mycenaean burial customs

8/13/2019 Mycenaean Burial Customs

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Mycenaean burial customs

Mycenaean burial customs

Dr V.G. Callender (Macquarie University)

We know about Mycenaean burial customs because of over one undred years

of arcaeolo!ical researc" be!innin! wit #einric $cliemann% many Mycenaean

cemeteries ave been e&cavated and te different ty'es of tombs ave become

familiar to us. ese cemeteries reveal a steady evolution from te burial customs of

te arly #elladic cist !raves * and indeed% tis ty'e of burial remained 'o'ular in

Greece for several tousand years * u' to te s'lendid tolos tombs as found at

Mycenae% iryns% +rcomenos and oter sites.

e very earliest tombs tat were made are called dolmens. ey consisted of

a burial in te !round% over wic were erected tree lar!e stones. wo marked te

foot and ead of te !rave and te tird stone was 'laced on te oter two% makin! a

sort of stone table. ese !raves belon! to te 'reistoric 'eriod. ,rom tis idea%

owever% te cist !rave ori!inated.

Cist !raves were rectan!ular !raves cut directly into te !round or rock%

usually a metre or so below !round level- tey oused sin!le burials% or% on occasion%

two family members (most commonly% a moter and baby from a deat in cildbirt)%

or sometimes a man and is wife. ,requently% cist !raves were lined wit flat slabs of

limestone or scist. noter stone * tis time as lar!e and as flat as 'ossible * was 'ut

over te !rave ollow to 'rotect te dead. is rock rested at !round level% so it was

similar to te dolmen% but no lon!er table/like% more like a bo& or 0cist1. e dead

were usually interred in a foetal 'osition * like tat of a baby lyin! on its side *

because te !rave could be of smaller dimensions tan te e&tended uman body% but

sometimes suc !raves included te fully e&tended cor'se. ,requently% a few 'ersonal

items were included in te !rave% often at te ead% or near te ands of te deceased.

$aft !raves were a develo'ment of te cist tombs. ese !raves were very

dee'ly cut tombs% between tree and si& metres in de't. e best known saft !raves

are tose at Mycenae% and tey were built over decades% datin! from c.2343/2536 7C.

Grave Circle 7 is te oldest of te Mycenaean saft !rave cemeteries- it contains a

number of !raves% eac of wic is likely to ave been a sin!le burial 'lace for one



family% but occasionally suc a !rave could old 8ust one burial. Grave Circle 7 (ca.

2943:2936/2336 7C) is from te ;# < 'eriod and was only discovered by accident in

2=32. Grave Circle is later (ca. 2343/2536 7C.)% from te ;# <<< 'eriod% and it

was discovered by #einric $cliemann in 2>49. e discovery is famous because

most of te burials were found crused% but intact% and $cliemann?s e&cavation

uncovered not only fabulous !old treasure% but also te dessicated burial of te oldest

burial in one of te safts. #e celebrated is find by send a tele!ram to te @in! of

Greece sayin!% 0< ave looked on te face of !amemmnonA1 is is te 'aintin!

made of te dead Mycenaean at te time"

The painting of the shaft grave corpse made by Schliemann’s artist

fter some time ela'sed% te cor'se be!an to colla'se into a 'owdery residue% and a

asty effort was made to 'reserve te remains in a natural resin. is stemmed te



disinte!ration and te remains were subsequently sent to tens% were tey still

remain in a storeroom.

Grave Circle actually consisted of si& dee' safts- nineteen 'eo'le

alto!eter ad been buried in tese safts. <n eac% a series of cist !raves were stacked

one above te oter% wit frames of stone and layers of wooden 'lanks se'aratin! te

individual burials. oday% if you sould !o to see tem at Mycenae% all tat remains

are te dee'% stone/lined 'its% surrounded by teir circular cemetery wall. (e wall

was built durin! re'airs at Mycenae and is not as old as te actual cemetery.) <t is

tou!t tat eac saft !rave contained family burials% but so far% no evidence as

been found to confirm tis teory.

