Mortuary practices and their importance for the reconstruction of society and life in Prepalatial Crete: The evidence from Tholos Tomb Γ, in Archanes – Phourni. Volume I: Text & Bibliography

This thesis constitutes an attempt to approach and interpret a Prepalatial tholos tomb, Tholos Γ at the cemetery of Phourni, in Archanes, Crete, and Prepalatial mortuary practices in general, within the conceptual framework and the theoretical developments of the archaeology of death. The study follows four main stages. The first is the study of the evidence from Tholos Γ (presented in more detail in the Appendices of Volume 2), which allows the reconstruction of the entire history of the tomb, from its construction until its excavation. Thus, Tholos Γ, apart from being one of the very few well excavated and unlooted Prepalatial tombs, becomes the only tomb the history of which can be followed in relative detail. In the second stage, a synthesis of the existing theoretical approaches to the mortuary archaeological record is attempted, and the problems, potentials, advantages and significance of the archaeology of death are examined. The theoretical framework within which we approach Prepalatial mortuary practices is also presented. The third step is a description and discussion of the mortuary practices of Tholos Γ and other Prepalatial cemeteries, and particular emphasis is given to variations, differences and changes through time and space. The evidence presented and the conclusions made in the first three stages are used in the final stage of analysis, where an attempt is made to reconstruct the mortuary beliefs, and the horizontal and vertical organisation of Prepalatial society on the basis of the available mortuary evidence. Concerning the last two topics, we also discuss the Cycladic character of the Tholos Γ assemblage, and, more generally, the character of Creto-Cycladic relations during the early Prepalatial period. At the end of the thesis conclusions are made on the basis of what was discussed before, and possible issues for future research are investigated

Mortuary practices and their importance for the reconstruction of society and life in Prepalatial Crete: The evidence from Tholos Tomb Γ, in Archanes – Phourni. Volume II: Appendices, Tables, Figures & Plates

This thesis constitutes an attempt to approach and interpret a Prepalatial tholos tomb, Tholos Γ at the cemetery of Phourni, in Archanes, Crete, and Prepalatial mortuary practices in general, within the conceptual framework and the theoretical developments of the archaeology of death. The study follows four main stages. The first is the study of the evidence from Tholos Γ (presented in more detail in the Appendices of Volume 2), which allows the reconstruction of the entire history of the tomb, from its construction until its excavation. Thus, Tholos Γ, apart from being one of the very few well excavated and unlooted Prepalatial tombs, becomes the only tomb the history of which can be followed in relative detail. In the second stage, a synthesis of the existing theoretical approaches to the mortuary archaeological record is attempted, and the problems, potentials, advantages and significance of the archaeology of death are examined. The theoretical framework within which we approach Prepalatial mortuary practices is also presented. The third step is a description and discussion of the mortuary practices of Tholos Γ and other Prepalatial cemeteries, and particular emphasis is given to variations, differences and changes through time and space. The evidence presented and the conclusions made in the first three stages are used in the final stage of analysis, where an attempt is made to reconstruct the mortuary beliefs, and the horizontal and vertical organisation of Prepalatial society on the basis of the available mortuary evidence. Concerning the last two topics, we also discuss the Cycladic character of the Tholos Γ assemblage, and, more generally, the character of Creto-Cycladic relations during the early Prepalatial period. At the end of the thesis conclusions are made on the basis of what was discussed before, and possible issues for future research are investigated

Livari Skiadi, A Minoan Cemetery in southeast Crete. Volume I: Excavation and Finds

This is the first of a two-volume final report on the excavation of the Minoan cemetery and associated finds at Livari Skiadi, near Goudouras, at the southeastern end of Crete. The cemetery was unearthed during a rescue excavation performed by the 24th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, under the direction of Chrysa Sofianou, who was at that time responsible for the antiquities of the Siteia prefecture, and with the participation of Yiannis Papadatos, together with a small group of archaeology students from the Department of History and Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The excavation lasted three consecutive summers, from 2008 until 2010, and it revealed a tholos tomb and burial rock shelter used in the Prepalatial period, a house tomb dated to the Neopalatial period, and deposits of funerary material in open areas surrounding these tombs

