Social Identity and Status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese

The Evidence from Burials

Nikolas Dimakis

• Publisher: Archaeopress
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781784915063
• eBook ISBN: 9781784915070
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

Classical and Hellenistic cemeteries can give us more than descriptions and styles of pottery, art and burial architecture; they can speak of people, societies, social conventions as well as of social distinctions. This book aims to employ and illustrate the unique strengths of burial evidence and its contribution to the understanding of social identity and status in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese. By thoroughly reviewing published burials from the regions of Achaia, Arcadia, the Argolid and Cynouria, Corinthia, Elis and Triphylia, spatial and temporal variations which led to a change in definitions of 'society' and perceptions of 'community' on the basis of shifting reactions to death and the dead are demonstrated. Social roles of men, women, children, elite and non-elite individuals as expressed or negotiated in the mortuary record are explored. Preconceived ideas and stereotypes within and about the Classical and Hellenistic burials are challenged. In spite of the many constraints imposed by the limited previous research, what clearly emerges from this study is the wide degree of variation in what are often loosely termed 'customary' or unappealing Classical and Hellenistic burial practices in the Northern Peloponnese. If death was indeed an occasion or 'opportunity', then the meaning of this opportunity varied along the shifting dimensions, in time and space, of identity and status.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviatios
• Introduction
• A Case Study: The Argolid
• Death and Space in the Northern Peloponnese during Classical and Hellenistic Times
• The Mortuary Record
• Burial Offerings
• The Funeral Ritual
• Conclusions
• Bibliography
• Figure 1. The natural landscape (after Pleiades.org)
• Figure 2. The regions (after Pleiades.org)
• Figures
• Figure 3. Approximate location of main sites often cited in the book
• Figure 4. Distribution of sites in the Southeast Argolid during the Classical period (after Jameson et al. 1994) (after Pleiades.org)
• Figure 5. The burial landscape (after Pleiades.org)
• Figure 6. Distribution of tumuli in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese (after Pleiades.org)
• Figure 7. Distribution of cremation burials in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese (after Pleiades.org)
• Figure 8. Distribution of the ‘Corinthian type’ sarcophagus in the Northern Peloponnese (after Pleiades.org)
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• Figure 9. Distribution of burial monuments in the Northern Peloponnese from the late-4th to the 2nd century BC
• Figure 10. Location of burial assemblages, roads and the course of the city walls in Classical and Hellenistic Argos (from Dimakis 2009)
• Figure 11. The Classical cemetery at Delpriza (ancient Mases) in the Southeast Argolid (from Kossyva 2011)
• Figure 12. ‘Blank’ spaces, roads and retaining walls at the North Cemetery in ancient Corinth (after Blegen et al. 1964)
• Figure 13. Classical and Hellenistic cemeteries in ancient Corinth (after Pharaklas 1971a)
• Figure 14. Cemeteries (viz. Necropoleis A and B) at Helleniko in Cynouria (after Abadie-Reynal and Spyropoulos 1985: 388, fig. 3)
• Figure 15. Cemeteries at Patras in Achaia (after Petropoulos 2012: 503, plan 1)
• Figure 16. Burials placed side-by-side alongside funerary ways in Argos (after Spathari 1991: 94)
• Figure 17. Location of the hoplite’s burial 262 and the clustered child burials at the North Cemetery in ancient Corinth (after Blegen et al. 1964)
• Figure 18. The West Cemetery and the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Isthmia (after Clement and Thorne 1974)
• Figure 19. Cemetery and intramural burial monuments at Phigaleia in Western Arcadia (after Arapogianni 2011: 92)
• Figure 21. Burial monument of the Classical period in Argos (from Barakari-Gleni 1998)
• Figure 23. Road-side fourth-century BC cemetery at Mazi (after Parlama 1972)
• Figure 24. Funeral bed (kline) in the late-fifth/fourth century BC chamber tomb at Cheliotomylos Hill, ancient Corinth (from Carpenter and Bon 1936: 299)
• Figure 25. Letter ‘A’ at the bottom of a rectangular-shaped clay tub from Argos (photo: Nikolas Dimakis)
• Figure 26. A Roman burial monument placed over graves of the Classical period in Argos (photo: Nikolas Dimakis)
• Figure 28. A burial ‘oikos’ amidst other ‘oikoi’ of the same kin at the modern cemetery of Lephkakia in the Argolid (photo: Nikolas Dimakis)
• Figure 30. Undisturbed adult burial of the Hellenistic period in Argos with vase offerings placed on the deceased’s knees (photo: Nikolas Dimakis)
• Figure 31. Chronological distribution of cemeteries in the Argolid (10th-2nd century BC)
• Figure 32. Distance (in meters) of cemeteries from their associated settlements in the West Argolid during the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
• Figure 33. Distance (in meters) of cemeteries from their associated settlements in the East Argolid during the Classical and Hellenistic periods
• Figure 34. Number of Classical and Hellenistic cemeteries in the West and East Argolid
• Figure 36. Distribution of cemeteries around Argos (distance in km) in the 5th century BC
• Figure 38. Distribution of cemeteries around Argos (distance in km) in the 3rd century BC
• Figure 39. Distribution of cemeteries around Argos (distance in km) in the 2nd century BC
• Figure 40. Chronological classification of burials at Helleniko from the late-5th century BC to the Roman period
• Figure 41. Mortuary variability in the Argolid (5th to 2nd century BC)
• Figure 43. Mortuary variability in the Classical cemetery at Halieis
• Figure 44. Mortuary variability in the Hellenistic cemeteries of Epidauros