,rom Grave Circle ave come te !reatest rices of Mycenaean society%

includin! a set of !olden masks made for te men buried tere * tey are tou!t to

be 'ortraits of te deceased. ese masks ad been 'laced on te skulls of some of te

burials. +nly one 'erson was entirely covered in !old% a ('robably male) cild. <n

recent years% forensic scientists ave closely e&amined te skeletal remains and been

able to tell us some details about te 'eo'le buried in tose saft !raves" teir se&%

teir a!e% ei!t and !eneral 'ysical a''earance- in some cases% tey ave found

evidence of a career of fi!tin!. #owever% te bodies in Grave Circle were too

dama!ed for facial reconstructions to be made% but in Grave Circle 7% were te 'its

ad not been so dee'% some skulls ave been reconfi!ured by scientists from

Mancester% usin! forensic tecniques of facial reconstruction and tese ave

'roduced likely ima!es of te 'eo'le once buried tere.2 <t is quite e&citin! to see

wat a 7ronBe !e woman or man may ave looked like but% in trut% tey ad all te

caracteristic variety tat modern 'eo'le ave * e&ce't% 'era's% tat te men ad

sort beards.

Camber tombs were also remarkable !raves% tese usually bein! cut into te

illside wit a sort dromos or roadway leadin! u' to a trian!ular entranceway. ere

was a room beind te entranceway% access to wic was blocked by a wall of stones.

e bodies of te deceased were brou!t into tese rooms on a bier * a funerary

stretcer * and a s'ace was cleared in te central 'art of te room. ny remains from

2

. #. Mus!rave% . . #. Eeave% and . . E. W. Fra!% 0$even ,aces from Grave Circle 7 atMycenae%1 BSA =6(2==3) 264/29.



'revious burials in te tomb were swe't to one side% and te deceased and is bier

were left in te room wit offerin!s. e wall was ten built (or rebuilt) and a

funerary feast was eld in te dromos outside. emains of tese activities ave been

found in te dromos. fter tis% te dromos was covered in until te arrival of te ne&t

funeral for tat family. ese tombs seem to ave been desi!ned for elite burials of

wealty men and teir intimate families. e 'oto below sows a number of

camber tombs found at idona% in te Felo'onnese. ac tomb as a sort dromos in

front of it% its walls bein! built of stone 'ieces wed!ed ti!tly to!eter. Wereas saft

!raves were quite rare in te 7ronBe !e% camber tombs were very numerous and

found from essalonika to Crete.

Chamber tombs in a cemetery at Aidona

e !randest tomb was te tolos% 'robably derived from te tolos tombs of

Crete * altou! tose Cretan toloi were built above !round and not set witin

illsides as te Mycenaean Greek ones were. e Mycenaean toloi are arcitectural

master'iecesH and were 'robably intended only for te most 'resti!ious members of

H

$ee W. Cavana! I . ;a&ton% 0e $tructural Mecanics of te Mycenaean olos omb1% BSA 49(2=>2)% 26=/24.



te royal family. +f all toloi% te so/called reasury of treus at Mycenae is te

most remarkable.

The dromos and entranceway to the so-called Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae

fter te Mycenaean domination of Crete% te tolos * as well as te camber

tomb * was im'orted into cemeteries in te Greek mainland% and e&am'les can be

found at Mycenae% Fylos% Dendra% etc.% but also in Crete itself * e!. Fourni. +ne well

'reserved tolos burial in tat 'lace a''ears to ave contained te funeral of a

wealty youn! woman% tou!t by te e&cavator to ave been a 'rincess because of

te ricness of te offerin!s tat remained.5 noter famous tolos burial was te one

at Dendra% wic contained te remains of a male (tou!t to be te kin! of Midea)

and several oter 'eo'le% some of wom were definitely sacrificial victims. 3

e Mycenaeans 'laced in tese tombs lar!e amounts of 8ewellery% wea'ons

and serviceable vessels as an indication of te social status of te deceased" tis a!ain

. utter% 0Mycenaean olos ombs% Ca'ter 2=% '. . <n discussin! te Fylos tolos e notes tat it

contained bot inumations and 'itoi burials and tat H4 males ad been buried tere eventually.

5 . I . $akellerakis% Archanes, kdotike tenon% tens (2==2)% ''.=6ff.

3 . Fersson% The oyal Tombs at !endra near Midea, Gleeru'% ;und (2=2)% ''.9>ff.



was sometin! tat did not a''en in Minoan Crete. $ometimes an item of value or a

'iece of 'ottery would accom'any te dead to te tolos tomb% but te !oods were

never in te quantities de'osited by te Mycenaeans.9 +ne oter addition to very i!/

status burials of male warriors mi!t be a 'air of orses% or a do! in te dromos of te

tomb.

