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A gold pendant suspended from a small chain came to light in the Middle Helladic settlement on the Aspis hill at Argos, in a house dated to MH II. The undecorated triangular sheet and elaborate chain show clear similarities with gold jewellery from burial contexts of EM II-III and early MM Crete (Mochlos, Mesara, Archanes, Malia). Seen against the meagre background of EBA and early MBA gold work in mainland Greece and the evidence for the exchange of material goods and technological expertise between Crete and the Argolid from the beginning of the MBA, we might assume that the pendant was imported from Crete. However, according to certain techno-morphological features its manufacture in a mainland workshop cannot be excluded. This hypothesis is reinforced by the opinion that gold artefacts from the Warrior’s Grave at Aegina Kolonna may have been manufactured, as early as MH II, by local artisans with a deep knowledge of Minoan technology. In any case, an EM II-III/MM I-II or Minoanizing gold ornament, of funerary connotation, found in an early MH settlement context, is particularly interesting as it relates to issues regarding the transmission of technology, the nature of gold working on the mainland Greece, and its social and symbolic meaning.
Proceedings of the 12th International Congress of Cretan Studies. Congress of Cretan Studies, Heraklion, 21.-25.9.2016 (Irakleio 2017)
The “Knossos Effect”: Golden Signets as Visual Markers of Social Dependencies in the Aegean Bronze AgeWhen Malcolm Wiener stated in his article that “jewelry above all is subject to the dictates of style and to the Versailles effect” (Wiener 1984, 24), he referred to the “Versailles effect” as an effect “most likely to occur where the cultural prestige of one society within an interconnecting set of societies is great” (Wiener 1984, 17). He pointed out that besides pottery ‒ frequently used for tracing movements of goods or even groups of people ‒ jewelry too has a high potential to illustrate intercultural patterns of commercial, political or ideological exchange. In doing so the “Versailles effect” does not implicate the simple imitation of the material culture of another, (dominant) culture by force or political /military domination, but rather describes a voluntary adaption to this culture, mostly expressed through art forms as well as pottery styles, architectural features or even technological inventions (Wiener 2016, 1-2). In this paper the focus will be laid on a quite similar effect here called the “Knossos effect”, made visible by an examination of distribution patterns of golden signets and their chronology. The term is a reference to Wiener’s term and is used here to describe a similar phenomenon “spreading” from the palace of Knossos in LM IA Crete.
Naturwissenschaften 95 (4) 361-66.
Gold and gold working in Late Bronze Age Northern Greece2008 •
Numerous objects of gold displaying an impressive variety of types and manufacturing techniques are known from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) contexts of Mycenaean Greece, but very little is known about the origin and processing of gold during the second millennium B.C. Ancient literature and recent research indicate that northern Greece is probably the richest gold-bearing region in Greece, and yet, very little evidence exists regarding the exploitation of its deposits and the production as well as use of gold in the area during prehistory. The unusual find of a group of small stone crucibles at the prehistoric settlement of Thessaloniki Toumba, one with visible traces of gold melting, proves local production and offers a rare opportunity to examine the process of on-site gold working. Furthermore, the comparison of the chemical composition of prehistoric artefacts from two settlements with those of gold deposits in their immediate areas supports the local extraction of gold and opens up the prospect for some of the Mycenaean gold to have originated in northern Greece. The scarcity of gold items in northern Greek LBA contexts may not represent the actual amount of gold produced and consumed, but could be a result of the local social attitudes towards the circulation and deposition of artefacts from precious metals.
Although metal objects have been used as evidence in different interpretations of the socioeconomic changes identified in Prepalatial Crete (c.3100-1900 BC), they constitute an understudied category of material. This paper argues that metal objects on Crete were subject to complex processes regarding the creation of meaning; a more comprehensive appraisal of metal objects on the island may cast new light on these issues. Copper-based, gold, lead and silver objects are investigated from their ore extraction locations outside Crete to their final deposition, linking the different steps of the process of creating an artefact with different layers of meanings for the metal and, subsequently, for the finished objects. This study evaluates differences in the use of metals, with a particular focus on their intra-island depositional patterns. It seeks to identify differences in the roles of metals within Cretan communities as well as regional fashions in the use of metal objects. It is suggested that metals had different characters since their depositional patterns vary, and that people consciously chose certain metals to make specific objects and also used metal objects in different ways, reflecting the socio-economic context for each region.
2018 •
This paper addresses the cultural translation of some exotica – selected valuable objects that were brought from the south Aegean or even more distant areas to Troy, Beşik-Tepe and Greek Macedonia mainly during the Late Bronze Age. The discussion will focus on jewellery and seals made of carnelian, steatite and bone. Such foreign goods, often labelled as imports, are usually objects with complicated histories. These histories began with acquisition, then went through various forms of ownership and display, and finally ended with release, all while simultaneously undergoing a process of domestication and 'de-exotification'. Release, especially an intentional release such as in the case of burial goods, treasures and cult deposits, is discussed comprehensively since these are the best-documented cases of interaction between things and people in the area of the north Aegean. Also discussed is the phenomenon of copying as a complicated procedure of appropriation, as well as the case of rejection of ornaments and symbolism.
2017 •
2013 •
CBU International Conference Proceedings
The Challenges and Trends in Higher Education2017 •
2007 •
21 •
2009 •