“The Mycenaean cemetery at Clauss, Patras. The remains of an unknown world at the end of an era” (in Greek)
Constantinos Paschalidis (National Archaeological Museum)
The recently completed study of the Mycenaean cemetery at Clauss Patras yielded information on various facets of an unknown society situated at the periphery of the Mycenaean world, just before its collapse.
This lecture will present in a concise way the material culture of the society: the products of the local pottery workshops and their distribution, the metalworking industry of Achaea, the imported Italian bronze objects, and discuss the role played by the NW Peloponnese in the distribution of these bronze objects throughout the rest of the Postpalatial world.
The lecture will conclude with an analysis of other less tangible aspects of this society such as: the burial customs, the demographics of the cemetery, the palaeopathological findings, signs of social differentiation based on burial practices and offerings, details of family life, habits, and stereotypes, and any other unexpected finds from a society, which despite our ambitious approach remains anonymous, largely unknown, and enigmatic.