The archaeology of the Mycenaean Achaea

Abstract

A comprehensive study of the archaeological remains of the Mycenaean Achaea is the central object of this thesis. The whole work is divided into three main parts and seven chapters. Of the opening two chapters of Part One the first gives a brief account of the topography and geographical features of the district, while the second describes the distribution of prehistoric sites, paying special attention to the sites where Mycenaean material is most abundant. The next four chapters are devoted to a detailed analysis of the material. A large part of this section (Part Two) is taken up with the discussion of the Mycenaean pottery. I do not apologize for this, as the ceramic material (which is quite considerable) has never before been adequately published. In the seventh concluding chapter (Part Three) the main conclusions are summarized and a reconstruction of the situation existing in Achaea during the Late Bronze Age is attempted. Much of the material is unpublished. In particular what I have presented for the first time is as follows: I Over thirty new prehistoric sites; II A great number of new chamber tombs and at least three new kinds of other tombs (cist, tumulus, intramural) either not known or never studied in detail before; III Almost tv/ice as many vases as those known before (520-961);IV Many small finds and bronze objects, either entirely unknown or treated very summarily before. A quite new picture of Achaea then emerges, which is to a great extent different from that given by most of the previous researchers.