Tombs for the living.

Tombs for the living. STYLIANOS ALEXIOU & PETER WARREN. The Early Minoan Tombs ofLebena, Southern Crete (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology 30). 223pages, 53 figures, 164 plates, 1 chart inset in back cover. 2004.Savedalen: Paul Astrom; 91-7081-126-1 paperback $187. YIANNIS PAPADATOS with SEVI SEVI Systems Evolution, Inc. TRIANTAPHYLLOU. Tholos tho��los?n. pl. tho��loiA beehive-shaped stone tomb of Mycenaean Greece, roofed by corbeling and usually built into the side of a hill.[Greek, round building with a conical roof.] Tomb Gamma: APrepalatial Tholos Tomb at Phourni, Archanes (Institute of AegeanPrehistory prehistory,period of human evolution before writing was invented and records kept. The term was coined by Daniel Wilson in 1851. It is followed by protohistory, the period for which we have some records but must still rely largely on archaeological evidence to Monograph 17). xviii+158 pages, 29 figures, 22 plates,19tables. 2005. Philadelphia (PA): INSTAP Academic Press; 1-931534-17-9hardback 35 [pounds sterling]. The Bronze Age Bronze Age,period in the development of technology when metals were first used regularly in the manufacture of tools and weapons. Pure copper and bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, were used indiscriminately at first; this early period is sometimes called the societies of Crete, commonly known as'Minoan' (a problematic term that has, in the last few yearsand at long last, come under increasing criticism: cf. Hamilakis 2002;Karadimas & Momigliano 2004; Whitley 2006), have been constructedas the first European civilisation by an Europeanist and Orientalistdiscourse, based mostly on archaeological mythologies; these mythologiescommand enormous popular appeal and confer substantial tourist value. Itis only very recently that we have started peeling away these layers ofarchaeological mythologising (an interesting and politically revealingphenomenon in its own right) to gain some understanding of thecomplexities of social life in Crete in the third and second millenniaBC. Paradoxically, it is the longest phase of that cultural phenomenon,the Early Bronze Age (the third millennium) that we know least:archaeological research has largely focused on the impressive structuresthat archaeologists used to (and some still do) call'palaces', and their surrounding sites, a phenomenon mostly ofthe Middle and Late Bronze Age; besides, in the many long-lived sites,later structures obscured the earlier phases. Moreover, within the untilrecently dominant neo-evolutionist interpretative framework, it was thelater phases, the times of 'maturity', 'stately'power, and 'civilisation' that served as the starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting pointterminus a quocommencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the for research; earlier phases thus acquired value as the precursor ofthese 'mature' phases, not in their own right, hence the questfor Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby"quest after, go after, pursuelook for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the evolutionist ev��o��lu��tion��ism?n.1. A theory of biological evolution, especially that formulated by Charles Darwin.2. Advocacy of or belief in biological evolution. origins, 'proto-palaces' and the like. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a result, the Early Bronze Age of Crete is largely known fromits burial record, an arena which was fundamental in the production andreproduction of social life; while the material manifestations of thisarena varied regionally and chronologically, its most extensively knownand studied forms were the impressive, above-ground, vaulted andstone-built, communal tombs (tholai), used for many hundreds of yearsand found primarily in south-central Crete, with only a few examples inother parts of the island. These were places for the living, as well asfor the dead: the loci loci[L.] plural of locus.lociPlural of locus, see there of social gatherings in funerals and othermortuary ceremonies, the repositories of a vast range and a hugequantity of material culture, from pottery to stone vessels, seals,weapons, figurines, and more besides, the arenas of eating and drinkingevents, even dancing, as one of their best-known investigators, KeithBranigan (1993) has suggested. As such, they must have been the loci forintense social interactions, for power displays and contestations, fornegotiating identities and roles, for producing, managing andreproducing remembering and forgetting (cf. Hamilakis 1998). Alas, mostof them were looted in modern times, and almost none of the unlootedones were fully published until recently. The two volumes under review,therefore, represent a major advance in the study of these contexts andof the Early Bronze Age of Crete: two final reports, one for a group offive tombs (and adjacent buildings) in three different localities in thearea of Lebena in south central Crete, and the other for Tomb Gamma,part of the important cemetery at Phourni, Archanes (cf. alsoPanagiotopoulos 2002; Maggidis 1998) in north central Crete, all largelyunlooted in modern times. Lebena The tombs at Lebena were excavated by Stylianos Alexiou in the1950s, a pioneer of the heroic phase of Cretan archaeology, at a timewhen he was one of only two state archaeologists in Crete. The carefulexcavation, the detailed records, and the generosity of this greatscholar (who has, in