<t is tou!t tat te Mycenaean custom of leavin! valuables or uman and

animal sacrifices in te tomb was an indication tat tey believed tere was need for

tese tin!s in watever fterlife tey believed in% but tere seems to ave been a

belief tat wen te body ad decayed beyond reco!nition% it no lon!er eld te s'irit

of te 'erson wo ad died. Wit eac new funeral * 8ust like te Minoan 'ractice /

te bones of te 'revious burials were swe't to te sides of te tomb% and te ne&t

funeral took centre 'lace in te tolos tomb. We do not know weter or not tey

believed in life after deat% but by leavin! cu's and oter items wit te deceased% we

tink tey may ave believed in some sort of life after deat.

owards te end of te Mycenaean era te 'ractice of 'lacin! dead 'ersons in

larnakes a''eared on te Greek mainland. larna& ('lural% larnakes) was a cest

made of 'ottery% wic was very often decorated on its e&terior. is abit may ave

arrived in Greece via Crete% but te Cretans certainly derived te idea from linen

cests wic were commonly included in !y'tian burial equi'ment. ;arna& burial

was common in Crete in te Fost/'alace 'eriod% but not so common in mainland

Greece% altou! it was 'revalent in 7oeotia (at ebes and ana!ra)% were some of

te finest decorated larnakes ave been discovered. e bodies were folded u' and

inserted in tese ceramic containers before bein! interred in camber tombs.

;ater on% te 'ractice of cremation was introduced and !rew more frequent

wit te years. 7odies of te deceased were cremated on a funeral 'yre% to!eter wit

teir wea'ons and 'recious items. #uman and animal sacrifice was occasionally

offered * as described in #omer?s "liad * and te ases interred in a 'itos% wic in

turn was 'laced in a small 'it !rave. !ra'ic account of te 'ractice in te

Geometric Feriod at leuterna as been 'ublised by Frofessor E. $tam'olides%4

wo% in an internet interview e&'lains wat is team found tere"

9

,or an account of a funeral% see G. Callender% The Minoans and the Mycenaeans# Aegean Society inthe Bron$e Age, +&ford (2===)% ''.232f.



%Beside the funerary pyre of a prince who died in battle, we found the s&eleton of

another man who we believe had his elbows tied together behind his bac&# 'e also found a

&nife and a whetting stone nearby# Traces of his s&ull were later found at the prince’s feet and

were singed by the fire, suggesting the se(uence of events# )e was a prisoner of war who was

e*ecuted in retribution#+

7ecause of te 'aintin!s on te 'ottery larnakes of ana!ra (in 7oeotia) we

know tat 'rocessions were eld in onour of te dead% women san! dir!es% or funeral

laments. ven today te sin!in! of dir!es is a custom still 'reserved in Crete and

some 'arts of Greece. e women com'ose 'oetry in onour of te deceased% 'raisin!

is or er acievements in life. <t is 'ossible tat tis ad been a Mycenaean custom

durin! Mycenaean funerals * at least in 7oeotia for te ricer classes.

,or te ma8ority of Mycenaeans% owever% te cist tomb or even burial in a

'ottery 8ar was te most common metod of burial. <n te later 'eriods of ;# <<<% it

became customary to include little ceramic fi!urines witin te !rave. <t is still not

known wat te e&act si!nificance of tese fi!urines mi!t ave been% altou! te

de'ositin! of female fi!urines * often wit truncated arms or le!s * was a similar

'ractice amon! te ancient !y'tians. e !y'tians did tis as 'art of teir beliefs in

te fterlife% were tey o'ed to continue a similar e&istence to teir lives on eart-

'era's te customs were related.

4 E.C. $tam'olides% 0#omer and te Cremation 7urials at leuterna1% in )omeric uestions, .F.

Crielaard% Eederlands <nstitute at tens% msterdam (2==3)% ''.H>=/6>.

> www.ekatimerini.com:5dc!i:JwJarticles

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.si and phi figurines from Mycenaean /reece

fter te 'ost/'alace 'eriod (;# <<<C)% cremation and burial in 'itoi * lar!e

ceramic 8ars * became te usual 'ractice% altou! burials in cist !raves and also

inumation= of cor'ses mi!t also lie ad8acent to a 'itos burial" te customs were

varied. is continued trou!out te Geometric Feriod and down to te times of

Classical Greece.

= +. Dickinson% The Aegean Bron$e Age, Cambrid!e University Fress (Cambrid!e)% 2==5% H6.

mycenaean burial customs

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