Books by Dimitri Nakassis
This book revises our understanding of Mycenaean society through a detailed analysis of individua... more This book revises our understanding of Mycenaean society through a detailed analysis of individuals attested in the administrative texts from the Palace of Nestor at Pylos in southwestern Greece, ca. 1200 BC. It argues that conventional models of Mycenaean society, which focus on administrative titles and terms, can be improved through the study of named individuals. A new, methodologically innovative prosopography demonstrates that many named individuals were not only important managers of palatial affairs but also high-ranking members of the community. This work significantly broadens the elite class and suggests that the palace was less of an agent in its own right than an institutional framework for interactions amongst individuals and social groups.
Papers by Dimitri Nakassis
Ancient Taxation: The Mechanics of Extraction in Comparative Perspective, 2021
Hesperia, 2024
The Western Argolid Regional Project (WARP) is an intensive pedestrian survey of 30 km2, located ... more The Western Argolid Regional Project (WARP) is an intensive pedestrian survey of 30 km2, located northwest of Argos along the banks of the Inachos River. Using high-intensity collection strategies, WARP generated very fine-resolution data that provide insights into the ways this seemingly marginal area contributed to and was impacted by regional histories. A key question is how the network of mountainous routes that traverse this landscape, connecting the area to the Corinthia and Arkadia, may have influenced localized, diachronic settlement patterns. This article focuses on areas of high artifact densities to demonstrate how regional activity and interconnectivity changed from the Neolithic to Modern period at this crossroads in the northeastern Peloponnese.
Πολυμήχανος Man of Many Ways: Papers in Honour of Professor Jan Driessen (Aegis 25), 2024
Γ’ Διεθνές Διεπιστημονικό Συμπόσιο Η Περιφερεια του Μυκηναικου Κοσμου, 2021
AJA, 2023
This article presents the results of a demographic survey of authors who published in the America... more This article presents the results of a demographic survey of authors who published in the American Journal of Archaeology between 2000 and 2020. We sought to better understand the demographics of knowledge production in one of the major English-language journals for Mediterranean archaeology, and, by extension, in the field in general. The survey, delivered by email in the spring of 2021, asked authors about their gender, race or ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, the educational attainment of up to two of their parents, their current academic position and rank, and the number of times they have published in the AJA. Our results indicate that people of color and the children of parents without advanced degrees are greatly underrepresented among AJA authors over the past two decades when compared to the U.S. population as a whole-a phenomenon that likely confirms many scholars' perceptions of the field but has not yet been empirically demonstrated. We conclude with some reflections on possible causes of underrepresentation and suggestions for creating a more inclusive discipline and publication process. 1 introduction Like many other academic disciplines, Mediterranean archaeology is at long last grappling with issues of race and representation. 2 Panels and symposia on teaching about race in the classical world are being held with increasing regularity and popularity. The recently updated statement of purpose of this journal makes clear that: "The AJA publishes original research on the diverse peoples and material cultures of the Mediterranean and related areas, including North Africa (with Egypt and Sudan), Western Asia (with the Caucasus), 1 The research for this paper was carried out independently of the American Journal of Archaeology, and the manuscript was subjected to the journal's standard peer-review processes. We are grateful to Machal Gradoz for productive discussions, and we thank Helen Cullyer, Executive Director of the Society for Classical Studies, for facilitating access to census data.
Πολυμήχανος Man of Many Ways: Papers in Honour of Professor Jan Driessen, 2023
Mouseion, Series III, Vol. 17 , 2020
The archaeological fieldwork conducted in Greece in 2017 under the aegis of the Canadian Institut... more The archaeological fieldwork conducted in Greece in 2017 under the aegis of the Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG) is summarized based on the presentation given by the director at the institute’s annual Open Meeting in Athens in May 2018.
Résumé : Les travaux archéologiques menés en Grèce en 2017 sous l’égide de l’Institut canadien en Grèce sont présentés d’après l’allocution donnée par le directeur lors de l’assem-blée publique annuelle de l’Institut, qui a eu lieu à Athènes en mai 2018.
This article examines the palatial and nonpalatial organization of craft production and exchange ... more This article examines the palatial and nonpalatial organization of craft production and exchange in the Late Bronze Age Argolid. The Late Bronze Age elites controlled markers of status and prestige, which were institutionalized in palatial control of the production and consumption of prestige goods. At Mycenae, the existence of attached ceramic workshops is evidence for palatial interest in the production and distribution of a wider range of ceramics than existed at the palace at Pylos, which was interested only in kylikes. Communities in Mycenae’s territory, such as Tsoungiza, used ceramic assemblages nearly identical to those of the palatial elites. Given the quantities of ceramic vessels needed annually to supply the entire polity, it is unlikely that these were allocated via mechanisms of palatial control. Instead, we must consider multiple mechanisms of distribution in addition to redistribution, including market exchange. Likewise, we must consider one individual to be engaged in transactions both with the palace (redistribution, tax payments) and with the surrounding communities (reci- procity and market exchange). Markets serve to horizon- tally integrate households in a community or region and to vertically integrate those households with the center. Other evidence for market exchange, such as weights and measures and the road network, is explored.
