Evaluating Homogeneity in Mycenaean Palatial Construction: A Stoneworking Perspective (15 min)

Presenters

Nicholas Blackwell, University of Indiana Bloomington

Abstract

Monumentality, fortified citadels, megaron complexes, and imposing funerary structures highlight well-known similarities in Mycenaean palatial architecture. However, the applicability of the term koine is questionable, and this paper investigates homogeneity in elite construction work by considering LH (Late Helladic) IIIA2–LH IIIB (ca. 14th–13th century B.C.E.) stoneworking practices in the Argolid, Messenia, and Boeotia. The analogous megaron design and dimensions at Mycenae, Tiryns, and Pylos raise questions about the independent nature of these administrative centers and the political makeup of Mycenaean society. Despite their similarities, these megara reflect notable stoneworking differences in materiality, tool types, and construction methods. Assertions of a building koine thus do not explain the nuances of palatial construction and only add to the uncertainty of transregional connections between various centers.

The commonalities between the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae and the Treasury of Minyas at Orchomenos have also contributed to perceptions of a Mycenaean architectural koine. However, these tombs are not contemporary, to judge from preserved tool marks, a conclusion that differs from the traditional dating and understanding of these structures. The Minyas tomb’s interior stomion, leading to its side chamber, preserves evidence of sophisticated and experimental stoneworking methods. These previously overlooked details at Orchomenos indicate a more developed way of constructing a tholos than at Mycenae. While the Atreus and Minyas similarities are notable and often cited, there are also variances in the building process. From a construction perspective, it is inadequate to consider these celebrated tholoi as part of an architectural koine. The craft relationship between Mycenae and Orchomenos is more complicated and intriguing than the relative vagueness that koine conveys.