Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Προϊστορική ΑρχαιολογίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Moraitakis Nikolaos
Supervisors info:
Αφροδίτη Χασιάκου -Λέκτρω Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας- Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας-ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννης ΠαπαδάτοςΣ -Αναπλ. Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας- Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας-ΕΚΠΑ
Γιώργος Βαβουρανάκης-Επίκουρος Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας- Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας-ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
«Τάφοι και Ταφικά Έθιμα στην Πελοπόννησο κατά τη Μέση Εποχή του Χαλκού και την πρώιμη Μυκηναϊκή, με έμφαση στις εξελίξεις της έρευνας κατά την τελευταία εικοσαετία»
Translated title:
“Tombs and mortuary practices in Peloponnese during the Middle Bronze and the Early Mycenaean Age focusing on the evolution of research methods in the last twenty years.”
Summary:
“Tombs and mortuary practices in Peloponnese during the Middle Bronze and the Early Mycenaean Age focusing on the evolution of research methods in the last twenty years.”
The significant number of Middle Helladic sites identified in the Peloponnese has contributed to stimulating research interest. In addition interdisciplinary cooperation together with technological development, particularly over the last twenty years, have provided researchers with the means to more accurately document and evaluate older and recent findings. Also taken into account is the relatively recent shift of research to adopt a humanocentric theoretical approach which enmeshes humans with their environment in action. The fact that most of the findings come from tombs justifies the particular focus on their study together with the mortuary practices and the subsequent burial sites. The types of tombs are the subject of a separate study and their categorization is of interest both from the point of the evolution of burial constructional features and the social extensions associated with them. The treatment of the dead is inextricably linked with the tombs and is examined in association with burial offerings and rituals. The extra muros transfer of the burial sites together with the growing number and the wealth of grave goods as well as the evolution of the tumulus to tholos tomb during the last phase of the period mostly characterize the transition from the late Middle to the early Late Helladic period. Burial monuments of the Middle Helladic period have been identified in all the prefectures of the Peloponnese, mainly in Argolida and Messinia. Argos, Asini and Lerna are sites of particular interest, mainly because of the existence of distinct mesoelladic settlements with burial sites both inside and outside of them highlighting the tomb typology as well as the local mortuary practices which include the position of the dead in the tombs, the orientation of the body and the placing of the dead according to gender and age. Voidokilia, Papoulia and Peristeria are mesoelladic sites of great importance in Messinia where research has among others provided precious insight to the evolution of the architectural type of tumulus into the tholos tomb as well as of the rich grave goods that predated the brilliant Later Helladic period. Mortuary practices in Northeastern and Southwestern Peloponnese are discussed in further detail and there follows a comparative study of Argolida and Messinia in order to clarify differences and similarities that exist between these two key centers of MBA Peloponnese, thus reaching the final conclusions which manifest a uniformity of burial practices with the exception of certain regional particularities.
Main subject category:
Archaeology
Keywords:
Tombs, Peloponnese, Middle Bronze age, recearch methods evolutions
Number of references:
143
