and well&known Tirynthian frie$es, the 3ro4e Fra%enprozession"

New e*idence of Mycenaean frescoes fro" the citadel of Tiryns The 2ilian

e/ca*ations3"hristos Bo%lotis, Aca*ey o) Athens,1esearch "enter )or Anti5%ity

The fresco material from D" Dilian;s excavations -'/EA forward0, mostly in the 8pper%kropolis of Tiryns -Oberburg0 and less in the Lower %kropolis -8nterburg0, offers a solid

base for the re&examination of issues concerning the practise of this prestigious art in Tirynsitself, as well as in the rest of the 1reek Mainland" %part from providing a stratigraphical&chronological documentation, these new fragments add to the local iconography someunknown, till recently, figurative and decorative motifs" %t the same time, since the art ofwall paintings is closely connected, e6 *e)initio, with the architecture, they lead, up to acertain point, to the better understanding of the different architectural phases of the palace andof the renovation of its painted decoration" ?urthermore, they help us, amongst other things, toclarify crucial points, such as the first appearance of wall paintings in the Mycenaean

?estland, as well as the diachronic and interregional prevalence of certain decorativeprograms"


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Multiple cha4nes op5ratoires and CC#: a holistic approach to wor1shop studies atMycenaean and post6Mycenaean Tiryns$ )reece

Ann Brysbaert

8ntil fairly recently, material studies that involved crafts analysis and investigations werebased almost uniquely upon the study of one material, usually involving the work of one

specialist only" 7hile such research has contributed tremendously to our understanding ofmaterial culture remains, and how people lived in the past in relation to their materialpossessions, it is felt that still only a partial picture is painted" %s much as it is generally thecase nowadays, no one in the past worked or lived in isolation, at least not by choice"

#n attempting to trace artisans; identities, the concepts of multiple chaKnes opratoirescombined with cross&craft interactions -**#0 as a methodology are employed, in order toretrieve distinctive sets of social practicesactions from the archaeological remains since mostactions are not conducted in isolation" These methodological concepts are not restrained tospecific moments in the production cycle only" They also encompass the potentialreconstruction of contexts of extraction, manufacture, distribution and discardreuse for arange of artefacts while they also investigate traces of social contacts that may have taken

place during any of these actions"# thus suggest an improvement -multiple chaKnes opratoires combined with **#0, of

an existing methodological tool -the single chaKne opratoire on its own0 to analyse both thetechnological and social sides of spatial patterning of material remains as well as traces ofentire operational chains for several materials, including use&wear and abandonment residuesand traces due to post&depositional processes" )y detailed investigations of L)%% materialremains from Tiryns though the employment of macroscopy, microscopy and instrumentalanalysis, # aim to expose, where possible, the changing relationships between materials overtime, and, more importantly, to investigate what role human agents played in these potentialchanges and how, subsequently, their relationships may have changed as well"

eople create, recreate, affirm and re5ect multiple identities based upon a wide varietyof social and technological factors, an important one being what they do for a living on a day&to&day basis" Through the investigation of multiple crafts and their interactions, we may cometo a better understanding of how materials were related to each other in any of the chaKnesopratoires steps, and potentially also how people were relating to each other through theirmaterial surroundings"

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Argos in the late M% and &% period: a reassess"ent of the e*idence/r7 (ikolas Papa*iitrio%, M%se% o) "ycla*ic ArtAnna Philippa $o%chais, 8cole Fran9aise *:Ath;nesPro)7 3illes $o%chais, !niersity o) Paris # Panth


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!enewal or regression. Asine and the Transition fro" &ate Bron7e Age to the #ron Age/r7 Birgitta 0epp.nen S=>berg,!ppsala !niersity, /ept o) archaeology an* ancient history

The Late Helladic ###) period has long been regarded as the $enith of the Mycenaean society"The period ends with destruction, probably caused by an earthquake, an important implicationof which is that the following LH ###* period is marked by pronounced regression" #n the

Mycenaean heartland, the %rgolid, the LH###* is typically seen as being characterised bysmaller settlement, less contacts with the surrounding regions and a lower level of economicactivity" ?urthermore, the archaeological material lacks the traits that we have come toassociate with the complex administrative system previously seen in the region" Jecentresearch suggests that changes need not to have been as radical as earlier proposed"%rchaeological remains at sites such as Mycenae, Midea, Tiryns and %sine indicates thatthese centres did not immediately revert to irrelevanceI rather existing research lends itself tothe interpretation that there is a not insignificance measure of continuity" This includes thecontinued existence of networks of exchange, a finding that is supported by chemical analysisof LH ### * pottery from %sine" %gainst this background, the paper will more specifically,focus on the %rgive lain and the settlement of %sine and the transition from the Late

