“Ritual and ceremonies at the Mycenaean cemetery at Dendra” is the topic of Dr Ann Louise Schallin’s presentation in the context of the Mycenaean Seminar. Dr Schallin is Senior Research Fellow at the Swedish Archaeological Institute at Athens.
Abstract
“This presentation focuses on the ritual practices connected with the burials at the Late Bronze Age cemetery at Dendra in the Argolid in Greece. According to a number of scholars, the central Argolid had during this time become an archaic state with a pronounced site hierarchy, in which Mycenae held the top position. In the settling process of this power structure various practices, among the inhabitants of the region, including mortuary ritual, were characterized by competition and the negotiation of socio-political positions.
“Part of the material evidence connected with mortuary practices from the site of Dendra and its surroundings is here used in an analysis of the components of the rituals in order to propose a possible scenario of how the burial practices were materialized at Dendra and how they can be seen as a constituent part in the strategies of elite legitimation.
“The aim of my presentation is to identify various components in the mortuary ritual at the Dendra cemetery based on the material evidence and moreover to suggest how this ritual linked with the network-type political system at Mycenae”.
The 5th meeting of the Mycenaean Seminar will be at 19:00 in the A. Argiriadis Amphitheatre (Central building of the University of Athens Panepistimiou 30). The lecture will be held in English.
The Organising Committee: Nagia Polychronakou-Sgouritsa, Iphiyenia Tournavitou, Emilia Banou
