Prehistoric Crete (Paperback)

Since the inception of Minoan archaeology, studies pertaining to tombs and tomb deposits have played seminal roles in our understanding of Minoan culture and the reconstruction of Bronze Age society. For several geographical areas and chronological periods of Cretan history, tombs are the most abundant source of data. Each author in this volume takes a clear and distinct approach to the data, including some that emphasise political geography on multi-regional and multi-scalar levels, some that examine the commemoration of the dead and of the community for legitimising purposes but also for maintaining and/or creating elite positions in social systems and others that underline the overlap between mortuary rituals and religion. The aim of this volume is not to present all tombs in all periods on Crete comprehensively but the breadth of these papers is intended to generate a discourse not just among archaeologists working in different areas and time periods on Crete but also among archaeologists in Greece and a broader anthropological audience.

Table of Contents

Front matter
Introduction, Joanne M. Murphy
Landscape and Social Narratives: A Study of Regional Social Structures in Prepalatial Crete, Joanne M. Murphy
The Secret Lives of the Early and Middle Minoan Tholos Cemeteries: Koumasa and Platanos, Borja Legarra Herrero
Tomb 4 at Pseira: Evidence for Minoan Social Practices, Philip B. Betancourt
A Power House of the Dead: The Functions and Long Life of the Tomb at Myrtos-Pyrgos, Gerald Cadogan
The LM IIIC Burial Culture in Crete: A Socio-Economic Perspective, Katia Perna
Regionalism in Early Iron Age Cretan Burials, Melissa Eaby
Index

...the chapters[...]constitute valuable contributions to the scholarship on burial in prehistoric Crete, and [...] are stimulating in their approach or conclusions as well as making for a pleasant read.' (Margaretha Kramer-Hajos, Indiana University Bryn Mawr Classical Review)