Late Bronze Age Religion

33
Late Bronze Age Religion

description

Late Bronze Age Religion. ?. Who can help? What evidence is there? What are the obstacles?. Accessing Prehistoric Religion. Anthropologists Homer Scholars Philologists Archaeologists. Roots of Mycenaean Religion?. Mesopotamian? Near Eastern? Minoan? Cycladic?. Bronze Age Mediterranean. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Late Bronze Age Religion

Page 1: Late Bronze Age Religion

Late Bronze Age Religion

Page 2: Late Bronze Age Religion

Accessing Prehistoric Religion

? • Who can help?

• What evidence is there?

• What are the obstacles?

Page 3: Late Bronze Age Religion

Anthropologists

Homer Scholars

PhilologistsArchaeologist

s

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Roots of Mycenaean Religion?Mesopotamian?Near Eastern?Minoan?Cycladic?

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Bronze Age Mediterranean• Near East

Levant & Anatolia

• Crete• Cyclades• Cyprus• Mainland

Greece

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Minoan Religion• Horns of

Consecration• Peak

Sanctuaries• Cave • Tree &

Pillar/Stone Cults

• Bull

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Peak Sanctuary• Horns of

Consecration• Pillar or Altar• At or near

peak of mountains or hills

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Mycenae: Mylonas’ Cult Center

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“House of the Idols”

• LHIIIB Architecture• “Temple” (room 18)• Storeroom (room 19)

upstairs• Triangular alcove• Entrance through

anteroom• Central Platform

(hearth?)• Benches of varied

heights

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The “Temple” & Storeroom• Steps to storeroom

• Central Platform• Benches:

for offerings?platforms for cult “statues”?

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End of Days• Storeroom Sealed after

earthquake• Broken figures kept in

sealed room• Only 1 idol “in use”

standing in anteroom at time of final fiery destruction of cult center (LHIIIB2)

• Cult Center not rebuilt or reused in LHIIIC, Submycenaean or Protogeometric Periods

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Room with the Fresco

• LHIIIB1 construction date• Fresco on East Wall• Altar/Platform in front of

Fresco• Central Hearth• Low Bench on South Wall• “Shrine” added on West

side: “Room with the Ivories”

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Fresco Room• Hearth• Bench• Altar• “Shrine” Entrance• Rich Finds of Clay,

Ivory, Lead, Stone, and Faience (self-glazing sand/quartz paste)

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The Finds

• Ivory Lion for ornate chair arm?

• Ivory Head to fit on wooden body/frame?

• Scarab of Queen Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (100 years older than shrine)

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Lower Register: Woman with Ears of Grain

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Upper Register: Women with Sword & Staff

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Hierarchy of Position?

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Goddess or

Priestess?• Linear B

evidence?• Si-to-po-ti-ni-ja• “Wheat Lady” • I-je-re-ja• Priestess?

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What or Who do the

“Idols” Represent?• Snakes in

Minoan Religion but not coiled clay ones

• Smaller, decorated figures as deities?

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Matriarchal or

Patriarchal Religion?

• Anthropomorphic (Gunaikomorphic)Piriform Jar

• Alcove in House of Idols

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“Goddess” of Room of the

Ivories?Cp. Psi figurine?

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Goddess of Room

with Idols?

• Holding Breasts

• Tau figurine?

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Votaries & Worshippers

?• Holding the Labrys

(double-headed axe)?

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Tiryns Shrine• Built against

inside of fortification wall of Lower Citadel

• Megaron Plan• Central Hearth,

Vestibule & Main Room

• Bench against Fortification Wall in Main Room

• Several LHIIIC phases

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Shrine Sites?

• Mycenae• Tiryns• Tsoungiza• Midea• Ayia Irini• Philakopi

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Shrines at Midea &

Tsoungiza?

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The Islands

• Phylakopi on Melos

• Ayia Irini on Kea

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Lady of Phylakopi• Phylakopi Shrines from LHIIIA-C• NW Altar of West Shrine: Male Figures!• Large Bull Figures• LHIIIA2-LHIIIC

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Phylakopi Bull Figures• Cp. Dimini (N.

Greece) & Mitrou (C. Greece)

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Ayia Irini• Initially Minoan,

then Mycenaean• Cult Center from

MC (18thC) to Hellenistic Period (3rdC B.C.)!

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Ayia Irini50 Female LHIIIA-B TC Statues

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Linear-B God Names

We Recognize

• A-RE Ares?• E-NU-WA-RI-JO Enyalios

(“warlike” or “battle”, later epithet for Ares)

• PA-JA-WO-NE Paiawon ("Paian", later epithet for Apollo)

• PO-SE-DA-O-NE Poseidon (main god at Pylos)

• E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE Enosidas ("Enosigaios" or "Earthshaker")

• DI-WO Zeus

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Unknown Deities?• PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia ("mistress")• DA-PU-RI-TO-JO PO-TI-NI-JA

Potnia of the Labyrinth• A-TA-NA PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia

(from?) Atana (= "Athena"?)• DI-WI-JA Diwia (female

counterpart of Zeus)• PO-SI-DA-E-JA Posidaieia (female

counterpart of Poseidon)• PA-KI-JA-NI-JA Sphagianeia?? • I-QE-JA Hippeia ("of horses"?)• A-SI-WI-JA Aswia • NE-WO-PE-O ?• U-PO-JO ?