Helladic era to the #ron %ge"

The Mycenaeans in the Ber-ati 8alleyAnn-0o%ise Schallin

The potterNs workshop at Mastos was excavated in the '/=2s" ke kerstrPm was in chargeand he was also responsible for the material" #n the '/


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Mycenaean Ti"es in the Basin of Phliousasco 'achtann

#n the course of an interdisciplinary survey pro5ect in the )asin of hlious conducted by the#nstitute for re& and rotohistory and 6ear +astern %rchaeology of Heidelberg 8niversityand the Jesearch *entre for %rchaeometry of the Heidelberg %cademy of 4cience at least six

Late Helladic sites were locali$ed" %mongst them one is situated on a naturally protectedterraced spur at %idonia" #ts proximity to the famous chamber tombs, traces of *yclopeanwalls, large amounts of finds, and a continuing occupation since Middle Helladic times all

point at the ma5or role it once must have played in the region" However, the material from thatsite strongly suggests an end of occupation in LH ### %( or slightly later, on the heyday of the

palatial system"#n this paper # will present all Late Helladic sites of the survey, including information abouttheir position, topography, si$e, structures, quantity and quality of finds" The followingdiscussion will focus on the question whether there are any traces of inhabitation in the )asinof hlious, after the settlement at %idonia was abandoned"

9 ;?@


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The Mycenaean settle"ent at Aigion in Achaea and the western frontier of the NEPeloponnese

0ena Papazoglo%-Manio%*aki

Jescue excavations in the city of %igion in %chaea revealed a picture of a seaside prehistoricsettlement that fits into the same framework as the settlements of %rgolis and *orinthia"

%igion is built on an oblong height, rising A2m above sea level, with a wide flat top, anaturally fortified site that commands both harbour and fertile plain" #t is inhabited from the6eolithic period on, suffers a destruction in +H ## and is resettled in MH ##" # % rectangularbuilding may be dated in Late Helladic #, that continued in use into the LH ##% period" Thearchitectural plan is modified during the LH ##)###%' period" The intramural burials at%igion belong to the LH ## period and they are cist graves, simple pits and pithos burials" %cemetery of chamber tombs, located to the west, dates from the LH ## on" 7estward, towardthe city of atras, the anachaikon range separates %igion from 7estern %chaea, a factreflected in the archaeological material" henomena typical of 7estern %chaea, like the

building of tholos tombs in LH ## or the large number of warrior graves in the LH ###* periodare remarkably absent from eastern %chaea"

&a7arides on eastern Aegina: The relationships with the NE PeloponnesePro)7 (agia Polychronako%-Sgo%ritsa, /epartent o) 'istory an* Archaeology, !niersity o)Athens

% Mycenaean settlement, with finds dating from the end of the 'E thuntil the beginning of the'(thcentury )* -MHLH # & LH ###* early period0, flourished in the neighborhood of themodern semi&mountainous village La$arides on the eastern part of %igina, ten kilometersfrom Dolonna, about an hour;s walk from the eastern coast and unseen from the sea" To the447 and in a short distance from the settlement a cemetery with spacious built chambertombs was discovered" #mportant finds were found in the three fully excavated tombs -Tombs%, ), 0 and the settlement" The finds as well as the special type of the tomb used theresupply evidence concerning the contacts with many areas in the %egean and beyond" Thematerial includes a great amount of locally made and imported pottery, mostly from %rgolid,figurines of various types, seals, 5ewels made of several materials, as well as bron$e andsilver, items made of stone, bone and ivory and also a small but very interesting group ofmetal artifacts of bron$e, lead, silver and iron"The aim of this paper focuses on the extent and, if possible, the character of the relations withthe 6+ eloponnese, according to the finds discovered to the present"

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Mo*e"ent in -etween$ into and inside Mycenaean palatial "egara!lrich $haler

