An Archaeological Palimpsest in Minoan Crete: Tholos Tomb a and Habitation at Apesokari Mesara

An Archaeological Palimpsest in Minoan Crete: Tholos Tomb A and Habitation at Apesokari MesaraGeorgia FloudaThis publication presents the archaeological evidence from two associated Minoan sites situated at Apesokari in the Mesara Plain of South-Central Crete, Tholos Tomb A and the neighboring free-standing domestic complex on Vigla Hill. It thoroughly reconstructs the natural and social landscape of this Cretan community from the late Prepalatial to the early Neopalatial periods through its interdisciplinary character; this includes photogrammetric two- and three-dimensional models of the architectural remains, viewshed analysis of both monuments and of the earlier Tholos Tomb B, as well as A-DNA and stable isotope analysis of the bones. The study of the burial dataset provides insights into the social construction of collective memory and identity by the burying social group, whereas the habitational deposits from the building on Vigla hill establish the longevity and function of the site as a node of the southern Mesara communication and exchange networks.Hardback: 440 pp., 27 tables, 95 figures, 62 plates.(Prehistory Monographs 70, INSTAP Academic Press, 2023)List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………………. viiList of Figures……………………………………………………………………………………………….ixList of Plates……………………………………………………………………………………………….. xvAcknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………………… xxiList of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………………. xxiiiPART I. THOLOS TOMB A1. Introduction and Scope, Georgia Flouda………………………………………………………………….32. A Local Burial Landscape: Theoretical Premises and Methodology, Georgia Flouda………………….. 73. History of Excavation, Georgia Flouda…………………………………………………………………. 114. Architecture of Tholos Tomb A, Michael Nelson and Georgia Flouda ……………………………….. 155. Placing Tholos Tomb A in the Visual Landscape of Apesokari, Sylviane Déderix…………………….. 216. Clay and Stone Finds from Tholos Tomb A, Georgia Flouda …………………………………………… 317. Evidence from Human Remains, Sevi Triantaphyllou and Niki Papakonstantinou …………………… 498. Ancient DNA Analysis of the Human Skeletal Assemblage: A Pilot Study of Prepalatial and Proto-palatial Southern Mesara in Crete, Anna Juras, Maciej Chyleński, and Argyro Nafplioti…………… 59PART II. BUILDING ON VIGLA HILL9. Introduction, Architecture, and Layout, Georgia Flouda …………………………………………….. 6510. Stratigraphy and Clay Finds from the Vigla Building, Georgia Flouda………………………………. 7511. A Survey by Space: Pottery Sequences and Diachronic Use, Georgia Flouda ……………………….. 12712. Stone Objects and Shells, Doniert Evely………………………………………………………………. 133PART III. LIVING WITH THE DEAD: LANDSCAPE, ANCESTORS, AND AGENCY AT APESOKARI13. Finds and Space as Evidence for Function and Use of the Domestic Areas at Vigla,Georgia Flouda ……………………………………………………………………………………. 14114. Mortuary Practices: Burial, Curation of Human Remains, and Identity, Georgia Flouda………….. 14915. Conclusions: Notions of Identity and Agency at Apesokari, Georgia Flouda ……………………….. 163Appendix A. Seals in the Giamalakis Collection Attributed to Apesokari, Olga Krzyszkowska ……….. 169Appendix B. Petrographic Classification of Stone Objects from Apesokari by RamanSpectroscopy, Basilios Tsikouras …………………………………………………………………. 177References……………………………………………………………………………………………… 183Index …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 211TablesFiguresPlates