The prepalatial tholos tomb at Krasi and its stratigraphic sequence

Eirini Galli Κρητικά Χρονικά 34 (2014), 231-248

From the introduction

The Early Minoan tholos tomb at Krasi, thanks to the published stratigraphic data, provides a fertile ground for a narrative perspective on its sedimented sequences. It becomes feasible to trace the way the monument developed in time, spanning from its foundation in EMI to its last traced use in EMIII/MMΙA. Through the reading of the data it becomes visible, that the buildup of deposits in its interior altered significantly the monument. It transformed the “private landscape” of the collectives that used the tomb, modified the geometry of the tholos, affected its dimensions, and had a profound effect in the way that it was bodily experienced. One of the most influential effects of this depositional growth, was that after EMIIB (the latest) the door was completely filled up with burial deposits and ceased to be potentially functional. The only remaining opening to perform the subsequent burials was through the roof. I will argue that this sensorimotor shift during ritual performance, was related to cognitive processes such as the construction of a collective notion about the way things were in the past, genealogy building, and the birth of a landmark of historical consciousness.