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THE DATE OF THE TOMB OF CLYTEMNESTRA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2013

David J. Mason
David J. Mason*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Winchester
*
D.Mason@winchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

The construction date of the Tomb of Clytemnestra at Mycenae is disputed, opinion being divided over whether the tomb was erected at the end of Late Helladic IIIA or towards the end of Late Helladic IIIB. The article attempts to resolve this debate by examining all of the dating evidence for the tomb. It stresses that the most valuable clues to the date of the tomb come from the excavations that were carried out in 1952 and 1953 on either side of the Great Poros Wall, the retaining wall that supported the eastern side of the earthen mound above the tomb. Several trenches of these excavations are discussed in detail, specifically V and M, both of which were sunk into the earthen mound behind the wall, and L, P, III and IV, all of which were located immediately in front of the wall. The information on these trenches is drawn not only from the published reports, but also from the original excavation notebooks. The pottery from them is used to determine the date of the tomb. What emerges is that the Tomb of Clytemnestra was, in fact, built at the beginning of Late Helladic IIIB.

Η χρονολογία του τάφου της Κλυταιμνήστρας

Η χρονολογία κατασκευής του τάφου της Κλυταιμνήστρας στις Μυκήνες είναι αμφισβητούμενη, με τις απόψεις να διίστανται σχετικά με το κατά πόσο ο τάφος κτίστηκε στα τέλη της ϒστεροελλαδικής ΙΙΙΑ ή στο τέλος της ϒστεροελλαδικής ΙΙΙΒ. Το άρθρο προσπαθεί να δώσει λύση στο πρόβλημα αυτό μέσα από μία συνολική επανεξέταση των χρονολογικών δεδομένων. Τονίζει πως τα πιο σημαντικά στοιχεία για την χρονολόγηση του τάφου έρχονται απο τις ανασκαφές του 1952 και 1953 εκατέρωθεν του Great Poros Wall, του αναλημματικού τοίχου που στήριζε την ανατολική πλευρά του χωμάτινου τύμβου της θόλου. Αρκετές από τις τομές της ανασκαφής αυτής παρουσιάζονται στο παρόν άρθρο διεξοδικά, ειδικά οι V και Μ, αμφότερες στον χωμάτινο τύμβο πίσω από τον αναλημματικό τοίχο, καθώς και οι τομές L, P, III και IV, ακριβώς μπροστά από τον αναλημματικό τοίχο. Οι πληροφορίες σχετικά με την ανασκαφή και τα ευρήματα των συγκεκριμένων τομών δεν προέρχονται μόνο από τις δημοσιευμένες αναφορές, αλλά και από τα πρωτότυπα ημερολόγια ανασκαφής. Η κεραμεική από αυτές τις τομές χρησιμοποιείται στο παρόν άρθρο για την χρονολόγηση του τάφου. Αυτό που προκύπτει είναι πως ο τάφος της Κλυταιμνήστρας κατασκευάστηκε στις αρχές της ϒστεροελλαδικής ΙΙΙΒ.

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Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 108 , November 2013 , pp. 97 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2013 

