AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PALIMPSEST IN MINOAN CRETE

440 pages

95 figures, 62 plates, 27 tables

hardback, 28.5x22 cm

This publication presents the archaeological evidence from two associated Minoan sites situated at Apesokari in the Mesara Plain of South-Central Crete, Tholos Tomb A and the neighboring free-standing domestic complex on Vigla Hill. It thoroughly reconstructs the natural and social landscape of this Cretan community from the late Prepalatial to the early Neopalatial periods through its interdisciplinary character; this includes photogrammetric two- and three-dimensional models of the architectural remains, viewshed analysis of both monuments and of the earlier Tholos Tomb B, as well as A-DNA and stable isotope analysis of the bones. The study of the burial dataset provides insights into the social construction of collective memory and identity by the burying social group, whereas the habitational deposits from the building on Vigla hill establish the longevity and function of the site as a node of the southern Mesara communication and exchange networks.

Contents: PART I. THOLOS TOMB A: 1. Introduction and Scope; 2. A Local Burial Landscape: Theoretical Premises and Methodology; 3. History of Excavation; 4. Architecture of Tholos Tomb A; 5. Placing Tholos Tomb A in the Visual Landscape of Apesokari; 6. Clay and Stone Finds from Tholos Tomb A; 7. Evidence from Human Remains; 8. Ancient DNA Analysis of the Human Skeletal Assemblage: A Pilot Study of Prepalatial and Proto- palatial Southern Mesara in Crete; PART II. BUILDING ON VIGLA HILL: 9. Introduction, Architecture, and Layout; 10. Stratigraphy and Clay Finds from the Vigla Building; 11. A Survey by Space: Pottery Sequences and Diachronic Use; 12. Stone Objects and Shells; PART III. LIVING WITH THE DEAD: LANDSCAPE, ANCESTORS, AND AGENCY AT APESOKARI: 13. Finds and Space as Evidence for Function and Use of the Domestic Areas at Vigla; 14. Mortuary Practices: Burial, Curation of Human Remains, and Identity; 15. Conclusions: Notions of Identity and Agency at Apesokari; Appendix A. Seals in the Giamalakis Collection Attributed to Apesokari; Appendix B. Petrographic Classification of Stone Objects from Apesokari; References; Index; Tables; Figures; Plates

English 978-1-931534-35-2

Georgia Flouda