Dendra
The Mycenaean necropolis of Dendra is located on the Greek Peloponnese peninsula about 1.5 km northwest of Midea Castle in the Argolis . It is one of the most important Mycenaean necropolises, which is probably connected to the Midea Castle.
Excavations
From 1926 the Swedish archaeologist Axel W. Persson carried out excavations in Dendra and discovered an unplanned dome grave from the 14th century BC. Chr. ( SH III A1). In the following years he continued the excavations together with the Ephor of the Argolis Nikolaos Bertos and several chamber tombs were discovered . However, with the outbreak of World War II , the excavations were interrupted. In 1960 the Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Verdelis and his Swedish colleague Paul Åström resumed the excavations. One discovered u. a. the chamber grave 12, in which a famous bronze armor was found (see below). The finds from the Tholos Tomb , Chamber Tomb 2 and Chamber Tomb 10 are exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens . All other finds can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Nafplio .
tour
Remains of houses from the Neolithic and Early Helladic times were found within the excavation area . In addition, remnants of at least three medium Helladic tumuli were discovered. A total of 16 chamber graves have been researched to date in addition to the Tholos grave. Chamber graves 3, 4, 5, 11, 13 and 14 were filled in again and are no longer accessible today.
Dome tomb
The most notable tomb is the domed tomb, which is just to the left behind the entrance to the excavation site. A stone-built, monumental entrance ( dromos ) of 17.90 m length, as is also known from the so-called "Tomb of Atreus " in Mycenae , led to this grave . The dome, which has since collapsed, has a diameter of about 7.30 m and was designed as a cantilever vault. The original height of the dome is estimated at 7 m. Inside the grave, four unlooted grave pits were found and, as grave goods, gold, silver and bronze vessels, jewelry and artistic seal stones. Among other things, three rare finger rings were found that consisted of four layers of metal (silver, lead, copper and iron). The tomb was built between 1450 and 1350 BC. Built in BC. In the 9th century BC At the geometric time the dome collapsed. At the same time a corpse was buried in the dromos.
Chamber graves
The chamber graves date from the end of the Middle Helladic and the beginning of the Late Helladic times and were used until the beginning of the 12th century BC. Used. They also have a dromos that leads from the west or southwest to the underground burial chamber. Both the dromos and the more or less rectangular burial chambers are carved into the rock. Some graves still have a side chamber, which is always south of the main chamber. One or more grave shafts were dug in the burial chambers into which the dead were buried. Then the graves were closed. The graves were reopened for further burials and ritual ceremonies.
Chamber grave 9 is about 30 m north of the dome grave. It was dug through a layer of clay that served as the floor of a house from the Early Helladic (3100–2000 BC). The tomb has a long dromos and a rectangular burial chamber with six shafts. Three of the shafts were used for burials. In the north wall there is a niche with two indentations. The roof of the chamber has collapsed. Two furrows have been dug through the gateway. These probably served a cultic connection between the grave and the outside world. In the grave one found a silver vessel handle, an oil lamp made of steatite , a female figure made of faience , a jug and various pieces of jewelry.
Chamber grave 8 with a side chamber is located about 20 m to the north. There are also two furrows here, but they lead from the main chamber to the secondary chamber. In the north of the main chamber a stone bench has been carved into the rock. A body was buried in a wooden coffin. Among the rich grave goods were a bronze armor armor, two knives and a dagger, arrowheads made of obsidian or flint and ivory carvings.
Chamber grave 6 is only 10 m to the south. It also has a side chamber, which was presumably used for ritual purposes. As with Tomb 9, there are two furrows in the doorway. Two grave pits were created in the grave. One was found untouched and covered with two stone slabs. At least three secondary burials were found here. A clay brazier, boar teeth and bronze arrowheads came to light as grave goods.
Chamber grave 10 is 15 m further south. It is one of the oldest and richest in the Dendra cemetery. Two grave shafts were found in the grave. A woman was buried in one. Among other things, she had been given a gold cup and gold jewelry as grave goods. In the other grave, high-quality pottery, an ivory bowl and gold vessels were discovered. The chamber collapsed today.