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References

REFERENCES

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Taylour, W.D. 1964. The Mycenaeans (London).Google Scholar
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Tzonou-Herbst, I. 2009. ‘Trashing the sacred: The use-life of Mycenaean figurines’, in Schallin, A.-L. and Pakkanen, P. (eds.), Encounters with Mycenaean Figures and Figurines (Stockholm), 161–75.Google Scholar
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Voutsaki, S. 2001. ‘Economic control, power and prestige in the Mycenaean world: The archaeological evidence’, in Voutsaki, S. and Killen, J. (eds.), Economy and Politics in the Mycenaean Palace States (Cambridge Philological Society supp. vol. 27; Cambridge), 195–213.Google Scholar
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Wace, A.J.B. 1926. ‘The date of the Treasury of Atreus’, Journal of Hellenic Studies 46, 110–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1931. ‘Appendix IV. The tholos tombs at Mycenae: Structural analysis’, in Persson, A.W., The Royal Tombs at Dendra near Midea (Lund), 140–5.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1940. ‘The Treasury of Atreus’, Antiquity 14, 233–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1949. Mycenae: An Archaeological History and Guide (Princeton).Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1953a. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1952’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 3–18.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1953b. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part II: The Perseia Fountain House. 1. Introduction’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1954a. ‘Mycenae 1953’, Journal of Hellenic Studies 74, 170–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1954b. ‘Mycenae 1939–1953. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1953’, Annual of the British School at Athens 49, 231–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1955. ‘Mycenae 1939–1954. Part III: Notes on the construction of the Tomb of Clytemnestra’, Annual of the British School at Athens 50, 194–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1956. ‘Mycenae 1939–1955. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1955’, Annual of the British School at Athens 51, 103–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, K.A. 1969. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB1 pottery from within the citadel at Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 64, 261–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, K.A. 1973. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB2 pottery from within the citadel at Mycenae: The causeway deposit’, Annual of the British School at Athens 68, 297–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, J.C. 1987. ‘Death and power at Mycenae: Changing symbols in mortuary practice’, in Laffineur, R. (ed.), Thanatos (Aegaeum 1; Liege), 171–84.Google Scholar
Hood, M.S.F. X048. Mycenae 1952. Excavation Notebook: The Prehistoric Cemetery Central.Google Scholar
Taylour, W.D. X049. Mycenae 1952. Excavation Notebook: The Prehistoric Cemetery South.Google Scholar
Taylour, W.D. X1076. Mycenae 1953. Excavation Notebook: The Perseia Area.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. X028. Mycenae 1952. Director's Day Book.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. X030. Mycenae 1953. Director's Day Book.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavanagh, W.G. and Laxton, R.R. 1988. ‘Problem solving and the architecture of tholos tombs’, in French, E.B. and Wardle, K.A. (eds.), Problems in Greek Prehistory (Bristol), 385–95.Google Scholar
Cremasco, V. and Laffineur, R. 1999. ‘The engineering of Mycenaean tholoi: The circular tomb at Thorikos revisited’, in Betancourt, P.P., Karageorghis, V., Laffineur, R. and Niemeier, W.-D. (eds.), Meletemata (Aegaeum 20; Liege and Austin), vol. I, 139–48.Google Scholar
Crowley, J.L. 2008. ‘Mycenaean art and architecture’, in Shelmerdine, C.W. (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Aegean Bronze Age (Cambridge), 258–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Desborough, V.R.d'A. 1954. ‘Mycenae 1939–1953. Part V: Four tombs’, Annual of the British School at Athens 49, 258–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, E.B. 1963. ‘Pottery groups from Mycenae: A summary’, Annual of the British School at Athens 58, 44–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, E.B. 1965. ‘Late Helladic IIIA2 pottery from Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 60, 159–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, E.B. 1966. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB1 pottery from Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 61, 216–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, E.B. 1969. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB2 pottery from Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 64, 71–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, E.B. 1989. ‘“Dynamis” in the archaeological record at Mycenae’, in MacKenzie, M.M. and Roueché, C. (eds.), Images of Authority (Cambridge Philological Society supp. vol. 16; Cambridge), 122–30.Google Scholar
French, E.B. 2002. Mycenae: Agamemnon's Capital (Stroud).Google Scholar
Furumark, A. 1941. The Mycenaean Pottery: Analysis and Classification (reprinted 1972; Stockholm).Google Scholar