• Figure 45. Mortuary variability in the Classical cemeteries at Asine West, Chonikas, Delpriza, Helleniko, Lephkakia and Synoro
• Figure 47. Percentages of cremation, inhumation and undetermined burials in the Classical and Hellenistic Argolid
• Figure 48. Number of burials per grave in both the Classical and Hellenistic Argolid
• Figure 49. Mortuary variability in the Classical and Hellenistic West Argolid
• Figure 50. Mortuary variability in the Classical and Hellenistic East Argolid
• Figure 51. Number of female, male, adult and child burials in Classical Argos
• Figure 53. Number of female, male, adult and child burials in Hellenistic Ancient Asine
• Figure 54. Sex and age distinctions expressed through grave forms in the Classical Argolid
• Figure 55. Sex and age distinctions expressed through grave forms in the Hellenistic Argolid
• Figure 56. Number of burial monuments in the Classical and Hellenistic Argolid
• Figure 57. Vase offerings in Classical graves in the Argolid
• Figure 58. Vase offerings in Hellenistic graves in the Argolid
• Figure 59. Metal offerings in Classical and Hellenistic graves in the Argolid
• Figure 60. Other miscellaneous types of offerings in Classical and Hellenistic graves in the Argolid (NB: astragals, beads a d olive fruits are displayed in grave numbers)
• Figure 61. Relative chronological distribution of cemeteries in the Northern Peloponnese (6th century BC – Roman times)
• Figure 62. Percentages of inhumation, cremation and undetermined burials in the regions of the Northern Peloponnese during the Classical and Hellenistic periods
• Figure 63. Analysis of the number of inhumation burials per grave in the regions of the Northern Peloponnese during the Classical and Hellenistic periods
• Figure 64. Mortuary variability in Corinthia (early-5th to 3rd century BC)
• Figure 65. Mortuary variability in Elis (5th to 2nd century BC)
• Figure 66. Mortuary variability in Triphylia (late-4th to 2nd century BC)
• Figure 67. Mortuary variability in Achaia (5th to 2nd c BC)
• Figure 69. Regional distribution of graves with secondary burials from the 5th to the 2nd century BC
• Figure 70. Vase offerings in fifth and fourth centuries BC graves in Corinthia
• Figure 71. Vase offerings in late-fourth and third centuries BC graves in Corinthia
• Figure 72. Vase offerings in fifth and early-fourth centuries BC graves in Elis
• Figure 73. Vase offerings in late-fourth to second century BC graves in Elis
• Figure 74. Vase offerings in early-fourth to second century BC graves in Triphylia
• Figure 75. Vase offerings in fifth to to second century BC graves in Achaia
• Figure 76. Vase offerings in late-fourth to second century BC graves in Arcadia
• Figure 77. (a, b) Classification of vase offerings according to their use in (a) the 5th and 4th, and (b) late-4th to 2nd centuries BC
• Figure 78. Metal offerings in fifth and fourth, and late-fourth and third centuries BC graves in Corinthia
• Figure 79. Metal offerings in fifth and fourth, and late-fourth to second century BC graves in Elis
• Figure 80. Metal offerings in early-fourth, and late-fourth to second centuries BC graves in Triphylia
• Figure 81. Metal offerings in fifth and fourth centuries BC graves in Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 82. Metal offerings in fifth to second century BC graves in Achaia
• Figure 84. Metal offerings in late-fourth to second century BC graves in Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 85. Diffusion of metals in fifth to second century BC graves in Achaia
• Figure 86. Diffusion of metals in fifth and fourth, and late fourth to second century BC graves in the Argolid
• Figure 87. Diffusion of metals in fifth and fourth, and late-fourth and third centuries BC graves in Corinthia
• Figure 88. Number of Classical and Hellenistic graves found empty in Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 89. Number of Classical and Hellenistic graves found furnished and undisturbed in Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 90. Regional analysis of individual graves (Classical and Hellenistic) recorded with terracotta figurines (any type) among their offerings
• Figure 91. Number of graves and burial groups available for each region
• Figure 92. Cemeteries in the Argolid and their use through time
• Figure 93. Location of the Classical and Hellenistic cemeteries in the Argolid in relation to their natural landscape
• Figure 94. Approximate Cemetery – Settlement Distance (ACSD) in meters in the regions of the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 95. Cemetery – Settlement Elevation Association (CSEA) in the regions of Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 96. Tumuli in the Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese and their use through time
• Figure 97. Cemeteries in Achaia and their use through time
• Figure 98. Cemeteries in Arcadia and their use through time
• Figure 100. Cemeteries in Elis and their use through time
• Figure 101. Cemeteries in Triphylia and their use through time
• Figure 102. Cremation burials (primary and secondary) in the regions of Classical and Hellenistic Northern Peloponnese
• Figure 99. Cemeteries in Corinthia and Sikyon and their use through time
• Figure 103. Classification of vase offerings found in Classical and Hellenistic graves according to their use
• Figure 104. Female burials in the Argolid and Cynouria
• Figure 105. Female burials in Achaia and Corinthia
• Figure 106. Female burials in Elis and Triphylia
• Figure 107. Children burials in the Argolid and Cynouria
• Figure 108. Children burials in Achaia, Arcadia and Triphylia
• Figure 109. Children burials in Corinthia
• Figure 110. Children burials in Elis
• Figure 111. Secondary burials in the Argolid and Cynouria
• Figure 112. Secondary burials in Achaia, Arcadia, Corinthia, Elis and Triphylia
• Appendix A: groups of burials (GB)
• Appendix B: individual graves (IG)