#n this paper, # am going to examine the relationship between human movement and theMycenaean palatial megara as an architectural form on three levels" ?irstly, movement in

between megara will be discussed in the context of the Mycenaean argolid, most notably with

reference to the relationship between the palace sites of Mycenae and Tiryns, but also in anintra&site perspective in the case of the ;1roes; and ;Dleines Megaron; of Tiryns" 4econdly,with reference to both the aforementioned sites and the ylian megaron as an obvious parallel,# intend to discuss how palatial architecture, on the one hand, highlights the canonicalapproach to the megaron and directs visitors towards the throneroom and, on the other hand,withholds a complete understanding of the route from the visitor during their approach, thus

perceptually distancing the ruler from the ruled" Thirdly and lastly, # will set out a case for theassumption that ritual movement within the megaron;s main room circled the central hearth ina clockwise manner, again with reference to both the %rgolic sites and the ylian parallel"

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Courts and open6air areas in the &ate %elladic ### ArgolidMa`gorzata Siennicka, !niersity o) 2arsa

*ourts, squares, outdoor and open&air&areas belong to the built environment of thesettlements" Together with other areas and buildings they can be therefore considered asreflecting patterns of social organisation of communities or societies" These areas, which

remain aside the main interest of research on Mycenaean settlements -see howeverF *avanagh(22'0 were significant to many aspects of life" %s *" Jobin and 6"%" Jothschild havenoticed, the outdoor areas are often of crucial social importance in a settlement, because they

bear traces of social, economic, and ritual activities and meanings, which are conductedaround and between buildings -Jobin, Jothschild (22(F 'A=I cf" Jobin (22(0" The aim of this

paper is to discuss the role and social meaning of the areas located mainly outside the palacecomplexes during the Late Helladic ### period in the %rgolid"%t least three categories of courts and outdoor areas in the settlements of the alatial periodcan be identified" To the first belonged usually small and irregular courts located on thecitadels and in the lower towns" They filled free spaces between the buildings, and were notdesigned as main areas of the groups of buildings or districts" They may have served the local

communities as secondary areas for outdoor activities and working, enabled access to theindividual houses and facilitated circulation and communication between the buildings"%nother category comprises courts related with cult areas, which were important for religiousgatherings" 6on&built&up areas can be considered as the third type of open spaces in theMycenaean settlements" They were usually unenclosed by walls and not built by buildings orother constructions" They could be directly related with individual buildings or groups of

buildings -e"g" as fields, orchards, vineyards0 or did not belong to any household or farmstead-e"g" as wastelands, thickets, meadows0" The occurrence of such areas may be suggestedespecially for the lower towns, as the acropoleis were usually densely built&up" The study of

potential non&built&up spaces would be crucial for understanding the system of internalorganisation of the settlements and ownership of the land"Buring the ost&alatial period an important change in the use of courts can be observed" #t isespecially well documented for Tiryns where the courts on the lower citadel and in the lowertown became considerably larger and seem to have developed into focal points of the districts"4imple houses, which were erected around the spacious areas and opened onto them, haveformed close neighbourhoods, the inhabitants of which might have worked together andundertaken various activities" #t may be suggested that the open&air areas became deliberatelyarranged places of social and economic meanings" The reasons for the important modificationin spatial organisation of the settlements and the use of courts may be associated withsubstantial social changes after the fall of the alatial culture"

*avanagh (22'*avanagh 7", +mpty 4paces9 *ourts and 4quares in Mycenaean Towns, inF D" )ranigan,-ed"0, !rbanis in the Aegean Bronze Age -4heffield 4tudies in %egean %rchaeology >0-4heffield (22'0 ''/&'=>

Jobin (22(Jobin *", Outside of houses" The practices of everyday life at *han 6ohol, )eli$e, Jo%rnalo) Social Archaeology( -(22(0 (>


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%ow To Build A Mycenaean Town: The Architecture of 2ala"ianos/aniel J7 P%llen, $he Flori*a State !niersity

The 4aronic Harbors %rchaeological Jesearch ro5ect -4H%J0 has focused on the walledMycenaean harbor settlement of Dalamianos, near Dorphos on the *orinthian coast of the4aronic 1ulf, during fieldwork from (22E(22/" % unique set of circumstances has preserved

for us on the surface the town plan and a large number of buildings" The ceramics foundassociated with the buildings indicate a date of LH###%() date for their construction anduse" One of our hypotheses is that the Mycenaean settlement at Dalamianos was a deliberatefoundation, built in a relatively short period of time, when this region was a contested

periphery in a competition between the venerable 4aronic state at Dolonna on %igina and theexpanding state of Mycenae" #n this paper # take up the opportunity presented by thearchitecture at Dalamianos to look at some of the ideals and solutions of Mycenaeanarchitects and administrators when faced with the construction of a large&scale pro5ect such asthis" Town organi$ation, elite versus non&elite construction features, and the range of buildingtypes are discussed"