Galanakis, Y. 2007. ‘The construction of the Aegisthus Tholos Tomb at Mycenae and the “Helladic Heresy”’, Annual of the British School at Athens 102, 239–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hägg, R. and Nordquist, G.C. (eds.) 1990. Celebrations of Death and Divinity in the Bronze Age Argolid (Stockholm).Google Scholar
Hood, M.S.F. 1953a. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part II:The Perseia Fountain House. 3. The excavation’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 22–7.Google Scholar
Hood, M.S.F. 1953b. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part V: A Mycenaean cavalryman’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 84–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hope Simpson, R. 1981. Mycenaean Greece (Park Ridge).Google Scholar
Iakovidis, S.E. 1978. Mycenae-Epidaurus (Athens).Google Scholar
Iakovidis, S.E., French, E.B., Shelton, K., Lavery, J., Jansen, A.G. and Ioannides, C. 2003. Archaeological Atlas of Mycenae (The Archaeological Society at Athens Library No. 229; Athens).Google Scholar
MacKendrick, P. 1965. The Greek Stones Speak (London).Google Scholar
Mountjoy, P.A. 1976. ‘Late Helladic IIIB1 pottery dating the construction of the South House at Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 71, 77–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mountjoy, P.A. 1986. Mycenaean Decorated Pottery: A Guide to Identification (Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology Vol. LXXIII; Gothenburg).Google Scholar
Mountjoy, P.A. 1993. Mycenaean Pottery: An Introduction (Oxford University Committee for Archaeology Monograph No. 36; Oxford).Google Scholar
Mylonas, G.E. 1957. Ancient Mycenae: The Capital City of Agamemnon (London).Google Scholar
Mylonas, G.E. 1966. Mycenae and the Mycenaean Age (Princeton).Google Scholar
Pelon, O. 1976. Tholoi, Tumuli et Cercles Funéraires (Paris).Google Scholar
Pelon, O. 1990. ‘Les tombes à tholos d'Argolide: Architecture et rituel funéraire’, in Hägg and Nordquist (eds.) 1990, 107–12.Google Scholar
Protonotariou-Deilaki, E. 1990a. ‘The tumuli of Mycenae and Dendra’, in Hägg and Nordquist (eds.) 1990, 85–102.Google Scholar
Protonotariou-Deilaki, E. 1990b. ‘General discussion’, in Hägg and Nordquist (eds.) 1990, 141.Google Scholar
Schliemann, H. 1880. Mycenae (new edn; New York).Google Scholar
Taylour, W.D. 1955. ‘Mycenae 1939–1954. Part IV: The Perseia Area’, Annual of the British School at Athens 50, 199–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylour, W.D. 1964. The Mycenaeans (London).Google Scholar
Tsountas, C. and Manatt, J.I. 1897. The Mycenaean Age (Boston and New York).Google Scholar
Tzonou-Herbst, I. 2009. ‘Trashing the sacred: The use-life of Mycenaean figurines’, in Schallin, A.-L. and Pakkanen, P. (eds.), Encounters with Mycenaean Figures and Figurines (Stockholm), 161–75.Google Scholar
Tzonou-Herbst, I. 2010. ‘Figurines’, in Cline, E.H. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean (Oxford), 210–22.Google Scholar
Voutsaki, S. 2001. ‘Economic control, power and prestige in the Mycenaean world: The archaeological evidence’, in Voutsaki, S. and Killen, J. (eds.), Economy and Politics in the Mycenaean Palace States (Cambridge Philological Society supp. vol. 27; Cambridge), 195–213.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1921–3. ‘Excavations at Mycenae 1921–1923. Part IX: The tholos tombs’, Annual of the British School at Athens 25, 283–396.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1926. ‘The date of the Treasury of Atreus’, Journal of Hellenic Studies 46, 110–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1931. ‘Appendix IV. The tholos tombs at Mycenae: Structural analysis’, in Persson, A.W., The Royal Tombs at Dendra near Midea (Lund), 140–5.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1940. ‘The Treasury of Atreus’, Antiquity 14, 233–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1949. Mycenae: An Archaeological History and Guide (Princeton).Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1953a. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1952’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 3–18.Google Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1953b. ‘Mycenae 1939–1952. Part II: The Perseia Fountain House. 1. Introduction’, Annual of the British School at Athens 48, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1954a. ‘Mycenae 1953’, Journal of Hellenic Studies 74, 170–1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1954b. ‘Mycenae 1939–1953. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1953’, Annual of the British School at Athens 49, 231–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1955. ‘Mycenae 1939–1954. Part III: Notes on the construction of the Tomb of Clytemnestra’, Annual of the British School at Athens 50, 194–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wace, A.J.B. 1956. ‘Mycenae 1939–1955. Part I: Preliminary report on the excavations of 1955’, Annual of the British School at Athens 51, 103–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, K.A. 1969. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB1 pottery from within the citadel at Mycenae’, Annual of the British School at Athens 64, 261–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, K.A. 1973. ‘A group of Late Helladic IIIB2 pottery from within the citadel at Mycenae: The causeway deposit’, Annual of the British School at Athens 68, 297–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, J.C. 1987. ‘Death and power at Mycenae: Changing symbols in mortuary practice’, in Laffineur, R. (ed.), Thanatos (Aegaeum 1; Liege), 171–84.Google Scholar