(Social) Place and Space in Early Mycenaean Greece, pp. 403-420, 2021/05/26
International Discussions in Mycenaean Archaeology
October 5–8, 2016, Athens
The concept of space is an abstract and sometimes a conventional term, but places – where people dwell,(inter)act and gain experiences – contribute decisively to the formation of the main characteristics and the identity ofits residents. Arkadia, in the heart of the Peloponnese, is a landlocked country with small valleys and basins surroundedby high mountains, which, according to the ancient literature, offered to its inhabitants a hard and laborious life. Itsrough terrain made Arkadia always a less attractive area for archaeological investigation. However, due to its positionin the centre of the Peloponnese, Arkadia is an inevitable passage for anyone moving along or across the peninsula. Thelong life of small and medium-sized agrarian communities undoubtedly owes more to their foundation at crossroadsconnecting the inland with the Peloponnesian coast, than to their potential for economic growth based on the resourcesof the land. However, sites such as Analipsis, on its east-southeastern borders, the cemetery at Palaiokastro and the ashaltar on Mount Lykaion, both in the southwest part of Arkadia, indicate that the area had a Bronze Age past, and raisemany new questions. In this paper, I discuss the role of Arkadia in early Mycenaean times based on settlement patternsand excavation data, and I investigate the relation of these inland communities with high-ranking central places. Inother words, this is an attempt to set place(s) into space, supporting the idea that the central region of the Peloponnesewas a separated, but not isolated part of it, comprising regions that are also diversified among themselves.
Keywords: Arkadia, Analipsis, Mount Lykaion, ash altar, Palaiokastro, mountainous habitation, hybrid tholos-chamber tombs