The Cretan Mesolithic in context: new data from Livari Skiadi (SE Crete)

Investigations at Livari (south-eastern Crete) produced a small Mesolithic chipped stone assemblage, whose techno-typological characteristics situate it within an ‘early Holocene Aegean island lithic tradition’ (9000–7000 cal BC). The material provides antecedent characteristics for the lithics of Crete’s founder Neolithic population at Knossos (c. 7000–6500/6400 cal BC). The idiosyncrasies of the Knossian material can be viewed as a hybrid lithic tradition that emerged from interaction between migrant Anatolian farmers and indigenous hunter-gatherers. Small quantities of Melian obsidian at Livari attest to early Holocene maritime insular networks, knowledge of which likely enabled the first farmers’ successful voyage to Crete.Raziskave na najdišču Livari (na jugovzhodnu Krete) so pokazale navzočnost drobnega mezolitskega kamnitega inventarja, katerega tehnološke in tipološke značilnosti ga postavljajo v okvir ‘zgodnje holocenske egejske tradicije kamnitih artefaktov’ (9000–7000 cal BC). Ta material predstavlja predhodnike tipov kamnitih orodij, ki so značilna za kretsko ustanoviteljsko neolitsko populacijo v Knossosu (ok. 7000–6500/6400 cal BC). Značilnosti materiala iz Knossosa kažejo na hibridne tradicije v tipologiji kamnitih artefaktov, ki so se pojavile kot posledica interakcije med migranti – poljedelci iz Anatolije in domorodnimi lovci in nabiralci. Manjša količina obsidiana iz Melosa na najdišču Livari pa kaže na zgodnje holocensko morsko omrežje, ki je potekalo med otoki, kar je omogočalo prvim poljedelcem, da so pridobili znanje za uspešno plovbo do Krete

Fingerprints on Early Minoan Pottery: a pilot study

This paper is a pilot study of fingerprints in Early Bronze Age pottery from Crete. The assemblages examined come from the tholos cemetery of Ayia Kyraki (south central Crete) and the settlement at Myrtos Phournou Korifi (south east Crete). The number of surviving fingerprints on handmade pottery proved disappointingly small, particularly when unsatisfactory prints were excluded. Fingerprints appear to occur most, and survive best, on the inside of closed shapes such as jugs and jars, and in the two studied assemblages were more prolific on the harder fabrics than the soft ones. Fingerprints with sufficient ridge characteristics for positive matching do survive, in some cases with as many as eight or more characteristics. If pottery specialists could be encouraged to set aside sherds with fingerprints for recording, then the establishment of a database could in time begin to yield matches and therefore potential chronological links between assemblages

The BICS Mycenaean Seminar 2016-17

This annual publication contains summaries of the Mycenaean Seminar convened by the Institute of Classical Studies. The seminar series has been running since the 1950s, when it focused largely on the exciting new research enabled by the decipherment of Linear B. The series has now evolved to cover Aegean Prehistory in general, and is well known among subject specialists throughout the world. Taken together, the summaries provide a rich resource for Aegean Prehistory, and often provide the only citable instance of new research projects, until their fuller publication becomes possible. The summaries of the seminars have been published as part of BICS since 1963. Starting with the 2015–16 series, the Mycenaean summaries will be published separately online, retaining their original character and their close connection with BICS, and becoming far more widely available as Open Access publications via the Humanities Digital Library

Tholos Γ, A Prepalatial Tholos Tomb at Archanes-Phourni, Crete

This publication includes a detailed discussion of the pottery, the finds and their parallels, and a reconstruction of both the excavation and stratigraphy of Tholos Gamma in the Bronze Age cemetery of Phourni at Archanes. This evidence is used to give the historical outline of the tomb from its foundation in Early Minoan IIA until its excavation in 1972. Several problems concerning Prepalatial mortuary practices are discussed, with particular reference to Tholos Gamma and the new evidence resulting from the study of this funerary assemblage. The artifacts from the tomb include pottery, metal objects, marble figurines, other small finds, and skeletal remains. An extensive report on the study of the human skeletal remains, by Sevi Triantaphyllou, is also included