This article is available as Open Access on the AJA website.
The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 2010
(H.) Landenius Enegren The People of Knossos: Prosopographical Studies in the Knossos Linear B Ar... more (H.) Landenius Enegren The People of Knossos: Prosopographical Studies in the Knossos Linear B Archives (Boreas. Uppsala Studies in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Civilizations 30). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2008. Pp. 219, illus. Sw.kr.275. 9789155471088. ... (H.) Landenius Enegren The People of Knossos: Prosopographical Studies in the Knossos Linear B Archives (Boreas. Uppsala Studies in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Civilizations 30). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2008. Pp. 219, illus. ...
Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2012
ABSTRACT In this article the author examines the politics of Mycenaean feasting through an analys... more ABSTRACT In this article the author examines the politics of Mycenaean feasting through an analysis of three Linear B texts from the “Palace of Nestor” at Pylos that concern regional landholdings and contributions to a feast. Consideration of scribal practices, the political situation in Late Bronze Age Messenia, and historical parallels suggests that these tablets relate to the king of Pylos (the wanax) in his official and personal capacities. The scribal alternation between the title of the wanax and his name can consequently be seen as an ...
The Classical Review, 2009
The Classical Review (New Series), Oct 1, 2009
As readers of this journal know, we are awash with companions of varying composition and quality.... more As readers of this journal know, we are awash with companions of varying composition and quality. Arguably, many are super· uous; this one is not. Linear B is not an easily accessible μeld, for a variety of reasons, among which is the lack of up-to-date introductory texts. Most encounter Linear B through the 'bible'of Mycenaean studies μrst published in 1956, with a second edition in 1973 (M. Ventris,
Labor in the Ancient World, 2015
Many studies of labor in the Mycenaean world operate under the assumption that laborers can and d... more Many studies of labor in the Mycenaean world operate under the assumption that laborers can and do constitute a homogeneous group. An alternative approach might focus instead on individual laborers. Indeed, my prosopographical research on named individuals at Pylos shows that one class of ta-ra-si-ja workers, namely smiths (Linear B ka-ke-u, khalkeus; plural ka-ke-we, khalkēwes), were a heterogeneous group that included members of the elite. This conclusion suggests that despite the important scholarly gains made by general studies of the Mycenaean economy, the focus on the overall structure of the economy and general categories of laborers needs to be refined by an assessment of the diverse contributions of individuals. I argue in this paper that the labor of the men and women identified by name in the Linear B texts is crucial to our understanding of the economy of the Mycenaean state centered on the site of Pylos in southwestern Greece circa 1200 BC.
KE-RA-ME-JA: Studies Presented to Cynthia W. Shelmerdine, 2014
This paper argues that the "Mycenaean" evidence suggests that Minoan religion was polytheistic.
Agency in Early Writing (ed. Joshua Englehardt), 2013
Agency in Ancient Writing (ed. Joshua Englehardt), 2013
Étudies mycéniennes 2010. Actes du XIIIe colloque international sur les textes égéens , 2012
Discussions of labor in the Mycenaean world have tended to focus on direct methods of mobilizatio... more Discussions of labor in the Mycenaean world have tended to focus on direct methods of mobilization, in which the palatial authorities recruited groups of laborers, designated by toponyms or ethnics, apparently without any intermediaries between the palace and the affected communities. This paper focuses on potential instances of indirect labor mobilization at Pylos, in which workers are retained for palatial projects, but through the agency of named individuals. I will attempt to show that in some cases the palaces supplemented directly-acquired labor with labor obtained through administrative intermediaries, high-level functionaries who were responsible for furnishing workers for palatial projects. In principle, there is no reason to doubt that the Mycenaean palaces made use of multiple systems to recruit labor, since such heterogeneity is a feature of Near Eastern labor mobilization as well.
Uploads
Books by Dimitri Nakassis
Papers by Dimitri Nakassis
Résumé : Les travaux archéologiques menés en Grèce en 2017 sous l’égide de l’Institut canadien en Grèce sont présentés d’après l’allocution donnée par le directeur lors de l’assem-blée publique annuelle de l’Institut, qui a eu lieu à Athènes en mai 2018.
This article is available as Open Access on the AJA website.
Résumé : Les travaux archéologiques menés en Grèce en 2017 sous l’égide de l’Institut canadien en Grèce sont présentés d’après l’allocution donnée par le directeur lors de l’assem-blée publique annuelle de l’Institut, qui a eu lieu à Athènes en mai 2018.
This article is available as Open Access on the AJA website.