Koine in a Nutshell: What Seals (and Theory) Can Tell Us about Cultural Uniformity in the Mycenaean Palatial Period (15 min)

Presenters

Diamantis Panagiotopoulos, University of Heidelberg

Abstract

Any attempt to reassess, question, or revise mainstream assumptions in our discipline is impeded by the intrinsic ambiguity of the archaeological data, which are, as a rule, open to more than one interpretation. Among these silent sources, seals seem however to possess a higher hermeneutical value than other classes of artifacts, since their biographies can reflect more accurately political/administrative structures. Based on this premise, the present paper strives to discuss a quite heterogeneous body of material evidence by tying up some loose ends of previous interpretations into a coherent narrative pertaining to the so-called Mycenaean koine. In the first part of this analysis, the most significant pieces and/or assemblages from Mycenaean citadels and cemeteries will be discussed. Since earlier approaches on the detection of similarities and differences of seals and sealing practices among major Mycenaean sites have relied more on intuition rather than reliable quantitative and qualitative criteria, a particular focus will be placed on outlining a sound methodology. In the second part, the question of a Mycenaean koine will be reconsidered from a transcultural perspective. Recent theoretical advances cast doubt on the validity of the traditional notions of “culture,” “influence,” and “provenance” that monopolized the interest of previous discussions. It shall be demonstrated how the inherent methodological problems of these concepts lead traditional research to several hermeneutical dead ends. By combining empirical evidence with theory, the last part will demonstrate how seals and seal practices corroborate the hypothesis about the existence of an (administrative) koine yet not of a political unity across the Aegean during the Mycenaean Palatial period.

  AIA-1F