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Late Bronze Age Religion. ?. Who can help? What evidence is there? What are the obstacles?. Accessing Prehistoric Religion. Anthropologists Homer Scholars Philologists Archaeologists. Roots of Mycenaean Religion?. Mesopotamian? Near Eastern? Minoan? Cycladic?. Bronze Age Mediterranean. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Late Bronze Age Religion
Accessing Prehistoric Religion
? • Who can help?
• What evidence is there?
• What are the obstacles?
Anthropologists
Homer Scholars
PhilologistsArchaeologist
s
Roots of Mycenaean Religion?Mesopotamian?Near Eastern?Minoan?Cycladic?
Bronze Age Mediterranean• Near East
Levant & Anatolia
• Crete• Cyclades• Cyprus• Mainland
Greece
Minoan Religion• Horns of
Consecration• Peak
Sanctuaries• Cave • Tree &
Pillar/Stone Cults
• Bull
Peak Sanctuary• Horns of
Consecration• Pillar or Altar• At or near
peak of mountains or hills
Mycenae: Mylonas’ Cult Center
“House of the Idols”
• LHIIIB Architecture• “Temple” (room 18)• Storeroom (room 19)
upstairs• Triangular alcove• Entrance through
anteroom• Central Platform
(hearth?)• Benches of varied
heights
The “Temple” & Storeroom• Steps to storeroom
• Central Platform• Benches:
for offerings?platforms for cult “statues”?
End of Days• Storeroom Sealed after
earthquake• Broken figures kept in
sealed room• Only 1 idol “in use”
standing in anteroom at time of final fiery destruction of cult center (LHIIIB2)
• Cult Center not rebuilt or reused in LHIIIC, Submycenaean or Protogeometric Periods
Room with the Fresco
• LHIIIB1 construction date• Fresco on East Wall• Altar/Platform in front of
Fresco• Central Hearth• Low Bench on South Wall• “Shrine” added on West
side: “Room with the Ivories”
Fresco Room• Hearth• Bench• Altar• “Shrine” Entrance• Rich Finds of Clay,
Ivory, Lead, Stone, and Faience (self-glazing sand/quartz paste)
The Finds
• Ivory Lion for ornate chair arm?
• Ivory Head to fit on wooden body/frame?
• Scarab of Queen Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (100 years older than shrine)
Lower Register: Woman with Ears of Grain
Upper Register: Women with Sword & Staff
Hierarchy of Position?
Goddess or
Priestess?• Linear B
evidence?• Si-to-po-ti-ni-ja• “Wheat Lady” • I-je-re-ja• Priestess?
What or Who do the
“Idols” Represent?• Snakes in
Minoan Religion but not coiled clay ones
• Smaller, decorated figures as deities?
Matriarchal or
Patriarchal Religion?
• Anthropomorphic (Gunaikomorphic)Piriform Jar
• Alcove in House of Idols
“Goddess” of Room of the
Ivories?Cp. Psi figurine?
Goddess of Room
with Idols?
• Holding Breasts
• Tau figurine?
Votaries & Worshippers
?• Holding the Labrys
(double-headed axe)?
Tiryns Shrine• Built against
inside of fortification wall of Lower Citadel
• Megaron Plan• Central Hearth,
Vestibule & Main Room
• Bench against Fortification Wall in Main Room
• Several LHIIIC phases
Shrine Sites?
• Mycenae• Tiryns• Tsoungiza• Midea• Ayia Irini• Philakopi
Shrines at Midea &
Tsoungiza?
The Islands
• Phylakopi on Melos
• Ayia Irini on Kea
Lady of Phylakopi• Phylakopi Shrines from LHIIIA-C• NW Altar of West Shrine: Male Figures!• Large Bull Figures• LHIIIA2-LHIIIC
Phylakopi Bull Figures• Cp. Dimini (N.
Greece) & Mitrou (C. Greece)
Ayia Irini• Initially Minoan,
then Mycenaean• Cult Center from
MC (18thC) to Hellenistic Period (3rdC B.C.)!
Ayia Irini50 Female LHIIIA-B TC Statues
Linear-B God Names
We Recognize
• A-RE Ares?• E-NU-WA-RI-JO Enyalios
(“warlike” or “battle”, later epithet for Ares)
• PA-JA-WO-NE Paiawon ("Paian", later epithet for Apollo)
• PO-SE-DA-O-NE Poseidon (main god at Pylos)
• E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE Enosidas ("Enosigaios" or "Earthshaker")
• DI-WO Zeus
Unknown Deities?• PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia ("mistress")• DA-PU-RI-TO-JO PO-TI-NI-JA
Potnia of the Labyrinth• A-TA-NA PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia
(from?) Atana (= "Athena"?)• DI-WI-JA Diwia (female
counterpart of Zeus)• PO-SI-DA-E-JA Posidaieia (female
counterpart of Poseidon)• PA-KI-JA-NI-JA Sphagianeia?? • I-QE-JA Hippeia ("of horses"?)• A-SI-WI-JA Aswia • NE-WO-PE-O ?• U-PO-JO ?
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