Synopses & Reviews
The non-monumental, simple' graves of the Mycenaean world have not been widely studied or discussed in the literature on the Aegean Bronze Age. In this study, Kazimierz Lewartowski focuses on these simple' graves, producing a catalogue of more than 1200 examples and discussing various aspects of their nature, design, location and contents in a statistical and descriptive way. The graves are discussed in terms of the different types (construction, context, chronology and topography), the nature of the deceased (age, sex, posture, orientation), the grave assemblages found within the burials, and the customs, beliefs, symbolism and ceremonies associated with the burials.
Synopsis
In the study of Mycenaean archaeology, the major monuments have been intensively and extensively studied, while others less impressive and monumental are often left unpublished, although well over two thousand of them are known. These largely neglected Mycenaean burials are the subject of this volume, where they are referred to as 'simple graves'. The scope of these simple graves is wide and the work extends to a discussion on interments, grave goods, and burial customs. Contains a valuable catalogue of all the graves used for the analysis of burial customs arranged by geographical area.