Labouring with Large Stones: A Study into the Investment and Impact of Construction Projects on Mycenaean Communities in Late Bronze Age Greece

This book explores the cost of constructing fortifications in Greece during the Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600 - 1050 BCE) by deconstructing the building process and determining the costs for each sub-process. It compares different fortifications, building styles, and structures to put the labour costs into context and shows that communities seem to have been able to cope with the stress it may have put on their economies. However, the study cannot definitively answer the question of whether these construction projects led to the downfall of the Mycenaean communities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 220 pages
Publication date: 28 December 2021
Publisher: Sidestone Press

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate realm of the cost, measured in labor, associated with constructing fortifications during the Late Bronze Age in Greece, spanning from approximately 1600 BCE to 1050 BCE. At the heart of this study lies a fundamental inquiry: whether the exorbitant expenses incurred in constructing large-scale structures, utilizing cumbersome and unwieldy blocks, may have strained the economic resources of communities, ultimately contributing to their collapse. To unravel the intricacies of labor costs, the building process is meticulously deconstructed, and for each sub-process, the associated costs are calculated. These costs are derived from the quantity of materials required and the efficiency with which tasks related to these processes can be executed. However, a mere numerical representation of labor, such as the number of person-hours involved, fails to capture the full magnitude of the impact these building projects may have had on the communities. Hence, meticulous comparisons are undertaken to contextualize these labor costs. These comparisons encompass a wide range of factors, including different fortifications, architectural styles, and types of structures. It is within these comparisons that the true value of labor cost studies emerges. While this study alone cannot provide a conclusive answer to the question of whether these construction endeavors led to the downfall of the Mycenaean communities, the findings derived from the labor cost analyses offer valuable insights. Specifically, despite the awe-inspiring scale and grandeur of the walls, both attributed to their immense size and the utilization of massive stones, the communities appear to have managed the economic stress imposed upon them. This study, therefore, provides valuable perspectives on building processes, the influence of materials and architectural styles on construction costs, and the diverse range of characteristics within the broader context collectively referred to as the 'Mycenaean.'

Dimension: 280 x 210 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789464280098