&ate Bron7e Age Architecture and !egional Dyna"ics at 2orphos in the Corinthia$hoas F7 $artaron, !niersity o) Pennsylania

The main focus of the 4aronic Harbors %rchaeological Jesearch ro5ect -4H%J0 is theurban Mycenaean coastal settlement at Dalamianos, but a regional surface survey of sevensquare kilometers beyond the site, completed in (22/, revealed a remarkable wealth of otherarchitectural remains from the Late Helladic period" This architecture includes settlementcomplexes, terrace walls, and small fortified enclosures" #n this paper, # present these featuresand highlight problems of interpretation, including chronological resolution and function"7ith careful study, it has been possible to piece together a picture of intense regional activityin the Mycenaean palatial period, characteri$ed by highly developed internal organi$ation aswell as incorporation into wider political and economic systems"

Before the Mycenaean period: social change in the M% ArgolidSo)ia o%tsaki, 3roningen

The early Mycenaean period is characteri$ed by rapid change, social competition, the

emergence of regional centres and social elites" #t is argued in this paper that we cannotunderstand the transformation of the mainland societies unless we study in detail the previousMH period" #ndeed, despite the proliferation of theoretical models and theoretical discussionsabout social change in the prehistoric %egean, there has never been a detailed examination ofsocial change in the crucial MH period" This was one of the aims of the


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9 GH ?


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Deiras$ Argos: reassessing the chronology and i"portance of the Mycenaean ce"etery-ased on finds fro" 03 8ollgraff^s e/ca*ations3illes $o%chais Paris #j

Anna Philippa-$o%chais EFAj(ikolas Papa*iitrio% M%se% o) "ycla*ic Artj

Beiras, the only Mycenaean cemetery that is still visible in %rgos, has been systematicallyexplored by two members of the ?rench 4chool at %thensF 7" @ollgraff -'/2(&'/2>, '/(30and G" Beshayes -'/&'/


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tructural analysis of the tholos to"-s at Megali Magoula$ )alatas _Troe7enia`E7 Konsolaki-Yannopo%lo%

The newly discovered MH&LH site of Megali Magoula is located ca" ( km west of the town of1alatas, to the north of the main road to Troe$en" Megali Magoula is a conspicuous hill, 322m long and (


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Q? W;?@?JIb?


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A Colorful Death3 The !ole Color Played in Burials in the &ate Bron7e Age Argolid"arole 3illis

The study of burials naturally concerns various aspectsF the architecture, the osteological andorganic remains, the context and location, the socio&economic relevance, the finds and so on"One area that has not be investigated in depth regarding the grave gifts is the choice of color" #

first became aware of this field in earlier studies regarding tin&covered vessels, wherechemical analyses showed that c"


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The Definition of &ate %elladic # !e*isitedMichael 0in*blo

#n an endnote of Bickinson;s -'/E>0 paper on the definition of Late Helladic #, the authorreferred to the ongoing work at %yios 4tephanos as potentially important for ourunderstanding of the origin of Lustrous Mycenaean Becorated -LBM0 pottery" The final

publication of the potterysequence at the settlement 5ustifies a review of how this !transitionto Mycenaean is identified" The possibility to split LH # into at least two parts an early!becoming with limited means of recognition outside Laconia, and a later !beingidentifiable over considerable areas of the 1reek Mainland leave us with the conclusion thatthe !becoming and hence beginning of LH # cannot be monitored outside ist initial core areawith the same set of diagnostic tools -as the later :being; stage0" #n published deposits fromthe 6+ eloponnese LBM pottery appears in analytically meaningful quantities only in thelater phase" The pottery from the Lerna shaft grave fills is used to show that LH # Late on the

6+ eloponnese is contemporary with the volcanic destruction level -@BL0 at %krotiri andthe mature LM #%" )ecause of the large si$e of the Lerna shaft graves assemblages, theirwell&defined ceramic range, and intersecting position between southern and central 1reece,

they offers additional tools to sequence and evaluate LH #L* # in other deposits"

The North6East Peloponnese and the Near East: Cera"ic E*idence for Contacts in &%

