Among the highlights of the current exhibition are a group of artifacts whose meanings and functi... more Among the highlights of the current exhibition are a group of artifacts whose meanings and functions seem to lie outside the mundane or practical but rather, are best explained in the context of ritual and religion. However, since Mycenaean Linear B tablets relating to religion lack narratives or prayers, our understanding of their beliefs remains largely a mystery. What the texts do provide are the names of divinities and their sanctuaries, and lists of offerings, including perishables, such as wine, oil, honey, and animals for sacrifices and communal feasts. Festivals are also named, during which public feasts might have occurred, likely proceeded by processions. At the very least, we know that Mycenaean religion was polytheistic, although without more detailed texts, it is not possible to rank the divinities in a hierarchy nor to assign them powers and realms, as in the Classical Greek pantheon, even when some of names of later Greek gods occur in these texts.
This paper re-identifies several Minoan seals that previously have been regarded as combat scenes... more This paper re-identifies several Minoan seals that previously have been regarded as combat scenes with swords, as depictions of stick-fighting, adding another sport practiced by the Minoans, in addition to bull-leaping, boxing, running, acrobatics, and chariot racing.
Among the highlights of the current exhibition are a group of artifacts whose meanings and functi... more Among the highlights of the current exhibition are a group of artifacts whose meanings and functions seem to lie outside the mundane or practical but rather, are best explained in the context of ritual and religion. However, since Mycenaean Linear B tablets relating to religion lack narratives or prayers, our understanding of their beliefs remains largely a mystery. What the texts do provide are the names of divinities and their sanctuaries, and lists of offerings, including perishables, such as wine, oil, honey, and animals for sacrifices and communal feasts. Festivals are also named, during which public feasts might have occurred, likely proceeded by processions. At the very least, we know that Mycenaean religion was polytheistic, although without more detailed texts, it is not possible to rank the divinities in a hierarchy nor to assign them powers and realms, as in the Classical Greek pantheon, even when some of names of later Greek gods occur in these texts.
This paper re-identifies several Minoan seals that previously have been regarded as combat scenes... more This paper re-identifies several Minoan seals that previously have been regarded as combat scenes with swords, as depictions of stick-fighting, adding another sport practiced by the Minoans, in addition to bull-leaping, boxing, running, acrobatics, and chariot racing.
This volume This volume has its origin in a similarly entitled session organised at the 24th Annu... more This volume This volume has its origin in a similarly entitled session organised at the 24th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists in Barcelona in 2018. The specific aim of both the session and this volume was to measure acceptance of, and resistance to, outside influences within Mediterranean coastal settlements and their immediate hinterlands, with an open time range, but with a particular focus on the processes not reflecting simple commercial routes, but taking place at an intercultural level, in situations of developed connectedness. Following a general discussion of the theoretical and long-lasting facets of the discussion on communication, and of some of the reasons for its unevenness, the contributions in the volume give a wide and stimulating view of the ongoing debate about Mediterranean interaction and communication. The papers' timespan is large: from the Late Neolithic of Crete, in the 5th-4th millennium BCE, to the Macedonian conquest of Thrace, in the 4th century BCE. Most contributions, however, focus on the Middle to Late Bronze Ages, as this is a phase of particularly intense communication, which matches the interests and connections of the editors. The geographic frame extends from the Central Mediterranean to Thrace, Cyprus and the Levant, with an important focus on Crete and Mycenaean Greece. Other papers, more than specific areas, instead discuss the figures of some of the actors of the intra-Mediterranean interregional communication, and the nuances of their roles: warriors and merchants. https://www.i6doc.com/fr/book/?gcoi=28001104706670
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