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Palatial Center CHAPTER 3 PYLOS THE EXPANSION OF A MYCENAEAN PALATIAL CENTER IÈtÊtÈtÊrÈrÈtÈ JOHN BENNET HE PALACE oF NESToR stands roday arop the BACKGROUND: THE Englianos ridge, a powerful symbol to local PALACE OF NESTOR residents and tourists alike of Greece's rich prehistoric past. The processes by which it became a The destruction of the palace in circa 1200 BC pre- modern cultural symbol are not the topic of this chapter served not only a rich and complex archaeological site (see, e.9., Davis 1998; Lolos 1994). Rather, my goal is to but also a large archive of documents inscribed in the examine how the site came to dominate its environment Linear B script that recorded an early form of the Greek immediately before its destruction, about 1200 BC, as language (Chadwick 1987). A combination of these the paramount center in the southwestern Peloponnese, archaeological and documentary data sets has allowed a symbol of political, economic, and ritual power in us to reconstruct in extraordinary detail the operation the Navarino Bay region of southwestern Messenia. of this palatial center (Shelmerdine and Palaima 1984) To this end, I employ new data generated by the Pylos in the years immediately before its destruction, at tÏe Regional Archaeological Project (PRAP) to chart the end of the phase known as Late Helladic IIIB, and the growth of the site of Bronze Age Pylos from about extent of the polity over which the site exerted sorñe 2000 BC until its destruction. I then place this new, form ofpolitical control (Bennet 1995). more refined picture of the expansion of Pylos in the The excavations by Carl Blegen of the University wider context of settlement in its broader region, again of Cincinnati (Blegen and Rawson l9ó6; Blegen et using data generated by PRAP that clari!' the relative al. 1973;Lang 1969) revealed a complex of structures sizes of settlements in this area in the Middle and Late centered around a nÌorìumental room with a prominent Bronze Ages (circa 2000-1200 BC). Instead of re{ying central hearth ringed by wooden columns, a megaron, solely on relative site sizes to determine sociopolitical in which, it seems, the ruler (called in Mycenaean hierarchies, I also include analysis ofstrategies ofelite Greek the wanax) met with the elite and ca¡ried out display and emulation as exemplified in burials in the rituals. Around this central monumental room were region. Using these different strands of evidence, I sug- storerooms for agricultural products, chiefly olive gest a more precise time scale on which Pylos came to oil and wine. These were not all staples; many were dominate its region and outline some of the strategies exchange items. Perfumed oil was exported from Pylos the Pylian elite may have used to develop and secure to other sites within (and beyond) the Mycenaean world that dominance, (Shelmerdine 1985). The wine was apparently used in 29 30 ffi RETHINKING I\4YCENAEAN PALACES ffi i I rituals throughout the polit¡ as evidenced partly in From this central place, approximately 2000 km2 administrative documents (Palmer 1994) and partly in of territory was controlled (figure 3.1), extending easr tle presence of drinking cups-þlikes, in Mycenaean from Pylos to the foothills of the Täygetos mountain ceramic terminology-at all sites, including tÏe palace, ranges and nortl at least as far as Klparissia S{ilson where thousands were kept in storerooms adjacent to 197 7 :7 4, n. 32). The University of Minnesota Messenia the megaron. Worlshops and manufacruring facilities Expedition surveyed the whole region extensively in the were also in the immediate vicinity of the megaron 19ó0s (McDonald and Rapp 1972), and their data have (Shelmerdine I 985, 1987 :5 63-5 64). been used as tïe basis for reconstruction of the eco- , Polity ' Boundary? TAYGETOS Peristeria MTS. MT. ITHOME O Messene FUBTHER MÏ. AIGALEON PROVINCE r"np."n|, o Koutsouveri O Thouria Ordines,a rc-u-ko-¡o-to? Hora ¡ Pr"F \ O Kalamata ?Jf?". \nnt^,-ouo, \ Traoanes Beylerbey O o O Nihoria ä Kòukoun.r" li-m¡-to a-ke-e Voidokilia \ tt. LYKODIMOS District HITHER Boundary? 