KRATOS & KRATERReconstructing an Athenian

Protohistory

Barbara Bohen

Archaeopress Archaeology

Archaeopress Publishing LtdGordon House

276 Banbury RoadOxford OX2 7ED

www.archaeopress.com

ISBN 978 1 78491 622 0ISBN 978 1 78491 623 7 (e-Pdf)

© Archaeopress and Barbara Bohen 2017

Cover explained: The top frieze from the New York ship krater evokes the contemporary Aeginetan sea campaign, recounted by Herodotus, which terminated Neleid hegemony in Athens. The black and white krater scene below depicts one of the

numerous funerals of Neleid nobility that occurred, likely as a result of this campaign, here from a krater found in the Philaid nobles’ burial ground at the Irian Gate. The top sea battle is set against a linen texture, evocative of the tales told on the French Bayeux Tapestry frieze. Dr. Irene Lemos and the author believe that motifs such as the meander may have derived from woven decoration of the era, clothing, tapestries, etc. so a muted colorful weave of the meander was used as the background for the

title. The krater is set against a representation of the interior of a large wheeled vessel such as the Athenian potters threw, part wheel, part manual, with facility to serve as Neleid burial monuments.

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Fig. 1. Athens National Museum 990 krater epitymbion, Irian Gate Cemetery

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Contents

Contents ..........................................................................................................................................................................................iList of Figures.................................................................................................................................................................................vForeword .........................................................................................................................................................................................xAcknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................... xiiiTerms & Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................. xv

Chapter I Kratos & Krater – Introduction & Summary

Kratos & Krater: Antecedents .....................................................................................................................................................1The Kratos & Krater in Iron Age Athens ...................................................................................................................................3The Rule of the Melantho-Codrids .............................................................................................................................................3Synoikismos ...................................................................................................................................................................................4A New Form of Kratos: The First Athenian Constitution ........................................................................................................5Constitutional Monarchy .............................................................................................................................................................5Polis .................................................................................................................................................................................................7The Termination of the Life-King Constitution, the Decline of the Neleids ........................................................................8The Medontid Takeover ...............................................................................................................................................................8Eupatrid Relocation ......................................................................................................................................................................9The Neleid Resurgence .................................................................................................................................................................9A Proposal for a New Kings’ List Chronology ...........................................................................................................................9The Geometric Life-King List ....................................................................................................................................................10Nomenclature for the Era of the Athenian Life-Kings ..........................................................................................................11

Chapter II The Bronze Age Antecedents

The Early & Middle Helladic Phase ..........................................................................................................................................13Commensality & Burial ........................................................................................................................................................13

The Palatial Kratos & Krater......................................................................................................................................................13The Settlement: The Role of the Krater in Commensality .............................................................................................16The Settlement: The Role of the Krater in Sacraments ..................................................................................................17The Burial Ground: The Role of the Krater in Funerary Ritual .....................................................................................18Funerary Ritual on the Hagia Triada Sarcophagos ..........................................................................................................18The Status Aspects of Mortuary Rituals ............................................................................................................................19

The Post-Palatial Kratos .............................................................................................................................................................20Mycenae’s ‘Last Flower of Mycenaean Civilization’ ........................................................................................................20Tiryns: Discontinuity and Continuity ................................................................................................................................21The Evolution of the Basileis ...............................................................................................................................................23

The Post-Palatial Krater .............................................................................................................................................................25Ritual Kraters .........................................................................................................................................................................25Warrior Kraters .....................................................................................................................................................................27Funerary Kraters ...................................................................................................................................................................29Kraters in an Age of Decline ................................................................................................................................................30Krater Rituals Introduced to Athens..................................................................................................................................31

Chapter III The Kratos of the Transitional Era

New Immigrant Foundations: Melanthid Kings .....................................................................................................................32Main Early Iron Age Sites in Athens ..................................................................................................................................32The Kerameikos Precinct XX Cemetery ............................................................................................................................33Melanthos, Neleid King, 1126-1089 ....................................................................................................................................35A Reassesment of the Foundation Date of the Precinct XX Cemetery .........................................................................36

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The Sacred Gate Cemetery ..................................................................................................................................................38The Precinct XX Wild Style Pottery ...................................................................................................................................38The Pompeion .......................................................................................................................................................................42

Speculation on Athenian Governance during the Transitional Era ....................................................................................44Peloponnesian Influences: Messenia and the Argolid ....................................................................................................44Tiryns ......................................................................................................................................................................................45The Prytaneion ......................................................................................................................................................................45Cult ..........................................................................................................................................................................................46The Ionian Migration ...........................................................................................................................................................46

Chapter IV The Kratos of the Iron Age

The Medontid Kings ...................................................................................................................................................................49Who was Medon? ..................................................................................................................................................................50The Medontid Nemeses: Eupatrids & the Areopagos Council .......................................................................................52The Areopagos Council ........................................................................................................................................................53

The Iron Age Constitution .........................................................................................................................................................54The Creation of the Constitution .......................................................................................................................................55The Context of the Constitution .........................................................................................................................................57

The List of Athenian Life-Kings ................................................................................................................................................58The Credibility of the King List ...........................................................................................................................................58The Search for Kings in the Burial Record ........................................................................................................................59Speculation on the Non-Medontid Kings ..........................................................................................................................60