###P7A7 Mo%nt=oy

+xport of pottery from the %rgolid to the 6ear +ast in LH###%##) is discussed withreference to 6eutron %ctivation %nalysis" 4hapes exported and then imitated locally,

particularly in *yprus, are surveyed" The paper concludes with a survey of the very fewpurely %rgive motifs used on 6ear +astern pottery in ###*"

Palaces and +Palaces,: Mycenaean Te/ts and Conte/ts in the Argolid and Neigh-ouring

!egionsPascal /arc5%e, Fran9oise 1o%geont

?rom the palace of %gamemnon to the palace of %5ax and those of 6estor or Gason, thenumber of Mycenaean !palaces has been growing over the years" This clearly shows that the

issue of the Mycenaean palaces is still open" Our aim is to re&examine the extantarchaeological and epigraphical evidence in order to answer the following questions F7hat are the relevant criteria to be used to achieve a definition of Mycenaean

buildings and sites which were the seat of a palatial type of power9Bo written documents, archaeological material as well as architectural features allow

us to suggest a hierarchy among the buildings preserved at one site, and among the sitesexcavated in a region like the %rgolid9

#s there a unique Mycenaean !model for palatial organisation or did multiple!models function in parallel on the 1reek Mainland during the Late Helladic ### ) period9

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The acred Centre at Mycenae^: location and status/r7 K7 A7 2ar*le, #nstit%te o) Archaeology an* Anti5%ity, !niersity o) Biringha

+ver since the discovery of the $eple "ople6 and the1oo ith the Fresco "ople6during the Helleno&)ritish excavations within the *itadel at Mycenae in '/A3&A/, it has beentaken as axiomatic i0 that these formed one of the principal sanctuaries at Mycenae during the

'=th

*entury )*, regularly described as the :*ult *entre; and ii0 that, situated within the*itadel, they must have been under elite, palatial control"4tudy of the exceptionally complex stratigraphy and the wide range of finds, both within thecult rooms and in ad5acent areas, has shown, however, that

The first construction of both complexes in the first half of the '= th*entury antedatesthe western extension of the *itadel walls"

Much of the use of both complexes, together with alterations and repairs, alsoantedates this extension"

There is no stratigraphicpottery evidence to show whether the Joom with ?resco*omplex continued in use after the construction of the new *yclopean walls or not"

%lthough the Temple *omplex remained in use in a very limited way until thedestruction of the whole area at the end of LH ###) ( late, there is nostratigraphicpottery evidence to show whether the cult deposits of ob5ects presumedto have been in use in the complex were made before or after the construction of thesewalls"

These :sacred; complexes were thus established and used for a period o%tsi*e the*itadel and could, potentially, have been accessible to any of the inhabitants of the city ofMycenae, not 5ust the elite who controlled access to the *itadel" #t remains an open questionwhether the Joom with the ?resco *omplex continued in use after the extension had been

constructed, though on balance # feel that this is unlikely, since access to it was physicallyvery restricted"The removal of the 7estern extension of the *itadel wall from our :map; of this part ofMycenae invites further consideration of the reasons for the location of these sacred areasoutside the *itadel at the edge of a steep narrow strip of the slope on which the House of the7arrior @ase, 4outh House and Tsountas; House had already been built by early in the '= th

*entury" This is of course the same strip which had been chosen centuries before for thelocation of 1rave *ircle %"7e do not know where the main entrance to the *itadel was before the construction of theLion 1ate, which is an integral part of the western extension" 7e may presume that 1rave*ircle % -whether already monumentalised or not0 lay beside a ma5or route into or out of the

*itadel, while we may expect that the monumental *lytemnestra and %egisthus Tholos tombswere easily visible from such a route"4ome of the distinctive ob5ects found in the sacred complexes are earlier than the structures inwhich they were found and indicate that the cult already existed & though of course we do notknow whether this was on the same site or a more distant one"# would like to propose as a working hypothesis that one of the routes into the *itadel passedthe entrances to the *lytemnestra and %egisthus Tholoi before climbing across the slope

below *ircle % to reach the point where the Hellenistic Tower was built" Here it met the steepstone stairway -and ad5acent drain0 which formed the southern boundary of Tsountas; House"

Once the 4outh House, the :Megaron; and Tsountas House had been constructed bythe early years of the '=th*entury, a small courtyard would have remained beside this route

which was then partly filled in by the construction of the two sacred complexes" Originally

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the entrances to both of these opened in the direction of the courtyard -though that of theJoom with the ?resco *omplex was later transferred to the opposite side of the building0"

