The South-Eastern Aegean in the Mycenaean Period: Islands, Landscape, Death and Ancestors

375 Pages·2016·69.8 MB·English

by  Mercourios Georgiadis

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi

INTRODUCTION 1

PART I: ENVIRONMENT AND MOVEMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: THE ENVIRONMENT 4
1.1 Geology 4
1.2 Geographical Information 5
1.3 Island Archaeology 6
1.4 Practical Considerations 8

CHAPTER 2: MOVEMENT AND IDENTITY 10
2.1 Movement of People 10
2.1.1 Migration 10
2.1.2 Colonization 11
2.1.3 Invasion 12
2.1.4 Thalassocracy 13
2.2.1 Movement of Ideas 15
2.2.2 Movement of Artefacts 15
2.3 Identity 16
2.3.1 Cultural Identity 16
2.3.2 Ethnicity 17

CHAPTER 3: THE PREHISTORY OF SOUTH-EASTERN AEGEAN 20
3.1 The Earliest Human Colonization in the Aegean 20
3.2 The Neolithic Period 20
3.3 The Early Bronze Age 22
3.4 The Middle Bronze Age 23
3.5 The Late Bronze Age 24
3.6 Discussion 25

PART II: THE LANDSCAPE 26

CHAPTER 4: LANDSCAPE METHODOLOGY 26
4.1 The Theoretical Framework 26
4.1.1 The Basis of Phenomenology 26
4.1.2 The Archaeological Context 27

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4.2 The Seascape 29
4.3 Methodological Considerations: the language of death 31
4.4 Discussion 33

CHAPTER 5: THE REGIONAL LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS OF CEMETERIES IN
SOUTH-EASTERN AEGEAN 34
5.1 The Pre-Mycenaean Burial Evidence in the South-eastern Aegean 34
5.2 Late Bronze Age II-III 35
5.2.1 Karpathos and Kasos 35
5.2.2 Rhodes 36
5.2.3 Kos 40
5.2.4 Astypalaia and Kalymnos 41
5.2.5 Anatolia 42
5.2.6 Samos 43
5.2.7 Chios and Psara 43
5.2.8 North-eastern Aegean 44
5.3 Discussion 44
5.3.1 The Topographic Context of Cemeteries 44
5.3.2 The Landscape Setting 47
5.3.3 The Diachronic Pattern of Cemetery Usage during the Mycenaean period 48

PART III: BURIALS 50

CHAPTER 6: BURIAL PRACTICES AND TRADITIONS 50
6.1 The Theoretical Background 50
6.2 Burial Customs, Beliefs and Practices 51
6.3 Communality versus Individuality? 52
6.4 Horizontal Divisions 53
6.5 Vertical Divisions 54
6.6 Ancestors and Symbolism 54
6.7 Rituals, Power and Ideology 55
6.8 Exchange, Consumption and Value 57

CHAPTER 7: THE MYCENAEAN BURIAL TRADITION 59
7.1 The Tomb Types 59
7.2 Deposition Practices 60
7.3 Burial Iconography 60
7.4 The Burial Rituals 61
7.5 The Burial Offerings 63

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7.6 The Social and Political Dimensions of Burials 64
7.7 Consumption in the Funerary Context 66
7.8 Discussion 67

CHAPTER 8: THE TOMBS IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN AEGEAN 68
8.1 Tomb Architecture 68
8.1.1 Karpathos 68
8.1.2 Ialysos 68
8.1.3 Rhodes 71
8.1.4 Kos 73
8.1.5 South-eastern Aegean 74
8.1.6 Discussion 75
8.2 Internal Arrangements and Rituals 77
8.2.1 Karpathos 77
8.2.2 Ialysos 77
8.2.3 Rhodes 80
8.2.4 Kos 82
8.2.5 South-eastern Aegean 83
8.2.6 Discussion 84

CHAPTER 9: BURIAL OFFERINGS 86
9.1 Pottery 86
9.1.1 Karpathos 86
9.1.1.1 LH/LM IIIA1 86
9.1.1.2 LH/LM IIIA2 87
9.1.1.3 LH/LM IIIB 87
9.1.2 Ialysos 87
9.1.2.1 LH IIB 88
9.1.2.2 LH IIIA1 88
9.1.2.3 LH IIIA2 88
9.1.2.4 LH IIIB 88
9.1.2.5 LH IIIC 88
9.1.3 Rhodes 90
9.1.3.1 LH IIIA1 90
9.1.3.2 LH IIIA2 90
9.1.3.3 LH IIIB 90
9.1.3.4 LH IIIC 91
9.1.4 Kos 92
9.1.4.1 LH IIB 92

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9.1.4.2 LH IIIA1 92
9.1.4.3 LH IIIA2 92
9.1.4.4 LH IIIB 92
9.1.4.5 LH IIIC 93
9.1.5 South-eastern Aegean 93
9.1.5.1 LH IIIA2 94
9.1.5.2 LH IIIB 94
9.1.5.3 LH IIIC 94
9.1.6 Discussion 95
9.2 Small Finds 97
9.2.1 Karpathos 98
9.2.2 Ialysos 98
9.2.3 Rhodes 100
9.2.4 Kos 101
9.2.5 South-eastern Aegean 103
9.2.6 Discussion 103

