Review of Betancourt, P.P. The Bronze Age Begins: The Ceramics Revolution of Early Minoan I and the New Forms of Wealth that Transformed Prehistoric Society (INSTAP Academic Press 2009), Mouseion 11.3 (2011 [2014]) 1-3. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Daidalos Heidelberger Abschlussarbeiten zur Klassischen Archäologie Volume 12, 2022
This book is focused on the analysis of the ceramic material that was excavated in eight different parts of the Mochlos settlement, covering an extended time span from MM IB (1925/1900-1875/1850 BCE) to MM II (1875/1850-1750/1700). Since the Mochlos material is stratified and covers all three sub-periods of the Protopalatial period (MM IB-MM IIA and MM IIB) it affords a unique opportunity for understanding aspects of production, distribution, and consumption of ceramic material and reflects social dynamics, both intrasettlement and extending into the broader region of the Mirabello Gulf and East Crete.
Ancient Methone 2003–2013: Excavations by Matthaios Bessios, Athena Athanassiadou, and Konstantinos Noulas , ed. S. P. Morris and J. K. Papadopoulos, Monumenta Archaeologica 49, Los Angeles, The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press. http://www.ioa.ucla.edu/ancientmethone., 2023
The prehistoric pottery presented in this chapter constitutes important evidence for the earliest habitation periods on the East Hill coastal promontory of ancient Methone, spanning the Late Neolithic to the end of the Early Bronze Age (early 5th to late 3rd–early 2nd millennium B.C.). A small but significant component of early material was retrieved within and near the fragmentary remains of three ditches and four pits, which were part of external boundaries or else intrasite divisions of the prehistoric settlements. The rest has been lost to natural erosion and millennia of subsequent occupation, with most of the pottery dispersed and redeposited amid the debris of Late Bronze–Iron Age construction works and under buildings dating to the Archaic and Classical periods. Of these later horizons we sampled promising units across the excavated area of the East Hill. The Ancient Methone Intensive Survey yielded additional small quantities of sherds collected over an extensive area around the site. The relatively small size of the sample and, in most cases, the lack of primary contextual association hamper the study of form and function. Nevertheless, the material is diagnostic enough to permit relative dating to the respective phases of the Macedonian Late Neolithic, Final Neolithic, Early Bronze Age, and transition to the Middle Bronze Age. All pottery is handmade and comes in a variety of shapes and wares, from storage and cooking containers to vessels of consumption and symbolic forms. Macroscopic examination has allowed the tentative distinction of ten different fabrics, some specific to one period and others persisting longer. Although fragmentary and disparate, the sample nevertheless points to important ceramic traditions and informs about a spectrum of practices involving pottery, in the prehistoric communities residing at this key site on the coast of northern Pieria.
University of Sheffield (UK), 2016
The site of Phaistos in southern Crete offers great potential for examining the transition between the FN and the EBA in Crete. Given the completeness and continuity of its stratigraphy as well as the abundance and the sheer quality of the ceramic material, the site provides much information concerning the degree of change in material culture in these phases. This paper adopts a ‘bottom-up’ approach to explore the dynamics of technological and social change at Phaistos. It starts with an investigation into technological variation within ceramic assemblages across the period under study, which shows the adoption of distinctive surface treatments and paste recipes. However, the paper goes beyond technological reconstruction. The analytical study is intertwined with the contexts of consumption of the site in order to understand their relationship with artefact manufacturing. By examining the significance of technological choices in pottery making, this study demonstrates a complex picture of continuity and change over the period of study, which disproves recent assumptions of a single-phase transformation at the beginning of the EBA.
JAS Reports
Variability in ceramic classes and technological practice is discussed across the range of pottery produced at or near Phaistos, Crete in Early Minoan IB. It is at this time that new shapes and surface decoration were introduced, leading to the suggestion of abrupt discontinuity in ceramic manufacture, if not in society. Drawn from a broader study of the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age transition, this paper uses an integrated approach exploiting macroscopic, petrographic and microstructural analysis to reconstruct ceramic manufacture at this time. The chaîne opératoire of three different wares, dark-on-light (DOL), dark grey pattern burnished (DGPB) and cooking pot ware (CPW), are discussed. While raw material choice, manipulation and firing conditions are varied between these classes of pottery, many of the techniques are seen to have existed in preceding phases at the site. Furthermore, while the appearance and manufacture of different wares are quite distinct, they are joined together by a rare and characteristic method of forming. The clear distinction, for the first time, of different ware groups across the ceramic repertoire is investigated and suggestions made as to its implications for our understanding of transformations in production and especially in consumption.
