Recent Developments in the Archaeology of Minoan Crete (original) (raw)
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Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 2009
We are becoming increasingly aware of regional data patterning in the archaeological record of Prepalatial Crete, yet a theoretically informed and methodologically systematic study assessing the significance of such differences is still lacking. This article investigates variation through the rich mortuary record of the period and explores the significance of such diversity for our understanding of Prepalatial Crete. A detailed analysis using mortuary data reveals a complex spatial and temporal variation in the record which raises questions about social, political and ideological differences between communities on the island during the early periods of the Early Bronze Age. Prepalatial Crete emerges from this analysis as a complex context resulting from an intricate combination of local and regional histories and trajectories and far from the unified culture that the term ‘Minoan’ implies.
Relaki & Papadatos 2018 From the Foundations to the Legacy of Minoan Archaeology
From the Foundations to the Legacy of Minoan Archaeology provides a range of new approaches to key issues in Minoan archaeology, inspired by Professor Branigan’s longstanding contribution to the archaeology of Bronze Age Crete. From the way in which the developmental trajectory of a single site can offer insights into regional patterns, to the importance of integrating local survey information in reconstructing general historical processes and the significance of temporal variability in the construction of space, contributors evaluate the general frameworks within which Minoan archaeology operates, assess the usefulness of chronological horizons in understanding continuity and change and provide a critical framework for the diachronic analysis of culture, the degree to which the study of settlement patterns can reveal structural continuity through time and the political reach of territorial states. Articles focus on the way the power bases of Minoan society were articulated through the interplay between individual and collective social strategies, further illustrated by in-depth considerations of the role and value of material culture from a social and technological perspective. The largest portion of discussion is devoted to mortuary practices, reassessing the significance of micro-patterns in the articulation of mortuary behaviour, while also emphasizing broader temporal and spatial processes that affect practices of ostentatious display in burial, critically evaluated by recent osteoarchaeological studies throwing light on mortuary ritual and the constitution of the social units using the cemeteries. The volume is offered in honour of Professor Branigan, as a reflection of his influence in shaping our current understanding of Minoan society.
Minoan Archaeology: the pretence of being
2011
Minoan Archaeology has been in the centre of Aegean Studies from its beginning as a discipline. Several studies have focused on its use as defining aspect of the Greek identity and its impact in the broader cultural spectrum of Mediterranean studies. In this paper the author would like to view Minoan Archaeology through the eyes of the specialized archaeologist, who is dealing with it on a more practical level. Through the study of Knossian pottery with experts the author realized the need for looking at the site “from inside out” and gradually developed an informative system based on process, defined as a step-by-step procedure of analyzing archaeological data. In this multi-level approach the focus stays on pottery typology, which is accompanied by quantitative methods and statistics taking into consideration all the available data, primary as well as published material. When dealing with the latter, we should bear in mind that data come to us already filtered by someone else’s views and interpretations. Thus the study of primary data is important, when trying to evaluate the material manifestations of a culture. In order to present her views in pottery studies, in particular, the author uses as a case study the project known as “Palace, Middle Minoan III” undertaken some years ago by Dr. Colin F. Macdonald, Professor Carl Knappett and the author. The enterprise is accompanied by theoretical observations on apriori disciplines, like phenomenology.