Mycenae Revisited Part 2. Exploring the Local versus Non-local Geographical Origin of the Individuals from Grave Circle A: Evidence from Strontium Isotope Ratio (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) Analysis

Abstract

Strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) analysis was applied to dental enamel samples from eleven adults from Grave Circle A at Mycenae in order to investigate their local versus non-local geographical origin. The results of this analysis suggest a relatively high intra-sample variation in 87Sr/86Sr values for the Grave Circle A Mycenaeans. Based on these results, only two individuals may be identified as locals at Mycenae. Of the other nine individuals, three may be identified as non-locals at this site. Because two of these are the only females from Grave Circle A tested for 87Sr/86Sr it is tentatively suggested that this finding may reflect marital patterns and the non-local origin of the females associated with high social ranking at Mycenae. However, owing to the paucity of data on the biologically available strontium at sites in the Aegean, it cannot be established with certainty whether the individuals identified as non-locals originated a few dozen or hundreds of kilometres away from Mycenae. Finally, conclusions on the local versus non-local origin of the remaining six individuals are tentative. Their ratios may equally to a non-local origin reflect a variegated diet that comprised ‘non-local’ amongst ‘local’ foodstuffs, which would not be unexpected for a Mycenaean palace economy of the ‘redistributive’ type.Η ανάλυση της ισοτοπικής αναλογίας του στροντίου (87Sr/86Sr) εφαρμόστηκε σε δείγματα οδοντικού σμάλτου από έντεκα ενήλικες από τον Ταφικό Κύκλο Α στις Μυκήνες προκειμένου να διερευνυθεί η τοπική ή μη-τοπική γεωγραφική τους προέλευση. Σύμφωνα με τα απολέσματα των αναλύσεων παρατηρείται υψηλή ενδο-πληθυσμνακή ποικιλότητα σε 87Sr/86Sr τιμές για τους Μυκηναίους από τον Ταφικό Κύκλο Α. Μόνο δύο από τα εξεταστένθα άτομα ταυτοποιήθηκαν ως αυτόχθονες στις Μυκήνες. Από τα υπόλοιπα εννέα, τρία άτομα χαρακτηρίστηκαν επήλυδες. Επειδή τα δύο από τα τρία αυτά άτομα είναι οι μόνες γυναίκες από τον Ταφικό Κύκλο Α, στις οποίες έγινε δειγματοληψία για την ανάλυση της ισοτοπικής αναλογίας του στροντίου, με επιφύλαξη προτείνεται ότι τα απολέσματα που παρουσιάζονται εδώ είναι πιθανό να αντικατοπτρίζουν γαμήλιες πρακτικές και τη μη-τοπική προέλευση των γυναικών από τα ανώτερα κοννωνικά στρώματα στις Μυκήνες. Ωστόσο, λόγω του εξαιρετικά μνκρού αριθμού δεδομένων για το βιολογικά διαθέσιμο στρόντιο σε θέσεις του Αιγαιακού χώρου, δεν είναι δυνατό να καθοριστεί με βεβαιότητα ο τόπος προέλευσής τους, ο οποίος μπορεί να απέχει μερικές δεκάδες ή εκατοντάδες χιλιόμετρα απο τις Μυκήνες. Τέλος, λιγότερο σαφή είναι τα συμπεράσματα για την προέλευση των υπόλοιπων έξι εξεταστέντων ατόμων. Οι τιμές 87Sr/86Sr είναι δυνατόν σε συνδυασμό με μια μη-τοπική καταγωγή των εν λόγω ατόμων να αντικατοπτρίζουν ποικιλία ‘τοπικών’ και ‘μη-τοπικών’ τροφών στη δίαιτά τους. Το συμπέρασμα αυτό δε μας ξαφνιάζει σε μια οικονομία του ‘αναδιανεμητικού’ τύπου, στον οποίο υποστηρίζεται πως ανήκει η Μυκηναϊκή οικονομία της ανακτορικής εποχής.

Tracing population mobility in the Aegean using isotope geochemistry: a first map of local biologically available 87Sr/86Sr signatures

“…As of January 2008, the author introduced a small modification to the procedure at the stage of the acetic acid cleaning of samples for the removal of diagenetic strontium. This is outlined in Nafplioti (2009a), and the samples prepared in this manner derive from Tiryns, the Franchthi Cave, Koilada, Kranidi, Perachora, Manika, Tharrounia, the Kitsos Cave, Kephala, Port district-Korissia, Maroulas (Kythnos), the Cave of Antiparos, Agio Galas, Chora (Kos), Kardamena-Antimacheia, Koumelo, and Mycenae (the archaeological animal enamel sample only).…”

“…Price et al, 1994;Price et al, 2000Price et al, , 2002Bentley, 2006;Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2006bSlovak et al, 2009), it is only recently that it began to be used in archaeological research in the Aegean (Nafplioti, 2007(Nafplioti, , 2008(Nafplioti, , 2009a(Nafplioti, , 2009b(Nafplioti, , 2010Richards et al, 2008), pioneered by the author. However, the single biggest obstacle to the further development of this research field in the Aegean remains the lack of a map of biologically available isotope signatures in the region, such as those generated by Bentley and Knipper (2005) for southern Germany, Evans et al (2009) for the Isle of Skye (Scotland), and Evans et al (2010) for Britain.…”

The unacknowledged Panayotis Stamatakis and his invaluable contribution to the understanding of Grave Circle A at Mycenae

“…In the context of an interdisciplinary research project that aimed to reconstruct the 'faces' of Grave Circle A for the first time, an anthropological examination of the remains took place. This was combined with analysis of the archaeological data provided in Stamatakis' diary regarding the exact locations within the tombs of the deceased and their grave goods (for the results of the project, see Nafplioti 2009;Papazoglou-Manioudaki et al 2009;2010;Dickinson et al 2012). Since Stamatakis never published his records, the analysis of his diary has resulted in a multitude of new discoveries about the burials, the grave goods and taphonomy in general.…”

Mycenae Revisited Part 3. The Human Remains from Grave Circle A at Mycenae. Behind the Masks: A Study of the Bones of Shaft Graves I–V

“…In 'Mycenae Revisited Part 1', we presented an analysis of the human skeletal material from Grave VI, and in 'Mycenae Revisited Part 2' explored the geographical origin (s) of the individuals buried in Grave Circle A (Papazoglou-Manioudaki et at. 2009;Nafplioti 2009). In this article we present the results of the first complete morphological analysis of the human skeletal material recovered from Shaft Graves III, IV, and V in GCA at Mycenae by Schliemann and Stamatakis at the end of the nineteenth century, which is now kept in the apotheke of the Prehistoric Collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.…”

“…IN BSA 104 we described how the 'Mycenae Revisited' project came into being, how the rediscovery in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens in 2003 of two skeletons excavated in 1877 by Stamatakis in Shaft Grave VI at Mycenae led to a proposal to study those remains in detail and to reconstruct their faces, and how this in turn spawned a number of other projects ('Mycenae Revisited Part 1': Papazoglou-Manioudaki et al 2009). The first of these follow-up actions-'Mycenae Revisited Part 2'-was a study of the remains of the majority of the individuals from Grave Circle A (GCA) by strontium isotope analysis, intended to discover their geographical origins (Nafplioti 2009). The next, a catalogue and full reappraisal of the skeletal remains from the other graves in Circle A, is presented here in the context of their recovery with the associated finds.…”