Re-examining Mycenaean socio-political hierarchies during the Late Bronze Age in Thessaly, the Corinthia, and the Argolid

Discussions of the socio-political organisation of mainland Greece during the Late Helladic period have often been focussed on understanding the way Mycenaean territories are organised according to palatial territories. Settlements that do not have the ‘typical’ characteristics of a palatial society—which includes Linear B tablets, a megaron structure, tholoi, evidence for craft specialisation, and fortifications—are often regarded as simple villages that functioned only as a periphery to the palace(s). Consequently, different forms of organisation, referred to as ‘non-palatial’ societies, are often overlooked in scholarship. Even when scholars endeavour to identify regional variations, attention is more often given to the larger settlements that have long histories of excavations and study, and also sites whose settlement and mortuary evidence is in a far more comprehensive state of publication.

This thesis examines three different regions: southeastern coastal Thessaly, the Corinthia, and the Argolid. The socio-political organisation of these regions has often been approached through a palace-centred viewpoint. In southeastern coastal Thessaly, the sites of Dimini and Kastro Palaia are frequently examined with the intent of highlighting one or the other site as the palatial centre for the region, rather than discussing them in terms of their independent roles in the development of the region’s local exchange network. This thesis examines the southeastern coastal area of Thessaly as a case study, because these two settlements, and the smaller site at Pefkakia, may have formed a heterarchical relationship in the Bay of Volos, rather than a hierarchical form of governance.

Three areas of the Corinthia are examined—the southwestern, eastern, and northern plain—because each area developed divergent forms of organisation based on their geographical location (coastal vs. inland) which affected their access to particular trade networks. While the southwestern and eastern regions became more aligned with Argive networks, the northern plain formed a more heterarchical form of government, where several fortified centres developed into regional trade centres, which helped to facilitate trade and communication between land- and sea-based networks. The different forms of organisation in the Corinthia are important because this region is typically categorised as dependent on distant palatial centres; the local agency of these area needs to be investigated and brought to light.

In the Argolid, the palatial centres at Mycenae and Tiryns tend to dominate discussions of this region’s socio-political organisation, while other settlements such as Asine and Nauplion are often regarded as minor, peripheral sites that were dependent upon the primary centres. While the palaces—which includes the citadel at Midea—were certainly wealthy and important sites, the local hierarchies in the wider region are often overlooked. It is important to assess the local connections between Argive sites and give agency to settlements that may be ‘non-palatial,’ but which were well connected to the same exchange networks.

Thus, this thesis aims to highlight that palace-centred perspectives do not provide a wholistic approach to a region’s local developments. This project will focus on the local and overlooked settlements to understand their roles in the development of their regions.