Some preliminary finds from the Tholos tomb and ossuary at Borzi Hill, Tzannata, Kefalonia: An example of a multidisciplinary approach to understanding of the Lives and Deaths of Mycenaeans
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.9789/2525-3050.2022.v7i14.314-341Palavras-chave:
Late Bronze Age, Kefalonia, tholos tomb, osteology, ossuaryResumo
Preliminary results are presented from the analysis of human and faunal remains from the unique tholos-ossuary combination at Borzi Hill, Tzannata, Kefalonia, excavated from 1992 to 1994. The analysis began in 2015 and is on-going. The paper illustrates how the systematic analysis of well-provenienced remains can be an important source of data to complement traditional archaeological methods for investigating mortuary, political and economic practices of the Late Bronze Age. Preliminary finds include: the tombs contained 100-150 people ranging in age from neonate to over 60 years, with about equal numbers by sex; the tholos tomb was used continuously until the Proto-Geometric Period by one biological lineage; the ossuary was a purpose-built structure for reburial indicating a previously unrecognized pattern of mortuary practices; faunal offerings found only in the tholos tomb include sheep, goats, dogs, cows, a very rare horse, and the earliest cat ever found in Greece.
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