Chamber grave 12 is located directly north of the dromos of chamber grave 10. It is the smallest grave in the cemetery and is accessible via a shaft instead of a dromos. Since both the burial chamber and the dromos of grave 12 have collapsed, one has the impression that it is part of grave 12. Although the grave was robbed shortly before the systematic exploration, the most important find from the necropolis of Dendra was found here : a complete Mycenaean armor (torake) , which is now in the Archaeological Museum of Nafplio and is also known as Dendra armor . It consisted of bronze armor for the chest and back, which were connected with leather or fabric bands, bronze greaves and a boar tooth helmet , of which only remnants have survived. Late 15th century BC A man of high social status found his final resting place here.
About 40 m to the north one reaches the best preserved of the three tumuli from the Middle Helladic period. Chamber grave 7, whose burial chamber has collapsed, is located directly to the east. Of the five grave shafts found in the chamber, four had already been looted. Weapons and vessels made of bronze were found in the unlooted grave. A layer of ash in the grave probably comes from funeral rites. A grave was found just north of the tumulus in which four horses were buried. They were males aged 14-17 years. About 10 m further north between chamber graves 15 and 16, the bones of another three horses were found. The cause of death of the horses could not be determined, but it is believed that they were sacrificed. A simple box grave was found right next to the first horse grave.
Chamber grave 16 is only four meters north of the box grave. During the construction of the grave, an older tumulus was slightly damaged, which was replaced after the grave was completed. The doorway was walled up with a dry stone wall and the walls of the burial chamber plastered. Only a few clay vessels and bones were found in the grave itself. No funerals could be found.
During the construction of chamber grave 15, which is only 8 m north, an older tumulus was excavated, which was later repaired. The floor of the burial chamber was covered with white earth. Here, too, no burials could be found in the chamber. As the objects found show, the grave was used during SH III A (14th century BC). A final corpse was buried above the entrance to the tomb.
Chamber grave 2 is located about 10 m west of grave 16. In the rectangular burial chamber and in the shafts, rich additions were found, although the grave was robbed. These included a steatite lamp , alabaster vases , bronze weapons, a boar tooth helmet, sealing stones and ivory inlays . Two gilded iron objects are remarkable: a button and an amulet . In the 15th century BC Iron was rare and was considered very valuable. Three limestone tablets were also found. The largest stone probably served as the bottom of a wooden coffin. No bones were found in the grave itself, only bones were found in the dromos. It is therefore believed that the grave robbers threw the bones out of the grave. In a pit in the Dromos a hoard was found , which consisted of numerous vessels and utensils made of bronze. Due to the lack of a burial, some scientists suspect that the grave was a cenotaph . They interpret the two smaller stone tablets as menhirs that served as representatives of the dead in the grave. The bronze implements are supposed to indicate that shamanic rites of a kind of necromancy, as known from the 11th song of the Odyssey , took place here.
Chamber grave 1 is found 7 m north of grave 2. It has a rectangular grave chamber with rounded corners. One dead person was buried in each of the 5 grave shafts. Clay pots, clay figures, a bronze ring, steatite buttons and glass beads were found as grave goods.
literature
- Walter Burkert : Mystica, Orphica, Pythagorica (Small Fonts; Vol. 3). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2006, ISBN 978-3-525-25272-7 , p. 182f (in German and English).
- Katie Demakopoulou: The Mycenaean Castle of Midea . Athens 2012, ISBN 978-960-386-048-8 .
- Dieter Henning: Mideia . In: Siegfried Lauffer (Ed.): Greece. Lexicon of Historic Places. From the beginning to the present . CH Beck, Munich 1989, ISBN 3-406-33302-8 , p. 434.
- Axel W. Persson: The Royal Tombs at Dendra near Midea. , 1931.
- Axel W. Persson: New Tombs at Dendra. , 1942.
Web links
- Dendra and Midea in the Argolid at Swedish Institute at Athens ( Memento from May 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- Pictures from the excavation
Individual evidence
- ^ Archaeological museum of Nafplio. ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. cs-net.gr
- ↑ Walter Burkert: On Greek shamanism. (on-line)
Coordinates: 37 ° 39 ′ 25 ″ N , 22 ° 49 ′ 32 ″ E