CONCLUSIONS 106

CHAPTER 10: CONCLUDING REMARKS 106
10.1 Cultural Context, Burial Rituals and Eschatological Beliefs 106
10.2 The Historical Context and the Migration Hypothesis 110
10.2.1 LH II-IIIA2: The Mycenaean Expansion in the Aegean 110
10.2.2 The Ahhiyawa Problem and the Mycenaean Influence in East Aegean 112
10.2.3 LH IIIC: Continuity and Change 113
10.3 A Synthesis 114

BIBLIOGRAPHY 116
Abbreviations 116

APPENDICES 142

Appendix Abbreviations 142
Appendix A.1 The Architectural Elements of the Ialysos Tombs 143
Appendix A.2 The Architectural Elements of the Tombs on Rhodes 145
Appendix A.3 The Architectural Elements of the Tombs on Kos 146
Appendix A.4 The Architectural Elements of the Tombs in the South-eastern Aegean 147
Appendix B.1 The Contents of the Ialysos Tombs 148
Appendix B.2 The Contents of the Tombs on Rhodes 151
Appendix B.3 The Contents of the Tombs on Kos 153
Appendix B.4 The Contents of the Tombs in the South-eastern Aegean 155

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Appendix C.1 The Pots from the Tombs on Karpathos 157
Appendix C.2 The Pots from the Ialysos Tombs 161
Appendix C.3 The Pots from the Tombs on Rhodes 183
Appendix C.4 The Pots from the Tombs on Kos 201
Appendix C.5 The Pots from the Tombs in the South-eastern Aegean 210
Appendix D.1 The Small Finds from the Tombs on Karpathos 217
Appendix D.2 The Small Finds from the Ialysos Tombs 218
Appendix D.3 The Small Finds from the Tombs on Rhodes 230
Appendix D.4 The Small Finds from the Tombs on Kos 234
Appendix D.5 The Small Finds from the Tombs in the South-eastern Aegean 239

TABLES 240

Table 5.1 Cemeteries on Rhodes 240
Table 5.2 Cemeteries in the rest of the South-eastern Aegean 241
Table 9.1 The quantity of pottery types diachronically on Karpathos 242
Table 9.2 The percentage of pottery types according to period on Karpathos 243
Table 9.3 The percentage of pottery types in each period on Karpathos 244
Table 9.4 The quantity of pottery types diachronically at Ialysos 245
Table 9.5 The percentage of pottery types according to period at Ialysos 246
Table 9.6 The percentage of pottery types in each period at Ialysos 247
Table 9.7 The quantity of pottery types diachronically on Rhodes 248
Table 9.8 The percentage of pottery types according to period on Rhodes 249
Table 9.9 The percentage of pottery types in each period on Rhodes 250
Table 9.10 The quantity of pottery types diachronically on Kos 251
Table 9.11 The percentage of pottery types according to period on Kos 252
Table 9.12 The percentage of pottery types in each period on Kos 253
Table 9.13 The quantity of pottery types diachronically in the rest of the
South-eastern Aegean sites 254
Table 9.14 The percentage of pottery types according to period in the rest
of the South-eastern Aegean sites 255
Table 9.15 The percentage of pottery types in each period in the rest of the
South-eastern Aegean sites 356
Table 9.16 Quantity and percentage of pottery types at Karpathos, Ialysos,
Rhodes, Kos and the rest of the South-eastern Aegean 257

FIGURES 258
Keys to Map-Figures 358

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First of all I would like to thank my family for all their encouragement and support all these years and dedicate to them
this work.

I would also like to express my gratitude to the Greek Archaeological Committee U.K. for their scholarship during the
Academic Year 2001/2 and personally to its president Dr. I. Lemos for all her support. Many thanks are owing to The
British School of Ankara for their financial help with my fieldwork during the summer 2001 and to the financial aid of
the Humanities Graduate Centre of The University of Liverpool for my fieldwork in the summers of 2000-2.

I would also like to thank Dr. C. Gallou, who was kind enough to provide me a copy of her recent thesis and discuss with
me a lot of her ideas. Dr. G. Muskett had the tantalizing task of reviewing my English and being a very supporting friend
and colleague, I thank her very much for everything.

I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. A. Greaves and Dr. W. Cavanagh, my PhD referees for their useful advices
and remarks. Very important was also the help provided to me by The British Museum and personally by Dr. L. Fitton.
However this work would have never been completed without the guidance, advice, information and aid of Ms. E.
Skerlou, Dr. E. Karantzali, Dr. T. Marketou and Prof. C.B. Mee, my supervisor and current head of the S.A.C.O.S.
department, to whom I am deeply indebted.

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With love to
Kiki, Yannis, Lela, Athanasia and Nireus