The Palatial Bronze Age of the Southern and Central Greek Mainland

Soil erosion, agricultural terracing and site formation processes at Markiani, Amorgos, Greece: The micromorphological perspective

“…One of the principal aims of the analysis of the surface material from the site has been to study the effects of downslope erosion on the movement and modification of archaeological materials. In a geomorphically active environment such as the southern Aegean, where intensive surface surveys are taking on an increasingly significant role in archaeological interpretation (Cherry, 1983(Cherry, , 1994Rutter, 1993;Cherry et al, 1991a;Jameson et al, 1994;Cavanagh et al, 1996;Wells and Runnels, 1996;Mee et al, 1997;Shelmerdine, 1997), it is imperative that we develop methods for identifying and interpreting the processes responsible for the generation and modification of the characteristics of surface archaeological assemblages. Because of its extreme topographic relief, Markiani provides an excellent opportunity for such methodological research, but an understanding of the archaeological formation processes is also necessary for the substantive interpretation of the history and nature of occupation at the site itself.…”

Mycenaean Peripheries during the Palatial Age: The Case of Achaia

“…A synthesis of the scholarly debate on anthropology as it contributes to palatial society analysis can be found in De Fidio 2006; for such interpretations of Mycenaean Achaia, cf. Shelmerdine andBennet 2008, p. 289. 176.…”

“…19. The discovery of the Iklaina Linear B tablet, dating to LH IIB-LH III A1 (1470-1370Cosmopoulos 2010, p. 10;2012a, p. 46;Shelmerdine 2012;Summer 2012, p. 39), which is comparable to the chronology of the earliest Knossos tablets, undoubtedly attests to the existence of a sort of early bureaucracy in this center (maybe the a-pu 2 mentioned in the "Pylian cadastre"; see Cosmopoulos 2006;2012a, p. 45;Shelmerdine 2012, p. 76) that was afterward absorbed by Pylos. Yet up until recently we did not know whether, e.g., the "officials" and social hierarchy attested in LH IIIB tablets already existed approximately two centuries earlier in this polity.…”

Aegean Prehistory as World Archaeology: Recent Trends in the Archaeology of Bronze Age Greece

“…In the past decade many important works have appeared on the organization and operation of the Mycenaean palaces (Galaty and Parkinson 1999a;Shelmerdine , 2001aVoutsaki and Killen 2001). One of the most significant trends in recent scholarship has been a reformulation of the debate on how the political economy of the palaces actually operated on a daily basis, and particularly a new emphasis on the roles of individuals and their interactions with the state.…”