C. Mountrakis, S. Georgaki & S.K. ManolisThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 1-8.
Cranial trepanation is one of the most ancient surgical operations. This kind of ʺoperationʺ has been reported in prehistoric Greece with several specific case studies. In this paper, a significant case of trepanation, on a male skull, dated to the Late Bronze Age, is presented.
Archaeomagnetic research has enabled the determination of the secular variation record of the past geomagnetic field and has been used as a tool for absolute and relative dating. The archaeomagnetic secular variation of declination can be used in conjunction with architectural building plan orientation angles (strike directions) to establish, whether or not, a magnetic compass was possibly used to align buildings.
An archaeomagnetic directional study of Late Minoan archaeological materials, (burnt mud brick, a clay/ash horizon and hearth material), was carried out at locations within the archaeological complex at Malia, Crete. The study aimed to establish the suitability of materials for archaeomagnetic sampling and to obtain archaeomagnetic directions for comparison with other Late Minoan “fired” sites on Crete.
B. YamanThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 33-39.
In this study, the qualitative and quantitative anatomy of six wood charcoals from an early Bronze Age settlement in the island Imbros (Gökçeada) were presented. Taxonomic identification on the basis of wood anatomy showed that two of them belong to the genus Quercus (section Ilex and cf Quercus), and four of them belong to the genus Pinus.
G. Henriksson & M. BlombergThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 59-68.
From the early results of our archaeoastronomical investigations at the peak sanctuaries on Petsophas and Mt Juktas, we inferred that the Minoans had a lunisolar calendar that began at a particular phase of the moon on or following the autumn equinox. We used classical archaeoastronomical methods: a digital theodolite with observations of the sun to determine the orientation of the coordinate system, measuring the orientations of foundations to celestial bodies, and determining the positions of celestial bodies at the appropriate times in the past using our own programs.
E. AkdenizThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 11.1 (2011): 69-74.
During the surface researches which we initiated to identify the Prehistoric and Protohistoric cultures in the geography of the city of Manisa located at a highly strategic point in the Western Anatolia, examinations were carried out also in the volcanic area known as “Katakekaumene” in the Ancient Age.
M. KosmaThe Mediterranean Archaeology & Archaeometry 10.3 (2010): 29-36.
The existence of an Early Bronze Age coastal site in the district of Nea Styra has been known since the end of the 19th century when three marble figurines of early Cycladic type had been found in the area. During the 20th century survey investigations conducted by Greek and foreign archaeologists offered new evidence which demonstrated the significance of the site during the Early and Middle Helladic periods.
Floral imagery plays a major role in Minoan art, and the crocus has long been recognized as an important motif. Previous studies, however, have been narrowly focused on specific materials or interpretations, thereby obscuring the richness of crocus iconography and its meanings.
Although Arne Furumark distinguished between early and late phases of Late Helladic IIIA2, few deposits from the former have ever been published. Presented here is a chronologically homogeneous settlement deposit of more than 10,000 sherds from Tsoungiza in the northeast Peloponnese, some from vessels probably employed in feasting.
Y. Maniatis & Ch. ZiotaRadiocarbon 53.3 (2011): 461-478.
Systematic radiocarbon dating was performed on a unique EBA-MBA cemetery at Xeropigado Koiladas situated at the edge of the Kitrini Limni basin in the Kozani area, northwest Greece. It was found that this cemetery had a particularly long period of use of ~700 yr (between about 2420 and 1730 BC), which is especially pronounced if compared with the relatively small number of burials totaling 222.
Y. Maniatis & S. PapadopoulosRadiocarbon 53.1 (2011): 21-37.
The transitional period known as the Final Neolithic-Early Bronze Age in Greece, falling in terms of absolute dates within the 4th millennium BC, is an obscure and enigmatic period. Few sites in northern Greece or the southern Balkans have produced evidence of 4th millennium BC occupation, and the sites that do are mainly concentrated in the last third of the 4th millennium toward the beginning of the EBA.
Sturt W. Manning, Bernd Kromer, Christopher Bron, Charlotte L. Pearson, Sahra Talamo, Nicole Trano & Jennifer D. WatkinsRadiocarbon 52.4 (2010): 1571-1597.
The East Mediterranean Radiocarbon (inter-)Comparison Project (EMRCP) has measured the 14C ages of a number of sets of tree rings from the Gordion Area dendrochronology from central Anatolia at the Heidelberg Radiocarbon Laboratory. In several cases, multiple measurements were made over a period from the 1980s to 2009.
Kromer, B., Manning, S.W., Friedrich, M., Talamo, S. & Trano, N.Radiocarbon 52.3 (2010): 875-886.
We have measured additional known-age German oak samples in 4 intervals in the 2nd and 1st millennia BC to add to (and to replicate) parts of the international Northern Hemisphere radiocarbon calibration data set. In the 17th, 16th, and 12th centuries BC, our results agree well with IntCal04.
Marie-Louise B. NoschAmerican Journal of Archaeology 115.4 (2011): 495-505.
The Linear B tablets from Knossos known as the Lc series record textile production targets for central and western Crete for a specific range of textiles called te-pa, pa-we-a, and tu-na-no. The production targets for wool textiles differed according to the groups assigned to fulfill the targets; these groups were designated according to ethnicity and occupation.
Bryan FeuerAmerican Journal of Archaeology 115.4 (2011): 507-536.
Ethnic or cultural designations of past societies have often been employed uncritically and even casually. This general situation applies specifically to Mycenaean civilization. This article therefore considers a set of interrelated questions: What or who was a Mycenaean? How did the people termed “Mycenaeans” come into existence? What did it mean to be Mycenaean?
