Supervisors info:
Ελένη Μαντζουράνη, Καθηγήτρια Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Γεώργιος Βαβουρανάκης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Αφροδίτη Χασιακού, Λέκτορας Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών
Summary:
Since humankind began to discover the surrounding around it and interact with the other human beings, the need for communication with the divinity was born. That need was expressed through religious architecture and the people’s rituals. Altars and hearths formed such architectural installations with ceremonial and religious character for the expression of cult, that, as a result, pointed the interest of researchers at mycenaean religious practice.
This project deals with the architectural evidence and zooarchaeological residues that correlate with altars and hearths in mycenaean Mainland Greece with reference to the cultic installations of Middle Helladic period. The aim of this project is to examine the fixed structures, according to their geographical distribution and their chronology, to discuss their typological classification and their morphological features, as well as to define the character of the performed religious practices.
The present project is constituted of four chapters. The first one deals with the function of mycenaean religious rituals that occurred at the examined cultic structures and with the character of their offerings - bloody and bloodless. The second chapter presents the altars and the hearths of Middle Helladic period, being the era of their appearance, according to their geographical distribution. Attention is focused on Argolis and Messenia, mainly from burial contexts, in which the first evidence of cult came to light.
In the third chapter, the altars and the hearths of Late Helladic period are examined, firstly, through their geographical distribution and secondly, through their chronological classification. In addition, the associated zooarchaeological residues of the architectural contexts are being examined. The LH period was the era of the development and the expansion of these cultic installations. In particular, the investigated areas of this project are Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Dimini, Aghia Irini at Kea, Aghios Konstantinos at Methana, Aghios Vassilios at Laconia, the temple of Apollon Maleatas at Epidaurus and Eleusis.
In the fourth chapter, an attempt is made to compose the archaeological evidence through architectural, iconographical and epigraphic material, as well as through the aim of osteological residues. First of all, evidence of cult practice is documented at cemeteries, at domestic context of MH and Early Mycenaean period, at open air and urban shrines, at palatial and postpalatial context of the corresponding periods. In addition, the morphological features and the typology of the structures are compiled and material evidence from other arts (seal-engraving) and areas (Crete) is presented and compared with the examined one. At final stage, bloody (animal sacrifice) and bloodless offerings (libations, deposition of sacred objects or food) are interpreted through their archaeological context and a reference to theories of places for performing the rituals is made (central courts and central hearths of the palaces). This project is drawn to an end with the conclusions, which are referred to the features of the cultic installations, as well as to the character of the religious practices that occurred at the mainland Greece in the Late Bronze Age.
Keywords:
mycenaean, religion, cult, Bronze Age, zooarchaeology, sacrifice, figurines, architecture, ritual, temple, shrine, megaron, palace, settlement, house
