From Pottery to Politics? Analysis of the Neopalatial Ceramic Assemblage from Cistern 2 at Myrtos-Pyrgos, Crete
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From Pottery to Politics? Analysis of the Neopalatial Ceramic Assemblage from Cistern 2 at Myrtos-Pyrgos, Crete A dissertation submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Ph.D.) in the Department of Classics of the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences 2015 by Emilia Oddo B.A. Università degli Studi di Palermo, 2004 M.A. Katholieke Universiteit von Leuven, 2007 M.A. University of Cincinnati, 2010 Committee Chair: Eleni Hatzaki Jack L. Davis Alan P. Sullivan III Gerald Cadogan ABSTRACT The focus of this dissertation is the analysis of a deposit of Neopalatial (1750- 1490 BC) pottery uncovered within a large cistern (Cistern 2) at the site of Myrtos- Pyrgos, Crete. Excavated by Gerald Cadogan under the aegis of the British School at Athens in the early 1970s on the top of a hill (Pyrgos) near the modern town of Myrtos, Myrtos-Pyrgos is one of the most important and long-lived Bronze Age sites on the southeastern coast of Crete. The study of the Neopalatial pottery from Cistern 2 contributes to two inter- related research fields: pottery studies of Minoan (i.e., Bronze Age) Crete and theories of political reconstructions based on pottery analysis. The presentation of the Neopalatial pottery from Cistern 2 contributes to the knowledge of ceramics and ceramic production in Crete: this dissertation presents in detail the Neopalatial pottery assemblage from Myrtos-Pyrgos, providing stylistic analysis and contextualization within the broader ceramic production of Neopalatial Crete; thus, it also improves the current knowledge of southeastern Crete, an area whose ceramics remain poorly known. The stylistic and comparative analysis of the pottery from Cistern 2 suggests that the southeast needs to be considered a ceramic region on its own, a micro-region differentiated from but related to the ceramic production typical of east Crete. Aspects of ceramic regionalism and its significance are explored further in relation to the political role of Myrtos-Pyrgos during the Neopalatial period. In the context of earlier hypotheses of Cretan politics and, in particular those at Myrtos-Pyrgos, this dissertation reconsiders the relationship between material culture and the reconstruction of political dynamics, focusing on the role of pottery and pottery style. ! i! Based on my analysis of the pottery from Cistern 2, I demonstrate that pottery alone cannot inform or prove political dynamics and I argue that other types of material culture could be considered better indicators of politics. ! ii! ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ! While researching for this dissertation, I benefitted from the support and guidance of a number of individuals and institutions. Their invaluable help made my project both possible and rewarding. My committee members formed a solid team that encouraged me every step of the way and never let me loose sight of my final goal. I thank Gerald Cadogan, the excavator of Myrtos-Pyrgos, for kindly and generously having given me access to unpublished material for the purposes of this dissertation, by suggestion of Eleni Hatzaki. His guidance and knowledge were fundamental for the development of my research. I thank him for his faith in me and for his wonderful hospitality in England, while conducting archival research in the ‘Pyrgos room’. I am grateful to Alan Sullivan for his mentorship, his constant encouragement, and his openness to discuss every aspect of my work. By bringing to the table cases from New World archaeology, he has contributed to broaden my perspective on the potentials of ceramic analysis. I owe thanks to Jack Davis, whose availability to discuss dissertation troubles helped me going through various difficulties. His straightforward advises have challenged my thoughts, pushing me to refine my arguments and consider new angles. My deepest gratitude goes to Eleni Hatzaki, my committee chair and my mentor. Her patience, friendship, support of my work, and her love for Crete have inspired me and encouraged me to reach always higher goals. Despite my initial reluctance, her genuine enthusiasm in mastering Minoan sherds introduced me to the wonders of pottery, the world it can hide, and the way to enjoy our time at the strewing table. The faculty of the Department of Classics at the University of Cincinnati has contributed to shape and nurture my academic aspirations, offering me expert guidance ! iii! and constant intellectual stimulation, for which I am extremely thankful. In particular, I wish to thank Barbara Burrell, Steven Ellis, Lauren Ginsberg, Kathleen Lynch, Valeria Sergueenkova, Peter van Minnen, and Gisela Walberg. With them, I owe my sincere gratitude to the staff of the Burnam Classics Library at the University of Cincinnati, Jacqueline Riley, Mike Braunlin, Cade Stevens, and the late David Ball, for facilitating significantly my research. I wish to thank the Department of Classics for the generous funding of the Louise Taft Semple fellowship that allowed me to conduct comfortably my research, both in Cincinnati and abroad. Field