Middle and Late Helladic Laconia: Competing Principalities?

This volume presents new results on Middle and Late Bronze Age Laconia, including recent excavations, surveys, and material studies. It discusses settlements such as Pellana, Palaiopyrgi, Geraki, Pavlopetri, and Vrysika, as well as the island of Kythera. The newly discovered palatial site at Ayios Vasileios is elaborately discussed, including its North Cemetery, early Mycenaean pottery deposits, the West Stoa, and its habitation history and size compared to other palatial settlements. The volume explores the impression of competing and unstable principalities in the early period and centrifugal tendencies, and highlights the recent discovery of a palatial site at Ayios Vasileios. It is valuable to students and practitioners with interests in Bronze Age Greece, Laconia, ceramic analyses, architecture, survey, and photogrammetry.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 28 May 2022
Publisher: Sidestone Press

New results on Middle and Late Bronze Age Laconia are presented in this volume, stemming from recent excavations by the Greek Archaeological Service and ongoing excavations, surveys, and material studies by foreign schools and individual scholars. Among the discussed settlements are the sites of Pellana, Palaiopyrgi, Geraki, Pavlopetri, and Vrysika, as well as the island of Kythera. The newly discovered palatial site at Ayios Vasileios is also elaborately discussed in various papers, including discussions of its North Cemetery, early Mycenaean pottery deposits, the West Stoa, and an outline of the habitation history and size of Ayios Vasileios compared to other palatial settlements. More than 25 years have passed since the publication of a paper by Oliver Dickinson in which he wrote about central Late Helladic Laconia, which he had an impression of competing and unstable principalities in the early period and perhaps centrifugal tendencies. In this volume, we explore to what extent this impression is still justified. Especially considering the recent discovery of a palatial site at Ayios Vasileios. Indeed, this volume shows that in the past decades, much has happened in Laconia with respect to what we know about the Bronze Age. We are therefore extra pleased that Oliver Dickinson has agreed to write an Afterword to this volume. Written by academics and those working in the fields of Bronze Age Greece, Laconia, ceramic analyses, architecture, survey, and photogrammetry, this volume will be invaluable to students and practitioners with similar interests.

Dimension: 279 x 203 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789464260625