more recent years, pursued a second equallysuccessful career as specialist in Byzantine and Modern Greekliterature Modern Greek literature refers to literature written in the Greek language from the 11th century, with texts written in a language that is more familiar to the ears of Greeks today than is the language of the early Byzantine literature, the compilers of the New Testament, or, of ), allowed the final publication of this material. Alexioucontributed a short account of the excavation (previously published inshort preliminary reports) to the present volume, but the detailedpresentation, analysis, and interpretation of the material is the workof Peter Warren, whose admirable persistence and long-term commitment tothis material enabled this publication to happen. The volume is acomplex excavation report, presenting the structural properties,associated burial practices, chronology and finds (excluding theskeletal material, still under study) from each group of tombs in thethree localities (Papoura, Gerokampos and Zervou). The volume ends witha short overall conclusion and an extensive illustration component, withoverall high quality line drawings and black and white photographs. The burial group of Lebena will be of immense importance toscholars interested in the chronological development of pottery styles,as it spans from the very beginning of the Bronze Age (or 'EarlyMinoan I'; tomb II at Gerokampos) to the 'Middle MinoanIB' (tomb III at Zervou), that is to the start of the phaseconventionally known as 'palatial' (although whether their usewas continuous is not entirely certain). Indeed, chronology andstylistic development are the topics emphasised by Warren in thispublication (cf. also Todaro 2005). Scholars who are interested inaspects such as the burial practices and their meaning may bedisappointed, for the discussion on these issues is minimal, and doesnot take into account the several recent developments in the field,either in the Aegean, or more broadly. Most readers will also find thevolume difficult to use, as quantitative data are rarely presented intabular form, and the book layout does a disservice dis��ser��vice?n.A harmful action; an injury.disserviceNouna harmful actionNoun 1. to such a complexand important material. Furthermore, Warren inscribes this material ontoan interpretative framework which sees almost all the finds as burialgoods, items used in life and deposited as personal possessions of thedead, or especially made for the burial but seen as of 'use ordesirability to the dead'. In general, all objects, according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Warren, 'belonged to the worm of the dead' and they'surely demonstrate a belief in an afterlife' (p. 191). Butsubstantiation for such a categorical statement is not provided. Mostfinds, certainly of pottery, are very distinctive in terms of function:they were used for eating (also demonstrated by the animal boneassemblages in Lebena and many other tombs) and mostly drinking by theliving people, most likely in a mortuary feasting-drinking context. Yet,for Warren the living participants in these funerary fu��ner��ar��y?adj.Of or suitable for a funeral or burial.[Latin fner ceremonieswouldn't touch the stuff; he dismisses out of hand such practices,talking instead of libations, or slightly more generously, toasting tothe dead. A mortuary feasting-drinking explanation, however, is the mostlikely scenario, as shown in two other cemeteries where detailed potterystudies have been carried out: Agia Kyriaki Agia Kyriaki (Αγια Κυριακη in Greek) is a small Greek island less than one mile from Leros in the Dodecanese islands.On the island is the small church of Agia (Saint) Kyriaki. (Blackman & Branigan1982; see also Hamilakis 1998) and Moni Odigitrias (Michelaki et al2006). Lebena, as all other communal tholos tombs of Crete, shows an atleast two-stage process of primary and secondary treatment of the dead:originally deposited and displayed as individual bodies, after a certaintime the corpse was disturbed and the bones deposited into anonymouspiles. Objects and artefacts were equally reshuffled and moved around,inhibiting any reliable inferences on the social status of individuals.Warren, however, believes in the possibility of some special'founder burials', based on the proximity of corpses todistinctive objects such as marble figurines, invoking thus a directcorrespondence between precious/exotic objects and status. He also seesthese tombs as serving the needs of relatively egalitarian groups, aclan or extended family. Nevertheless, on this and on other issues to dowith social structure and demography demography(dĭmŏg`rəfē), science of human population. Demography represents a fundamental approach to the understanding of human society. , despite earlier hopes that Lebenamay prove crucial, not much can be said, at least not until the outcomeof the physical anthropological study. Phourni, Archanes Tomb Gamma from Phourni is a slightly different case: one of only ahandful of Early Bronze Age tholos tombs from outside southern Crete,and part of a cemetery used for almost 14 centuries (excavated by theSakellarakis from 1964 to 1989), it shares with southern tholoi manyfeatures such as the communal nature, the architectural form includingthe corbelled cor��bel?n.A bracket of stone, wood, brick, or other building material, projecting from the face of a wall and generally used to support a cornice or