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 ?