The Late Helladic I pottery of the southwestern Peloponnesos and its local characteristics

This thesis, in two volumes, deals with the Late Helladic I pottery from the southwestern Peloponnesos, Greece. It is a study of its origins, development and local variations. All wares (whether painted or unpainted) produced in this part of the Peloponnesos during LH I are considered; particular emphasis is put on the examination of the fine decorated ware; imports, wherever identifiable, are also dealt with. The text volume (Vol. I) consists of the Introduction and Chapters I-accompanied by an Appendix, a number of Tables, and a List of Abbreviations, as well as a Bibliography. The ceramic material discussed in the text volume is illustrated in Volume II, in which a List of Figures is also included. In the Introduction the reasons which have prompted the undertaking of this study are explained; the need for a close examination of the earliest Late Helladic ceramic material, both published and unpublished, that has come to light in archaeological excavations in the southwest part of the Peloponnesos is stressed; problems relating to Early Mycenaean pottery-sequence and chronology are also considered. Chapter I is a detailed account of the Late Helladic I pottery from deposits excavated at settlement-sites in the SW part of the Peloponnesos, among them Voroulia-Tragana (where an important closed LH I group of domestic material was found) and Nichoria (where evidence for a stratigraphic distinction between LH I and LH IIA was produced). All known LH I vases as well as a number of vessels datable to late MH-LH I or LH I-IIA from various funerary contexts in Messenia and Triphylia are treated in Chapter II; their significance for the study of the history ('life') of each tomb is also assessed. Chapter III is an analysis of the local LH I shape-range. All vessel forms occurring in plain and decorated wares are classified and discussed; attention is drawn to their features, origins (Minoan, Helladic or other), general typology and development with due reference to their predecessors as well as immediate descendants. Chapter IV deals with the decoration of the local LH I pottery. The rich local repertoire of LH I motifs is fully analyzed and compared to the decoration-repertoire of the contemporary pottery from Kythera, Crete, the Cyclades, eastern Peloponnesos and eastern central Greece. Special importance is attached to the treatment of the lustrous-painted patterns which seem to be particularly characteristic of the local LH I ceramic style. The contributions made by the local potters to the LH I decoration-repertoire are singled out. Accessory features, such as the use of added white ornament, are also examined. The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the material together with some general remarks are to be found in Chapter V. Special attention is drawn to the diffusion of Minoan ceramic influence in the southwest Peloponnesos and its bearing on the formation of the local LH I pottery style; the various points of contact between Messenian LH I and Kytherian LM IA are accordingly emphasized; the implications of the Kytherian connection are considered. The strength of the local Middle Helladic ceramic traditions which survived into the Late Helladic I period is assessed and reference is made to parallel developments in other regions of the Greek Mainland, particularly the eastern Peloponnesos. The main characteristics of the local LH I pottery are also summarized in the concluding chapter, while a section is devoted to the local pottery industry. Finally, arguments are advanced to show that the results obtained from the study of the local LH I ware lead us towards a better understanding of the Late Helladic I-II ceramic sequence and chronology and put the earliest phase of the Late Bronze Age in this part of Mainland Greece under clearer focus. The study of the available contextual evidence and of the development of the local LH I fine ware has enabled the author to identify three stages within Messenian LH I. J. G. L.<p

Monumenta

Messenia was one of the core areas of the Middle and Late Helladic culture in Greece. Based on a catalogue of 57 sites, which comprises about 240 tombs, their topographic situation, architectural design and the offerings found in them are analysed. This work provides a contribution to a better understanding of the social hierarchy and political changes in these phases of Greek prehistory

Monumenta

Messenia was one of the core areas of the Middle and Late Helladic culture in Greece. Based on a catalogue of 57 sites, which comprises about 240 tombs, their topographic situation, architectural design and the offerings found in them are analysed. This work provides a contribution to a better understanding of the social hierarchy and political changes in these phases of Greek prehistory.Die Landschaft Messenien bildete eines der Kerngebiete der mittel- und späthelladischen Kultur Griechenlands. Ausgehend von einem Katalog von 57 Fundorten mit etwa 240 Grabanlagen werden die topographische Situation der Gräber, ihre architektonische Ausgestaltung und die Beigabeninventare analysiert. Dadurch bietet die Arbeit einen Beitrag zum besseren Verständnis der sozialen Hierarchie und der politischen Änderungen in dieser Phase der griechischen Geschichte

Economic Interplay Among Households And States

This Forum has made progress on both its stated research themes: control of craft production and the newer topic of markets. My comments take up the issues of household economy, state control, and markets. First, I discuss developments at the second-order center of Nichoria, which show both independent activity and the effect of incorporation into the state of Pylos. Excavation of another such settlement at Iklaina promises to support and expand on the findings from Nichoria. State control is another subject for discussion; the evidence suggests some differences between prestige goods and ordinary pottery, concerning both production and consumption. Finally, I argue that the existence of markets is well supported by both archaeological and textual data.Classic

