The next BSA Friends’ Lecture “ The tholos cemeteries in south-central Crete and their social implications during Pre- and Protopalatial periods” will be given by Dr Flora Michelaki (British School at Athens). This event is part of a series of Friends’ Lectures organised by the BSA Friends’ Committee and you can attend online via Zoom webinar – register here.
Abstract
This lecture presents a synopsis of my doctoral thesis that aimed to examine the architectural and depositional complexity of the best documented tholos cemeteries in south-central Crete during the Prepalatial and Protopalatial periods. It also explored what they can tell us about broader social behaviour, its variations between communities and transformations through time, in this period spanning the development of the Minoan states. This research involves a commitment to the study of basic archaeological data, both unpublished and published, from a number of sites held in the Archaeological Museum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion. The systematic documentation and analysis of the preserved material culture along with the surviving architectural remains allow the identification of patterns and local variations which contribute to a more nuanced understanding of these cemeteries and the societies that constructed and used them.