The origin of the cult activity in this location may lie in the MH period when theregion was a cemetery, or may relate to the establishment of this route up to the *itadel"4ituated, as several %egean sanctuaries were, ad5acent to one of the community;s boundaries-in the case of Mycenae that between the elite on the *itadel and the rest of the population in

the city which it controlled0 it was ideally placed to serve both groups" The presence of high&status items such as the ivory head and lion alongside quantities of much more mundane itemsof pottery etc would accord well with this interpretation"

Tales of the Une/pected #dentifying Cult Practice in the %ouse M Fuarter of the

Mycenae Citadelasiliki Pliatsika

The House M quarter lies in the northwestern part of the Mycenae citadel, situated closely to

the northern approach from the Lion 1ate to the palace on the top of the hill"+xcavations in this area were conducted twice, first by Tsountas in the late '/thc", who

left no record of his extensive activities, and then by Mylonas from '/A( to '/A>, whopublished some of the results in preliminary reports"

The most conspicuous building of this quarter, House M, presents several notablearchitectural features which speak of its special function and should be interconnected withthe activities that took place in its premises"

Bespite post&mycenaean disturbances and Tsountas;s intervention, Mylonas detected afew intact assemblages both inside the building and in the lower basement room to its north,where much of the superstructure collapsed following an earthquake at the end of the '= thc")"*"

The detailed study of the facts and finds of these assemblages led to rather unexpectedresults, as they furnished enough significant evidence to associate House M with culticactivities"

This is an inference of considerable implications since it is widely accepted that divineworship inside the citadel of Mycenae was essentially limited to the shrines of the *ult *entrein the southwest slope"

Piety -egins at ho"e$ -ut whose piety.

!econstructing use6 and discard6patterns of Mycenaean *s3 hand"ade -urnishedterracotta figurines in postpalatial do"estic conte/ts within the settle"ent of Tiryns and

-eyondMelissa etters

The contextual analysis of two LH ### * figurine classes & genuine Mycenaean types andexamples of handmade burnished wares and derivates starts with a typological definition of

both classes" Their chronological and spatial distribution within the settlement area of Tirynsforms the basis for a detailed comparison of figurine&use in domestic contexts, but also refersto comparanda for handmade burnished figurines beyond this site" The reconstruction ofrituals involving figurines is discussed and put into the wider context of postpalatial religious

behaviour in the private as opposed to the public realm" 4pecial attention is given to practiceswhich might reflect the shaping of diverse religious identities after the demise of theMycenaean palatial society"

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The Mycenaean sanctuary at Asine in perspecti*e1obin '.gg

The well&known Mycenaean sanctuary at %sine, which was found and excavated in %pril'/(A, has been discussed and -re0interpreted in various ways during the almost 3< years sinceits discovery" ?or 6ilsson, who was the first scholar to describe it in an addendum to the first

edition of hisMinoan-Mycenaean religion-'/(E0, it was natural to hail the discovery as thefirst example of a sanctuary of Minoan type on the mainland" ersson, the excavator, thoughtthat it may be considered as a transitional stage between the small house sanctuaries of theMinoan age and the temples of the 1reek age" # intend to discuss these and subsequentinterpretations of this important find complex against a background of our changing views ofthe relationship between the %egean religions and their place in the history of scholarship"

Mycenaean religion in the twenty6first century'el;ne 2hittaker, !niersity o) $rosv

#n this paper # will present an overview of new material pertaining to religion from the north&eastern eloponnese and look at new developments in the study of Mycenaean religion andcult in the past twenty years or so"Biscussions about prehistoric 1reek religion have often been unnecessarily restricted as theyhave mostly concentrated on the evidence for sanctuaries, cult images, votive material etc,that is to say evidence which is generally accepted as religious" However, all or mostaspects of a societys daily life and social organisation are in some way dependent on oraffected by its worldview, which in a prehistoric society must have been largely shaped by itsrelations with the non&material world, often personified as gods, ancestors, or spirits ofvarious kinds" #n the attempt to reconstruct the religion of a past society, it is not only theevidence which can be classified as cultic or ritual which is relevant but the totality of theavailable material record" #n the second part of my paper # wish, therefore, on the basis of theevidence from the north&eastern eloponnese, to argue that Mycenaean religion should not bediscussed in isolation from other social and cultural contexts but integrated into the widerdiscussion of how we understand life and society in the Mycenaean period"

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Documents

Mycenaeans Up to Date Nov 2011 Abstracts