Supervisors info:
Παναγιώτα Πολυχρονάκου Σγουρίτσα, Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννης Παπαδάτος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας ΕΚΠΑ
Αφροδίτη Χασιακού, Λέκτορας Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The rock-cut chamber tombs constitute the most popular type of the Mycenaean funerary architecture encompassing a great number of monuments throughout Mycenaean world. Their distinctive architectural form is comprised by three separate though closely interrelated parts: the dromos, the façade (or stomion) and the burial chamber.
The present study focuses on the façades of the tombs, which, in the majority of cases, are plain without adornment. Of special interest to this study are the tombs where the use of painted, relief or incised decoration enhances the stomion area, while the simple border around the doorway (fascia) is also touched upon briefly. Although previous research occasionally underlined the importance of such cases, only rarely has the subject been treated per se. The area under study includes the known examples from mainland Greece, while comparisons are drawn with monuments from the islands and Crete, covering almost the entire chronological range of the Mycenaean period.
The introductory chapter deals with issues of previous research, the limitations of the material and also the methodology and theoretical framework of the study, while the research questions are posed as well. Chapter 1 discusses the origins, the spatial and chronological distribution of the chamber tombs in general, their architectural features and the burial customs, along with matters of social conditions and the possible identity of their users. The functional and the possible symbolic aspects of the façade are also addressed.
Chapter 2 comprises the core of the study with the catalogue of the tombs with ornamented façades. A short overview of the use of chamber tombs in their wider region and an introductory note on the cemetery of each tomb precedes its comprehensive description (architectural features, decoration, burials, offerings and chronology).
In Chapter 3 the tombs are classified in groups according to the type of decoration. Τhe position of the tombs in the cemetery, their orientation, architectural features and peculiarities, the burials and their context as potential differentiation markers are examined comparatively. Chapter 4 considers the decorative motifs used on the façades, with a special mention to the painted decoration, for which the practice of Aegean wall painting is shortly reviewed. In order to trace the possible origins of the ornamented façades, data from contemporary residential architecture as well as from the built tholos tombs are presented in Chapter 5.
Finally, Chapter 6 includes a synthesis of all the data previously analysed, by providing potential answers to the questions set in the introduction. Besides the update of the bibliography with new cases, this study compiles and presents all the Mycenaean chamber tombs with ornamented façades through comparative analysis, co-examines their context and the social conditions of the time and attempts to reconsider the data under the light of recent research.
Keywords:
rock-cut chamber tombs, Mycenaean, façade, stomion, decoration