research in Greece was also funded by: the University Research Council Fellowship (2010) and by the Marion and Dorothy Rawson Fellowship (2011), awarded by the University of Cincinnati; the Emily T. Vermeule Fellowship (2010-2011) and the Homer A. and Dorothy B. Thompson Fellowship (2011-2012), awarded by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens; and by the Richard Seager Fellowship (2014), awarded by the INSTAP Study Center for East Crete. At the British School in Athens, at Knossos, I thank: curators Don Evely, Todd Whitelaw, and Matthew Haysom, and curatorial project assistant Flora Michelaki, for their patience whenever I needed extra time inside the Stratigraphical Museum or yet another box of pottery. I wish to thank Philip Betancourt, Tom Brogan, Matt Buell, Carl Knappett, Charlotte Langohr, Sandy MacGillivray, Jerolyn Morrison, Yiannis Papadatos, Jeff Soles, and Vance Watrous, for kindly granting me access to unpublished pottery, thus providing enriching comparanda for the Myrtos-Pyrgos pottery. I also would like to thank the late Vronwy Hankey, whose early work on the Neopalatial pottery from Myrtos-Pyrgos inspired me in several occasions. For his help with pottery drawing, I ! iv! thank Don Evely. For editing of text and pictures, my sincerest thanks go to Carol Hershenson, Amelia Keller, and John Wallrodt. I am thankful for those scholars who lent me their time to read earlier drafts of chapters, shared their own unpublished work, and conversed with me about pottery styles, and in particular to Tom Brogan, Kostas Chalikias, John Cherry, Kostas Christakis, Carl Knappett, Colin Macdonald, Sandy MacGillivray, Eleni Nodarou, and Yiannis Papadatos. Friends and colleagues around the world have been fundamental during these years. Their friendship and critical eye have enriched my life in many different ways. In particular, I wish to thank Natalie Abell, Emilio Bonfiglio, Matt Buell, Doug and Cindy Conley, Andrew Connor, Taylor Coughlan, Emily Egan, Flint Dibble, Sara Frank, Jonida Martini, Ayça Mazman, Amanda Pavlick, Santo Privitera, Efi Tsiolaki, and Bill Weir. Special thanks go to Bea Peruzzi for discussing prehistoric sherds and complicated trains of thoughts at whatever hour of the day, without ever showing tiredness or distress. I offer my deepest thanks also to Heather Graybehl for her priceless help in these past few months, allowing me to continue being as productive as ever. My family has been a constant source of support, encouragement, and affection throughout these years, despite the long distance between us. They have helped me chase my archaeology dream across the ocean without ever complaining or doubting my decisions. I also wish to thank my acquired family, the Kellers, for being always there for me without questions and for having accepted me as one of them since the beginning, making me feel at home far away from home. My deepest gratitude to Evan, my husband, who has followed my research day after day with interest and curiosity. I thank him for ! v! his love, his constant support, and his extreme patience, particularly for those troubled days in which dating a sherd was more important than anything else in the world. Last but not least, my sincere thanks to Sophia, who, consciously or not, was there with me at the Stratigraphical Museum and was there while I was finishing writing, thus absorbing the entirety of my work. Her patience with me and my work schedule has been priceless. This dissertation is dedicated to my family and Evan. ! vi! TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract i Acknowledgments iii Table of Contents vii List of Tables viii List of Figures ix Abbreviations xxi Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Chapter 2. Myrtos-Pyrgos: The Discovery of the Site and its Occupational 8 History Chapter 3. Cistern 2 at Myrtos-Pyrgos: Archaeological Analysis 23 Chapter 4. The Neopalatial Pottery from Cistern 2 37 Chapter 5. Contextualizing the Style of the Neopalatial Pottery from Cistern 2: 92 Outlining and Defining the Cretan Southeast as a Ceramic Region Chapter 6. From Pottery to Politics: Assessing the Political Role of Neopalatial 112 Myrtos-Pyrgos Chapter 7: Conclusions 144 Bibliography 151 Figures 186 ! vii! LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Archaeological phases of Myrtos-Pyrgos Table 2: Chronology and sequence of Minoan Myrtos Pyrgos Table 3: List of the stratified Neopalatial deposits considered in the chapter Table 4: Knossos: shapes from the stratified deposits as established in Hatzaki 2007 Table 5: Knossos: decorative motifs from the stratified deposits as established in Hatzaki 2007 Table 6: Ayia Triada: shapes from the stratified deposits Table 7: Ayia Triada: decorative motifs from the stratified deposits Table 8: Kommos: shapes from the stratified deposits in Building T Table 9: Kommos: decorative motifs from the stratified deposits in Building T Table 10: Mochlos: shapes from the Plateia deposits Table 11: Mochlos: decorative motifs from the Plateia deposits Table 12: Palaikastro: shapes from the stratified deposits Table 13: Palaikastro: decorative motifs from the stratified deposits ! viii! LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1.