L’impact des pratiques « minoïsantes » sur les sociétés et la culture matérielle de la Grèce continentale, pendant les premières phases de l’HM et la période des tombes à fosse, fait depuis longtemps l’objet d’un débat pour savoir dans quelle mesure la dynamique de la période résulte de facteurs endogènes ou exogènes. L’analyse de la céramique de plusieurs sites de Grèce continentale et des îles adjacentes peut éclairer cette question d’un jour nouveau. L’approche adoptée ici est double. Tout d’abord l’analyse technologique des produits céramiques (par examen macroscopique, analyses pétrographiques et chimiques) fournit des informations essentielles sur les modes d’apprentissage des potiers, et parfois même sur leur origine géographique, ce qui permet d’apprécier dans quelle mesure les productions « minoïsantes » se différencient ou se rapprochent des traditions locales. Ensuite l’étude fonctionnelle et contextuelle de la gamme des récipients produits selon les techniques « minoïsantes » permet d’examiner le rôle de cette céramique dans les pratiques consommatoires des sociétés continentales. Cette étude souligne en outre les avantages d’une analyse diachronique, prenant aussi en compte les variations régionales et inter-sites, pour explorer l’impact des techniques et des pratiques « minoïsantes », ainsi que les réponses locales qu’elles suscitèrent.
United in our differences: The production and consumption of pottery at EM IB Phaistos, Crete
Variability in ceramic classes and technological practice is discussed across the range of pottery produced at or near Phaistos, Crete in Early Minoan IB. It is at this time that new shapes and surface decoration were introduced, leading to the suggestion of abrupt discontinuity in ceramic manufacture, if not in society. Drawn from a broader study of the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age transition, this paper uses an integrated approach exploiting macroscopic, petrographic and microstructural analysis to reconstruct ceramic manufacture at this time. The chaîne opératoire of three different wares, dark-on-light (DOL), dark grey pattern burnished (DGPB) and cooking pot ware (CPW), are discussed. While raw material choice, manipulation and firing conditions are varied between these classes of pottery, many of the techniques are seen to have existed in preceding phases at the site. Furthermore, while the appearance and manufacture of different wares are quite distinct, they are joined together by a rare and characteristic method of forming. The clear distinction, for the first time, of different ware groups across the ceramic repertoire is investigated and suggestions made as to its implications for our understanding of transformations in production and especially in consumption.
The Minoan Past in the Past: Bronze Age Objects in Early Iron Age Burials at Knossos, Crete
2016
Knossos is one of the few Aegean Bronze Age (BA) palatial centers at which occupation continued uninterrupted into the Early Iron Age (EIA); as a result, the site, and especially its burial record, provides a unique setting for a study of the use of the Minoan past in general, and of BA objects in particular, in EIA society. About thirty Knossian EIA tombs have produced BA objects, which would have been between 100 and 1,400 years old at the time of their redeposition. Through an analysis of the morphologies and EIA contexts of these reused BA objects, this thesis examines how and for what purposes the BA past was employed during the EIA. The study also explores how and from where the BA objects were acquired, in what periods of the EIA they were redeposited, and in what kinds of tombs and with what kinds of objects they were placed. This analysis suggests that BA objects are unlikely to have been "heirlooms"-objects passed down within a kin group-but rather functioned as "antiques." It also shows that most were probably robbed from Final Palatial-Postpalatial-rather than from earlier Minoantombs. Additionally, the analysis reveals a stark difference in the morphologies and functions of BA objects redeposited during periods in which the BA was the "recent past" and in periods during which it was the "deep past." In the Subminoan period (11th century)-only circa 100 years removed from the end of the BAthe materials and shapes of the antique BA objects were ones that were no longer able to be produced in the EIA, and the restricted distribution of these objects indicates that one elite group monopolized this seemingly exotic past. In the Protogeometric "B"-Orientalizing periods (late 9th to 7th centuries)-circa 400 years removed from the end of the BAthe materials and motifs of the BA objects resembled those of EIA burial goods and thereby fit within the constructs of EIA ideologies. The objects were also iii dispersed within several tombs of moderate wealth, which suggests that the use of past objects was not only more inclusive but also one of several competing means of expressing status. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been completed without the constant support, assistance, and advice of many UC faculty members, colleagues, friends, and family members. First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee chairs, who entrusted me with this topic and constantly guided me throughout the research and writing process. Antonis Kotsonas has tirelessly provided feedback on all aspects of this thesis, and has both challenged and encouraged me. I am grateful for the time and patience that he has invested in this project, and I greatly appreciate having him as a mentor and advisor. Eleni Hatzaki has offered much insightful guidance on this thesis, and discussions with her have greatly influenced how I approached the topic. I also owe many thanks to the other UC Classics faculty members, who have provided continual academic and professional mentoring throughout my graduate career, and to Todd Whitelaw, who kindly offered the advice and resources necessary for solving the mystery of "Hogarth's seals." Many UC graduate students have provided much needed support throughout this process. In particular, I would like to thank Sarah Beal for her helpful and insightful edits (provided at all hours of the day) and for her constant enthusiastic support; the "boys of summer"-especially Mitch Brown and Simone Agrimonti-who welcomed me with open arms into the brotherhood; Haley Bertram and Maura Brennan for listening to and laughing with me; and Charles Sturge for our always stimulating discussions about everything from LH IIIC to English football stadiums. Finally, I would most especially like to thank my sisters, Mary and Anna Crowe, and my parents, Patricia and Vincent Crowe. Their constant support over the years and their interest (feigned or otherwise) in the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age is forever appreciated. Without them, none of this could have been accomplished. vi