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Social Identity and Status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese the Evidence from Burials

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Social Identity and Status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese the Evidence from Burials Social Identity and Status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese The Evidence from Burials Nikolas Dimakis Archaeopress Archaeology Archaeopress Publishing Ltd Gordon House 276 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7ED www.archaeopress.com ISBN 978 1 78491 506 3 ISBN 978 1 78491 507 0 (e-Pdf) © Archaeopress and Nikolas Dimakis 2016 Cover illustration: Group of burials at Tsamis’ plot in Argos (© Ministry of Culture and Sports/Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolid/Archaeological Receipts Fund) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Printed in England by Oxuniprint, Oxford This book is available direct from Archaeopress or from our website www.archaeopress.com Contents Contents ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� i List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................................... iv Preface ........................................................................................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................... viii List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1) Aims and objectives ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1 1.2) Natural landscape and resources ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1 1.3) Historical background of the Peloponnese from the 5th to the 1st century BC ����������������������������������������������2 1.4) Previous research ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������5 1.5) Archaeological theory and mortuary analysis ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 1.6) Methodology ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8 1.7) Practical considerations ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13 Skeletal analyses .............................................................................................................................................13 Citation of graves and Appendices ..................................................................................................................13 Chapter 2 – A Case Study: The Argolid 2.1) Natural and political geography of the region ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 2.2) Research context: cemeteries in the region ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14 2.3) Aspects governing the placement of cemeteries �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������15 2.3.1) The natural landscape ...........................................................................................................................15 2.3.2) Settlements ...........................................................................................................................................16 2.3.2.1) Argos and the Argive komai .....................................................................................................17 2.4) Mortuary variability in the Argolid from the 5th to the 2nd centuries BC �����������������������������������������������������18 2.4.1) The big picture ......................................................................................................................................18 2.4.2) Polis and non-polis cemeteries .............................................................................................................20 2.4.3) The West v. the East Argolid ..................................................................................................................22 2.5) Identity and status in the Classical and Hellenistic Argolid �����������������������������������������������������������������������������22 2.5.1) Age and sex-related distinctions ...........................................................................................................22 2.5.2) Premature death in Argos .....................................................................................................................23 2.5.3) Wealth and status .................................................................................................................................24 Chapter 3 – Death and Space in the Northern Peloponnese during Classical and Hellenistic Times 3.1) The burial landscape ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������26 3.1.1) Time and space .....................................................................................................................................26 3.1.2) The Northwestern v. the Northeastern Peloponnese ...........................................................................27 3.2) Cemeteries: the ‘place’ of the dead ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������27 3.3) Society of the living and the community of the dead �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28 3.3.1) Cemeteries and settlements .................................................................................................................28 3.3.1.1) A multiple relationship ............................................................................................................29 3.3.1.2) ‘Rural’ burials ...........................................................................................................................29 3.3.2) Accessibility to cemeteries....................................................................................................................29 3.3.3) Death and the sacred landscape ...........................................................................................................30 3.4) Reintegrating the space of the dead and living: intramural burials ����������������������������������������������������������������31 3.5) Social relations and cemetery organization ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32 3.5.1) ‘Family’ nuclei .......................................................................................................................................32 3.5.2) Age and sex-segregated cemeteries .....................................................................................................33 3.5.3) Status-segregated cemeteries ...............................................................................................................34 3.5.4) Tumuli ...................................................................................................................................................35 3.6) Continuity and discontinuity in cemeteries’ use ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35 i Chapter 4 – The Mortuary Record 4.1) Burial rites ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37 4.1.1) Inhumation ...........................................................................................................................................37 4.1.2) Cremation .............................................................................................................................................38 4.1.3) Regional and temporal variability .........................................................................................................39 4.1.3.1) Classical period ........................................................................................................................39 4.1.3.2) Hellenistic period .....................................................................................................................39 4.1.3.3) ‘Triphylian’ elite and local hierarchies .....................................................................................40 4.2) Mortuary variability and social differentiation �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������40 4.2.1) 5th and 4th centuries BC: between an intra-regional homogeneity and an inter-regional inconsistency .............................................................................................................40 4.2.2) Late-4th to 2nd centuries BC: towards a growing social divide ............................................................43 4.3) Commemorating the dead: grave stelai
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