The Non-Medontid Life Kings ...................................................................................................................................................61Archippos (1012-993) and Thersippos (993-952) ..............................................................................................................61The Early Alcmeonids ..........................................................................................................................................................61Phorbas (952-922), Alcmeonid? ..........................................................................................................................................62Megacles (922-892) ...............................................................................................................................................................63Diognetos (892-864) ..............................................................................................................................................................67Pherecles (864-845) ...............................................................................................................................................................68Ariphron (845-825) ...............................................................................................................................................................69Thespieos (824-797) ..............................................................................................................................................................69Agamestor (796-778) ............................................................................................................................................................70The Philaid Irian Gate Cemetery ........................................................................................................................................71Agamestor’s Burial, Irian Gate Precinct Grave III ............................................................................................................72Aeschylus (778-755) ..............................................................................................................................................................75Alcmeon (753-752) ................................................................................................................................................................75

A Proposal for a New King List Chronology ............................................................................................................................75Lower End Dating Support ..................................................................................................................................................78

The Termination of the Constitution .......................................................................................................................................78The Decline of the Neleids and their Krater Epitymbia ..................................................................................................78

Fighting on Land & Sea: The Aeginetan Campaign, Pheidon, & Athenian Decline ..........................................................87The End of the Athenian ‘Renaissance’ .............................................................................................................................87The Aeginetan Campaign: The Destruction of Athenian Naval Power.........................................................................90The New York Sea Battle Krater .........................................................................................................................................90Grief, Anger and Destruction in Athens ............................................................................................................................93

Late Geometric II: The Second Medontid Rule .......................................................................................................................95A New Burial Emplacement: The Plattenbau ...................................................................................................................95

Resurgent Eupatrids ...................................................................................................................................................................95The Kalaureian Amphictyony .............................................................................................................................................97The Alcmeonids’ New Archaic Burial Ground ..................................................................................................................97

Chapter V The Athenian Iron Age Krater

An Introduction to the Krater .................................................................................................................................................102The Krater in Bronze Age Athens .....................................................................................................................................104The Kerameikos Precinct XX Kraters ..............................................................................................................................105

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Graves and Strayfinds ........................................................................................................................................................105Reconstruction of the Krater Style and Sequence .........................................................................................................107

The Iron Age Krater in Context ..............................................................................................................................................108The Krater in the Settlement ............................................................................................................................................108Two Types of Krater ...........................................................................................................................................................109Krater Sizes & Uses .............................................................................................................................................................110The Krater in Funerary Context .......................................................................................................................................112The Expansion of the Precinct XX Cemetery .................................................................................................................112Krater Libation ....................................................................................................................................................................113The Homeric Associations of Libation & Pyre Dousing ................................................................................................116The Evolution of the Krater Epitymbion .........................................................................................................................117Geometric Krater Epitymbia found in Situ .....................................................................................................................119Kerameikos Strayfind Krater ‘Epitymbia’ .......................................................................................................................119The Mourner Krater: The Earliest Athenian Funerary Monument ............................................................................120‘Open Burial’ ........................................................................................................................................................................123

The Iron Age Krater Style ........................................................................................................................................................126Bronze Age Predecessors ...................................................................................................................................................126Kraters of the Transitional Years .....................................................................................................................................126

Submycenaean Styles...................................................................................................................................................126Athenian Alltagsware ...................................................................................................................................................127Athenian Nobelkeramik: the Wild Style of Precinct XX .........................................................................................127Select Wild Style Vessels .............................................................................................................................................128The Earliest Athenian Krater Remains ......................................................................................................................132

The Early Protogeometric Kraters ...................................................................................................................................133The Munich Krater .......................................................................................................................................................134The Culmination of the Early Protogeometric Style ...............................................................................................136

Middle Protogeometric Kraters ........................................................................................................................................137MPG Kraters in Athens .................................................................................................................................................137The ‘Phorbas’ Krater ....................................................................................................................................................140Kraters at Lefkandi .......................................................................................................................................................140

Late Protogeometric Kraters .............................................................................................................................................141The LPG Standard Type I Krater .................................................................................................................................141The Late Protogeometric Kantharoid Krater (Type II) ...........................................................................................142

Early Geometric Kraters (922-864) ...................................................................................................................................144The EG Type I Krater ....................................................................................................................................................144The EG Type II Krater ...................................................................................................................................................144

Middle Geometric Kraters .................................................................................................................................................147The MG Type I Krater ...................................................................................................................................................147The MG Type II Krater .................................................................................................................................................147

Late Geometric Kraters ......................................................................................................................................................150The LG Krater Type I ....................................................................................................................................................150The LG Krater Type II ...................................................................................................................................................152Other Krater Types .......................................................................................................................................................152

Geometric Krater Workshops ..................................................................................................................................................153The Jewel Workshop (LPG-EGI) .........................................................................................................................................155The Rich Lady Workshop (EGII-MGII) ..............................................................................................................................156The Group of Ker. 1247 (205, MGI-II) ................................................................................................................................159The Dipylon Workshop ......................................................................................................................................................159MGII-LGIa Transitional Dipylon Workshop ....................................................................................................................162The LGI Dipylon Workshop ...............................................................................................................................................164The LGIb Type II Krater 279 ..............................................................................................................................................164Workshop Continuity .........................................................................................................................................................164

Chapter VI The Krater Catalogue

The Character & Source of the Finds .....................................................................................................................................191Kerameikos Krater Sites ...........................................................................................................................................................191

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Precinct XX & the Hagia Triada Great Mound......................................................................................................................191Submycenaean Wild Style Amphorae ....................................................................................................................................193The Kraters .................................................................................................................................................................................193

Concordance: Inventory & Catalogue Number ....................................................................................................................237Concordance, Kraters & Kerameikos Locations ...................................................................................................................239Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................................................................242Iilustration Sources & Credits .................................................................................................................................................248Endplate Captions .....................................................................................................................................................................249