0 I skm PROVINCE ( s.s"- \ \:," """& e*î{îo"9 \ Y',, ".:.) ,.,*"""n þi¡{ câ FIGITRE 3.1 Map oÊ the southwest Peloponnese, Greece, showing hypothetical boundary of the Pylian kingdom, its division into "Hither" and "Further" provinces, and signiÊcant sites. (Map drawn by J. Bennet and M: Galaty.) PYLOS 3l about the political suuc- nomic and sociopolitical organizatiot't of the polity in This much is well known widely accepted among Aegean the period of the Linear B documents (e.g', Carothers ture, and it is relatively formed the background to 1992;Morris 1986). Once again, textual and archaeo- prehistorians. These data ina250 km2 area centeled on logical evidence combine to demonstrate the existence Þn¡pt recent fieldwork on the Englianos ridge (figure of two major disuicts within the polity in its final phase, the palatial stmctures (Davis Davis etal.1997;Zangget and topographic evidence suggests that the boundary 3.2, site 87) 1998; 1997). survey project aimed at complete betvi'een the two districts was a prominent mountâin et aI. The coverâge' but our prehistoric research is in range, the Aigaleon' The Linear B terminology for the diachronic wo districts-"this-side-of-Aigaleon" and "beyond- a unique position to answer these questions: How did the community immediately surrounding the palatial structures-often referred to as the "Lower'Jþw¡"-sxpand and change through time? settlement come to dominate Further provinces' respectively) (Bénnet 199 5, 1999a)' How did the Englianos its broader region? bv PRAB plus Voidokoilia and sites in the Koukounara FIGuRx 3,2 Map of the pRAp survey area shorving the. location oF relevant sites studied region. The palace is site 87. (Map drawn byJ Bennet ) 32 ffi RETHINKING MYCENAEAN PALACES ffi THE EXPANSIOI\ OF Settlement prior to 2000 BC, the end of the Early BRONZE AGE PYLOS Helladic phase, appears to have been minimal. The Englianos settl€ment seems to have expanded first fu a first stage in determining the extent of settlement within the Middle Helladic phase, circa 2000-1700 BC around the eicavated palace structures, survey teâms (see figure 3.3); our research suggests a maximum extent walked the entire Englianos ridge, enabling us to of 5.48 ha. Excavation adds litde of significance to this define those areas with the highest density of artifactual picture other tåan a few struchrres revealed beneath the material. From this phase of our research, the vicinity later palatial strucrures and in tess beyond their limits ofthe palace stands out quite clearly as a "hot spot" of (Blegen et al. 1973:3240). At the end of the Middle artifactual density on the ridge. Our second srage was Helladic phase, roughly contemporary with the well- total collection of artifacts on a 20 m grid defined by known Shaft Graves atMyc€nae, our study suggests an areas in which pedesrrian survey observed the highest increase in both the extent and the density of material. density of material. Artifacts were collecred from 468 In the following periods, known as Late Helladic I and grid squares, and these collections formed the basis for Late Helladic II (circa 1700-1500 BC), the settlemenr the graphics summarizing densities presented in figure had extended to about 7.08 ha, with a noticeable expan- 3.3. Approximately 5500 lines of data were generared in sion along the ridge to the northeasr. the course of study of this material, many representing This period is marked in the excavated record at Pylos more tlan one ceramic object. A total of 3 5 ,7 00 ceramic by the construction of elaborate funerary structures, artifacts were studied and dated in this manner. tlolos or "beehive" tombs (figure 3.4). The first of these, ALL PREHISTORIC PERIODS LATE HELLADTC r-il LATE HELLADTC ilt FIGLTRE 3'3 Palace of Nestor Lower Town (PRAP 87) showing relative densities of material for; all pre historic periods; Middle Helladic (circa 2000-1700 (circa BC); Late Helladic I-ll I 700-ì 400 BC); Late Helladlc lll ( I 400-l 200 BC). 20 m grid. The four levels o[ shuding corr".pond to sÈerd densities (I-375,375-750,750-1500, and 1500+perha). (lllustration byJ Bennet Reprintedfroñr Davis e¡al. t997:429, nguätz.¡ PYLOS 33 Grave circle Deriziotis Aloni 400 m from edge of hill ì sites(TholosIV; GraveCi¡cle) (Adapted FIGSRE3.4TheEnglianosridge,showingthelocationofthePalaceofNestorandburial of Classics, University of Cincinnati ) from Blegen et al. 1973: nig. :0'L. Used *îh the permission of the Department 34 ffi RETHINKING MYCENAEAN PALACES ffi called the Grave Circle (diameter approximately 5.5 m), W, although no longer in use as a funerary structure, was built in tïe late Middle Helladic to tïe southwest of remained as a prominent markel dominating the broad the later palace (Blegen et al. 1973:13Ç17ó). Then, in plaza that lay northeast of the palace citadel. Blegen's LH I, perhaps two generations late¡ Tholos IV (diam- excavations here revealed no architecture (Blegen et al. eter approximately 9.35 m) was built to its northeast 1973:6448), perhaps confirming that the ârea lay open, (Blegen etal.1973:95-114).It is also in this phase, the dominated on the southwest by the palatial stmctures late Middle Helladic to early Late Helladic, that a for- themselves and on the northeast by the prominent tification wall was built around the highest point of the dome of the tomb. setdement, defining the area later to be occupied by the At the beginning of LH IIIB (circa 1300 BC), the palatial stnrcnrres (Blegen et al. 1973:4-18). Although final palatial structures were constructed.
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