(Social) Place and Space in Early Mycenaean Greece, pp. 85-106, 2021/05/25
International Discussions in Mycenaean Archaeology
October 5–8, 2016, Athens
The Mycenaean tholos tombs of Kakovatos in the western Peloponnese belong to the largest of their time(LH I–II). Even though they were looted, they still contained a considerable amount of highly valuable objects. Parallelsto these objects come from various richly furnished tombs from all over the Greek mainland. Some categoriesdistinguish very few sites only (Mycenae, Dendra, Kakovatos, Pylos, Peristeria, Thorikos, Thebes and Volos-Kapakli):Imports from the Near East as well as from Europe represent specific types of jewellery, while cheek pieces of horseharnesses, bone discs or buttons with the design of the so-called ‘Carpathian-East Mediterranean wave band decoration’are closely related to the privilege of chariot driving. It is argued that foreign necklaces and collars as well as horseharnesses were part of a set of status symbols that were used only by a small group of peers across the Greek mainland.All these similarities indicate the existence of certain rules concerning the variation and combination of grave goods. Inher investigation of the Shaft Graves of Mycenae and the younger ‘Warrior Tombs’ of Knossos Imma Kilian-Dirlmeierhas demonstrated that the various sets of grave goods served a hierarchy of social distinction. It will be argued that thisgeneral pattern may also be valid for other early Mycenaean regions, and that the comparison among sites will help toplace Kakovatos within the network of early Mycenaean sites on the Greek mainland.
Keywords: Kakovatos, horse harness, weapons, amber, palatial jars, social rank