arch.tr.v. roof, the type of objects found, the division betweenprimary, secondary or tertiary burial and interference, the presence ofanimal bones and shells; but unlike most other tholoi sites, thequantity of pottery found here is small, mostly fragmented andnon-diagnostic, thus inhibiting a thorough analysis of commensal commensal/com��men��sal/ (kom-men��sil)1. living on or within another organism, and deriving benefit without harming or benefiting the host.2. a parasite that causes no harm to the host. andother mortuary practices. The published report is thorough, detailed anddear with excellent illustrations, but its interpretative content isminimal. Paradoxically, the volume is a dryer, cut-down version of thedoctoral thesis upon which it is based (Papadatos 1999) where richerinterpretative insights are to be found. This report, however, contains,in an appendix by Triantaphyllou, the first detailed analysis of humanremains from a Cretan Early Bronze Age tholos tomb: despite the smallsample size (30 being the minimum number of individuals), this is anextremely valuable study. This tomb, which was used from 'Early Minoan IIA' to'Middle Minoan IA', shows, according to Papadatos, that skullswere treated specially (during secondary burial): they were assembledinto smaller groups, rather than thrown into anonymous piles. But themost interesting feature is the introduction, during the later phase ofthe use of the tomb, of larnakes, clay coffins, used for both primaryand secondary burials. Both features, as well as the many other traitsfound in most tombs, such as the interference with and circulation ofbones and objects, the eating and drinking rituals, the periodic'cleanings', destruction and concealment of bones, objects andburial horizons (such as the burning and the subsequent covering of theburial layer with sand in Lebena tomb IIa, p. 18), offer ample scope forreconstructing these mnemoscapes; for discussing the collective ritualsof remembering and forgetting, the tension between the two, and theirpower connotations; for elucidating the role of eating and drinking asmnemonic Pronounced "ni-mon-ic." A memory aid. In programming, it is a name assigned to a machine function. For example, COM1 is the mnemonic assigned to serial port #1 on a PC. Programming languages are almost entirely mnemonics. devices; for understanding the creation of mnemonic mapsthrough the division and demarcation of space (by using the claycoffins, for example, or antechambers used simultaneously with thetholoi). These two volumes contain invaluable datasets on Bronze AgeCrete. But sadly, discussion on issues such as the above will have towait for other, future publications. References BLACKMAN, D. & K. BRANIGAN. 1982. The excavation of an EarlyMinoan tholos tomb at Ayia Kyriaki Ayiofarango, southern Crete. Annualof the British School at Athens The British School at Athens (BSA) (Greek: Βρετανική Σχολή Αθηνών) is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece. 77: 1-57. BRANIGAN, K. 1993. Dancing with Death: Life and Death in SouthernCrete, c. 3000-2000 BC. Amsterdam: A. Hakkert. HAMILAKIS, Y. 1998. Eating the dead: mortuary feasting and thepolitics of memory in the Aegean Bronze Age societies, in K. Branigan(ed.) Cemetery and Society in the Aegean Bronze Age: 115-132. Sheffield:Sheffield Academic Press. --2002. What future for the "Minoan" past? RethinkingMinoan archaeology, in Y. Hamilakis (ed.) Labyrinth Revisited:Rethinking "Minoan" Archaeology: 2-28. Oxford: Oxbow. KARADIMAS, N. & N. MOMIGLIANO. 2004. On the term"Minoan" before Sir Arthur Evans's work in Crete (1894).Studi Micenei ed Egeo Anatolici 46(2): 243-58. MAGGIDIs, C. 1998. From polis to necropolis necropolis:see cemetery. necropolis(Greek: “city of the dead”) Extensive and elaborate burial place serving an ancient city. The locations of these cemeteries varied. : social ranking fromarchitectural and mortuary evidence in the Minoan cemetery at Phourni,Archanes, in K. Branigan (ed.) Cemetery and Society in the Aegean BronzeAge: 87-102. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. MICHELAKI, F., K. BRANIGAN & T. CAMPBELL-GREEN. 2006. Potteryusage in the tholos cemetery at Moni Odigitria. Paper presented at the10th International Cretological Congress, Chania, Crete, 1-8 October2006. PANAGIOTOPOULOS, D. 2002. Das Tholosgrab E von Phourni beiArchanes. Studien zu einem fruhkretischen Grabfund und seinemkulturellen Kontext (British Archaeological Report International Series1014). Oxford: Archaeopress. PAPADATOS, Y. 1999. Mortuary practices and their importance for thereconstruction of society and life in Prepalatial Crete: the evidencefrom Tholos Tomb Gamma in Archanes-Phourni. Unpublished Doctoraldissertation, Sheffield University. TODARO, S. 2005. EM I-MMIA ceramic groups at Phaistos: towards thedefinition of a prepalatial ceramic sequence in south central Crete.Creta Antica 6:11-46. WHITLEY, J. 2006. The Minoans--a Welsh invention? A view from EastCrete, in Y. Hamilakis & N. Momigliano (ed.) Archaeology andEuropean Modernity: Producing and Consuming the "Minoans":55-67. Padova: Bottega d'Erasmo/ Aldo Ausilio. Yannis Hamilakis, Archaeology, School of Humanities, University ofSouthampton In the most recent RAE assessment (2001), it has the only engineering faculty in the country to receive the highest rating (5*) across all disciplines.[3] According to The Times Higher Education Supplement , Southampton S017 1BJ, UK (Email: y.hamilakis@soton.ac.uk)