Lyric Messene: Collaborative Ethnogenesis and Historical Narrative

A byproduct of Theban hegemony and a check against Spartan revival, the new city state of Messenia was simultaneously a return to the past (pre Spartan hegemony) and the creation of something brand new (the wholesale construction of the city of Messene upon the introduction of Theban hegemony). In this sense, the new Messenian polity was an artificial construct, a supposed rebirth of a city state, through the lens of classical rebellions and the ethnic diaspora, resulting in a new and free Messenia (Alcock 1998, Ober 1985, Luraghi 2008). The historical narrative tied to Messenian resurrection (mainly through Pausanias and Diodorus, whereas Xenophon is notably silent on this) is ripe for analysis. Indeed, in recent years, Messenian and Helot identity have witnessed a revival of interest in their own right within the academic community (cf., in particular, Luraghi and Alcock 2003). Through examining the Messenian ethnogenesis (Luraghi 2012) in conjunction with the sociopolitical subtext of the construction of Messene itself, we might better understand how groups “buy in” to one version of “resurgence”—namely, how new political realities look to the past to establish precedent and normalcy in the face of seismic change. The new Messenia was no return of the same, but rather a reinvention, one contingent on new historical circumstance. In this sense, we might look beyond the foundation of Messene to its legacy and notions of sustainability, in that its creation was dependent on Theban support and the leadership of Epaminondas. With the end of Theban hegemony and the ascendancy of Macedon, Messenia, like most of Greece, lost substantial political independence. The adversarial relationship between Sparta and Messenia remained long into the Hellenistic and Roman period. By studying the continuity of this adversarial historical narrative, Messenia offers a unique parallel with resurgent cities in the modern era

A survey of Late Bronze Age funerary archaeology over the last 25 years in the central and southern Aegean

This contribution offers a brief survey of funerary archaeology undertaken in the central and southern Aegean over the course of the last 25 years. Major construction projects and salvage and systematic excavations have brought to light some 1,700 new Late Bronze Age tombs (i.e. 27% of the extant corpus). Despite these discoveries, however, very few tombs have received a final publication and few of these projects are context driven. New data are and will continue to be desirable – but it is the quality of recording these data, our research questions and the careful application of new methodologies, during and after excavation, that will open up new interpretative avenues and debates. With the number of secure archaeological contexts dwindling fast, not least because of the constant threat of looting, developing new approaches (for example understanding site formation and episodes of use) is crucial if we are to recover as much as possible and advance our knowledge of the multivalent roles played by burials within ancient societies.Non

Ceramica micenea in Sardegna: stato delle ricerche e prospettive future

In this paper I intend to present a typological analysis of the Mycenaean materials found in Sardinia (ceramic, faience and ivory), with the aim at proposing the revision of some ceramic forms dating back to a chronological span ranging from LHIIIA2 to LHIIIC, with particular attention to a possible cult use of these; moreover, the recent discoveries of Caprera and Santa Teresa di Gallura show that the spread of Mycenaean artefacts has not only affected the southern part of the island, but also the northern part. &nbsp;In questo lavoro si desidera presentare un’analisi tipologica dei materiali micenei rinvenuti in Sardegna (ceramica, faience e avorio), con l’obiettivo di proporre la revisione di alcune forme ceramiche risalenti a un arco cronologico che va dal TEIIIA2 al TEIIIC, con particolar attenzione a un possibile utilizzo cultuale di queste; inoltre i recentissimi rinvenimenti di Caprera e Santa Teresa di Gallura dimostrano che la diffusione di manufatti micenei non abbia interessato solo la parte meridionale dell’isola, ma anche quella settentrionale. &nbsp

Site, artefacts and landscape: Prehistoric Borg in-Nadur, Malta

The excavations carried out by M. Murray between 1921 and 1927 in the area of the Borġ in-Nadur temple produced large amounts of pottery related to the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, thus testifying to the long life-history of this place and highlighting its importance for Maltese prehistory. Following the publication of a number of reports at the time of the excavations, and a partial inventory of the material in the 1950s, the evidence from the megalithic temple of Borġ in-Nadur was never looked at again, a fact which probably contributed towards a less than comprehensive knowledge about the Maltese Bronze Age. In 2007, eighty years after the end of the excavations, a research project was commenced, aimed at a reappraisal of all the finds coming from the temple, with particular emphasis on the Borġ in-Nadur pottery. The intention was to clarify the different phases of occupation of the site and to build a chronotypological sequence for the Borġ in-Nadur pottery production. In this contribution, the results achieved during that research exercise are presented.peer-reviewe