Beyond City and Country at Mycenae:

Kvapil, Lynne A.; Meier, Jacqueline; Price, Gypsy C; Shelton, Kim

doi:10.2307/j.ctvr00x98.10

Cited by 3 publications

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“…The preliminary zooarchaeological study at Petsas House detected diverse taxa in a sample of the well deposit in Room П, including more abundant remains of pigs and smaller wild animals than most contemporaneous sites in the region [ 34 ]. The remains suggest reliable economic access to meat, including from dogs [ 35 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Well” off in animals: A taphonomic history of faunal resources and refuse from a well feature at Petsas House, Mycenae (Greece)

Meier

Price²,

Shelton³

2023

PLoS ONE

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At the renowned archaeological site of Mycenae, striking depictions of animals in ancient art and architecture, such as the ‘Lion Gate’, reflect the great power of elite residents in the Late Bronze Age. To better understand how social complexity relates to human-animal interactions at Mycenae, more research is needed on the animals who actually lived there. In a first for the archaeological site of Mycenae, we utilized a contextual taphonomic approach and statistical analysis to study a faunal assemblage, focusing on a massive deposit recovered from a well feature located in Room Π of Petsas House. Petsas House was an industrial-residential complex at Mycenae used at least in part by ceramic artisans at the time of its destruction in the Late Helladic IIIA2 period. Intra-contextual analysis of the animal remains detected sub-assemblages with variable histories of animal use and deposition. The results revealed multiple disposal events and possible dog interments. Most of the refuse in the well likely originated from rubbish piles in the surrounding rooms and periphery that were cleaned after a destructive earthquake. Together, the faunal evidence yielded a more nuanced, possibly seasonal picture of animal access than previously available at this important political center. The results provide new insights into the diverse and resilient resource provisioning strategies available to extra-palatial residents of Mycenae, especially those who participated in craft production and trade networks at the height of the palatial period.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Well” off in animals: A taphonomic history of faunal resources and refuse from a well feature at Petsas House, Mycenae (Greece)

Meier

Price²,

Shelton³

2023

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

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Terraced Fields, Farming, and Farmers at the Settlements of Kalamianos and Stiri, Greece

Kvapil

2021

Themes in Contemporary Archaeology

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Canine Economies of the Ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean

Price

Meier

Arbuckle

2020

Journal of Field Archaeology

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Archaeological assemblages, texts, and iconography indicate a multifaceted, yet often ignored, canine economy in the ancient eastern Mediterranean and Near East. This economy included not only dogs' celebrated roles as hunting aids, guards, village scavengers, and companions, but also the regular processing, use, and consumption of dogs for foods, hides, and medicinal/ritual purposes. Drawing on ethnohistorical information and zooarchaeological data from three Chalcolithic/Bronze Age sites-Tell Surezha (Iraq), Mycenae (Greece), and Acemhöyük (Turkey)we emphasize evidence for the processing of dog carcasses, which reflect a range of post-mortem treatments of dog bodies. We suggest the widespread use of primary products from dogs, features of an ancient canine economy that are rarely reported on in depth and often explained away as aberrations by modern scholars of the region. We speculate that this neglect stems in part from analysts' taboos on cynophagy (unconsciously) influencing archaeological reconstructions of dog use in the past.

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Beyond City and Country at Mycenae:

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

“Well” off in animals: A taphonomic history of faunal resources and refuse from a well feature at Petsas House, Mycenae (Greece)

“Well” off in animals: A taphonomic history of faunal resources and refuse from a well feature at Petsas House, Mycenae (Greece)

Terraced Fields, Farming, and Farmers at the Settlements of Kalamianos and Stiri, Greece

Canine Economies of the Ancient Near East and Eastern Mediterranean

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