UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Life after the Palaces: A Household Archaeology Approach to Mainland Greece during Late Helladic IIIC Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3kf172rc Author Van Damme, Trevor Matthew Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Life after the Palaces: A Household Archaeology Approach to Mainland Greece during Late Helladic IIIC A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology by Trevor Matthew Van Damme 2017 © Copyright by Trevor Matthew Van Damme 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Life after the Palaces: A Household Archaeology Approach to Mainland Greece during Late Helladic IIIC by Trevor Matthew Van Damme Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Sarah P. Morris, co-chair Professor John K. Papadopoulos, co-chair My dissertation examines the period after the collapse of the Mycenaean palatial system until the beginning of the Early Iron Age (1200–1050 BC). Traditionally identified as a ‘Dark Age,’ this period has been characterized as one of decline, stagnation, and relative egalitarianism in contrast with the palatial period. Recent research has begun to contradict these assumptions, demonstrating that international contacts continued in the post-palatial period and many communities continued to thrive. Drawing on the growing field of post-collapse literature and integrating elements of resilience and urban theory, my dissertation poses the following interrelated questions: Why do certain communities survive collapse? What made a resilient community? And what influenced the settlement pattern identified in the post-palatial period? I argue that the perception of abundance ii (whether in terms of resources, opportunities, information, or technologies) played an integral role in shaping the landscape of Greece. I take the site of ancient Eleon, a community in Boeotia, Greece, that survived the post-palatial collapse, but ultimately failed prior to the Early Iron Age, as a case study. I consider four different aspects of households: household size, storage capacity, household industry, and ceramic consumption. At Eleon, storage space was provided mainly by fired ceramic containers such as pithoi, vats, and bathtubs and unfired clay bins known as kotselles. Storage seems to have been on the scale of yearly subsistence. Evidence for textile production included two types of loom weight; a spool loom weight that is probably of foreign origin, and a heavy loom weight possibly used in the specialized production of very thick textiles like rugs. Ceramic evidence also suggests foreign influence and perhaps even a foreign potting community at Eleon. This includes the appearance of foreign shapes such as the carinated cup and handmade burnished ware. There are also close stylistic ties with the site of Xeropolis (Lefkandi). The architecture at Eleon, however, shows close ties with palatial Thebes, including the use of fired ceramic rooftiles, colonnaded hearth rooms, and a ramp. Overall, the analysis of Eleon presents the picture of a small self-sufficient settlement with weak ties to its neighboring communities. Many of the developments at Eleon derived from its contacts with the coast, making the community vulnerable to any shift in regional networks. But how does Eleon differ from sites such as Kynos, Xeropolis and Tiryns that ultimately survived into the Early Iron Age? My research demonstrates that, in contrast to Eleon, these communities produced evidence for robust storage practices and abundant textile manufacture. Their location on the coast facilitated external contacts, both within local networks, as well as allowed them to develop links with foreign networks iii of interaction. Such contacts allowed them primary access to new ideas and technologies, resulting in a more diverse and thereby more resilient community. This is reflected in the archaeological record, as these sites show early evidence for iron-working, the adoption of spool loom weights for weaving, and a variety of imported objects. While Eleon initially participated in this network of interaction, as demonstrated by close ceramic ties to Xeropolis in the early post-palatial period, changes to this network in LH IIIC Middle (c. 1150 BC) gradually resulted in the isolation of this inland settlement. It is likely that the contraction of the former palatial center at Thebes resulted in a diminished role for Eleon as a node between Thebes and the coast, and the inhabitants of Eleon left their homes seeking out more abundant opportunities, jobs, and resources elsewhere. iv The dissertation of Trevor Matthew Van Damme is approved. Monica L. Smith Brent Harmon Vine Sarah P. Morris, co-chair John K. Papadopoulos, co-chair University of California, Los Angeles 2017 v DEDICATION The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. Robert Jordan vi AKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation could not have been completed without the constant support of my family and friends over the last five years. I thank my parents especially for never ceasing to support me, even as one degree turned into three. Many friendships have been forged along the way that will last for years to come, but I must thank those that helped me keep grounded through this entire process: Debby, Glenda, Julia, Kate, Matt, Sebastian, and at UCLA, the other members of my cohort: Rose, Richard, Jacob, and Marissa. A special thank you goes out to Brian for his companionship on numerous adventures along the way; here is to hoping for many more in the future. The journey that ends with the completion of this document began ten years ago when a farm boy from Manitoba boarded an airplane for Victoria, British Columbia; ostensibly to study Astronomy and Physics, but in reality embarking on a career in Archaeology. Those years would prove formative to my development as a scholar and a special debt of gratitude is owed to Brendan Burke for providing me with my first opportunity to excavate in Greece and for his inexorable friendship. There are many people to whom I am grateful for their part in facilitating my research. First and foremost, I would like to thank the director of the Eastern Boeotia Archaeological Project, Alexandra Charami, as well as co-directors, Brendan Burke and Bryan Burns, for giving me permission to study the post-palatial period ceramics from ancient Eleon, as well as for allowing me to include unpublished material in the analysis. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to my colleague Bartek Lis, who has been both a collaborator and mentor to me during our five seasons working in the apotheke at Arma together. Brendan, Bryan, and Bartek all took the time to read parts of the dissertation vii and provided useful feedback. Furthermore, I must thank all those who took the time to answer queries or thoughtful discussion, whether by email, in person, or by generously providing offprints at some point during the writing of the dissertation: Eva Alram-Stern, Haley Bertram, John Camp, Elizabeth French, Walter Gauss, Donald Haggis, Kyle Jazwa, Alex Knodell, Irene Lemos, Susan Lupack, Max MacDonald, Alex Mulhall, Dimitri Nakassis, Stavroula Nikoloudis, Molly Richardson, Jeremy Rutter, Christina Skelton, and Jim Wright. Lastly, I would like to thank all the members of my committee, Sarah Morris, John Papadopoulos, Monica Smith, and Brent Vine, for their patience with me throughout the writing process and for their thoughtful critiques of the final product. Their efforts have certainly improved the outcome, although all errors that remain are my own. Sarah and John have been true mentors at UCLA and I cannot express how grateful I am that they chose to take me on as a student, as well as a colleague at ancient Methone in Pieria. Σας ευχαριστώ όλους πάρα πολύ! Lastly, I must thank the institutions and funding sources that made this research possible. Much of this dissertation (2012-2016) was completed under a Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship (752-2012-1055), without which this project could never have been completed. I would like to thank everyone at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology for their help over the years, whether financial or institutional. I was fortunate to receive Steinmetz Travel Grants to support the cost of travel to and from Greece to undertake the necessary fieldwork. Additional funding came from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA), where I was fortunate to hold the Emily Vermeule and Ione Mylonas Shear Fellowships as a Regular and Student Associate Member respectively. The ASCSA has been my home throughout the writing process and I want to thank all the staff there who contributed to making my life easier during that viii time. A special thanks goes out to Ioanna Damanaki for facilitating my permissions to study material held in museums across Greece, as well as the archivists of the ASCSA and British School at Athens, Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan and Amalia Kakissis, for helping me to track down archival materials and study collection finds. A Dissertation Year Fellowship from the Graduate Division at UCLA provided relief from teaching in the critical final year and allowed me to spend more time in Athens.