This dissertation looks at the iconography of the natural world as depicted on seals, seal rings, and sealings from Bronze Age Crete, specifically the period from Early Minoan II–Late Minoan IB. Although the landscape of Crete was incredibly diverse during the Bronze Age, the elements included in glyptic iconography, as well as iconography in other media, are exceptionally limited. The goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive and systematic reference for the terminology and iconography of landscape elements depicted in glyptic, and then to provide interpretation for individual elements as well as landscape scenes and settings within the broader scope of glyptic and Cretan iconography. It is concluded that landscapes, both real and imagined, and always heavily translated through the artist and viewer alike, acted as important indicators of status and control, particularly during the height of their depictions in the Middle Minoan II–Late Minoan IB period, a trend seen also in wall paintings and pottery which act as significant parallels for the present study.This study is generally organized into three parts. The first briefly presents the evidence and current understanding of how the landscape of Bronze Age Crete looked and assesses the use of “landscape” in an archaeological study. The second part discusses the identification of various flora, groundlines, and other abiotic elements found in landscape scenes and settings in glyptic with interpretation for their significance and consideration for parallel developments in other media. This section concludes with a catalog and discussion of the different types of landscape scenes/settings. Finally, the concluding chapters consider how landscapes were translated from the natural world to glyptic iconography, how the iconography was then viewed, and what the iconography signified relative to status and power. As a result, this dissertation is both a much-needed reference text and a deeper consideration of the symbiotic relationship between the various functions of seals and their iconography. / Art History

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The Mycenaeans used writing for a variety of administrative purposes. The archaeological evidence for writing suggests that it was a highly restricted technology. Mycenaeans used the Linear B script to write clay tablets, inscribe sealings, and paint on vessels. There is evidence to suggest that ephemeral documents of parchment or papyrus also were used for writing. In most of these instances, writing recorded economic transactions involving the material wealth of the state. The only exception is a small number of open-shaped vessels that are likely inscribed with personal names. The Linear B script is often blamed for the restriction of writing by the Mycenaeans. This open-syllabic script does not well represent the sound of spoken Greek, and requires the frequent use of dummy vowels and the omission of consonants at the end of syllables. Studies in literacy theory, however, suggest that script usage, reading, and writing are dictated by social factors and by need, rather than by forces supposedly inherent in the script itself. Writing was restricted because Mycenaean society dictated a restricted use. The sealings and tablets, which are found at several sites throughout mainland Greece and Crete, are small in size and are found almost exclusively in administrative contexts, in buildings that have functions in central administration. Writing is never found in public displays, as it is in the contemporary Near East. There was no intent to familiarize the Mycenaean populace with the technology of writing. Training in literacy likewise appears to have been highly restrictive, with new individuals being taught by scribes on an ad hoc, individualized basis. The loyalty of scribes to the king would have been essential. The sealings and tablets record the material wealth of the kingdom that was under the management of central administration. Furthermore, the contents of the tablets are not countermarked by seal impressions that would confirm their authenticity. Scribes would have been among the king’s closest administrators and members of the elite. The restriction of writing would ensure that all written words were legitimate, as they could only be written by the most trusted individuals in the kingdom. / text

Univerzita Karlova v Praze Filozofická fakulta Ústav pro klasickou archeologii Věra Klontza (Jaklová) Studie k historickým interpretacím pozdní doby bronzové v Egejdě Late Bronze Age in Aegean: Study in Historical Interpretations ABSTRACT OF THESIS Vedoucí práce: Prof. PhDr. Jan Bouzek, DrSc. 2013 Abstract This dissertation deals with the main problems of historical interpretation of Late Bronze Age Aegean prehistory. Each chapter presents what is usually discussed as a special issue in contemporary bibliography. The environment of the region, its development and changes and the main approaches to enviromental studies are characterized in the introductory chapters. The chapter dedicated to the history of research, is of particular importance; "The truth of how archaeologists make discoveries, however, is far from the popular notion of random encounters and chance finds. We must take the time to examine the personalities and events leading up to these discoveries." (MacGillivray 2000, 11). The first issue to be dicussed is that of the absolute chronology of the early phases of the East Mediterranean, in particular the Aegean, Late Bronze Age. The resolution of this problem is crucial if synchronicity of events in individual regions, not only in the Mediterranean basin but also across Europe, is to be...

Since the 1970s, the study of molecular organics preserved in archaeological ceramics, commonly referred to as organic residue analysis, has been used to infer vessel use and study dietary, economic, and ritual activities in the past. The purpose of this project is to analyse organic residues from a variety of ancient vessels and attempt to understand further the relationship between molecular organic preservation and vessel characteristics. It has been previously assumed that the absorption of these organics in the ceramic matrix is predominantly responsible for their preservation. The clarification of this or other preservative mechanisms and the further understanding of the relationships of vessels with their contents has a direct impact on the interpretation of organic residues and vessel use. The first section addresses the preservation of molecular organics in pottery vessels from Tel Kabri, Israel; Tel Megiddo, Israel; and Lefkandi, Greece. The one hundred and thirty-three samples from these three sites represent vessels used in domestic, burial, ritual, and elite contexts from the Early Bronze Age through the Iron Age Eastern Mediterranean. The focus of the study is the quantification of residue yields and identification of potential links with vessel properties and characteristics of the ceramic samples. Sequential extractions using two methods, conventional chloroform/methanol solvent extraction and direct FAME extraction/derivatisation, were applied to the sherds to test the absorption and adsorption of organics into ceramic materials. The majority of samples were tested non-destructively, enabling the comparison of residue yields to certain vessel properties and characteristics displayed in the same sherds. Where available, data concerning vessel form, sampling location on the vessel profile, thickness measurements were recorded, and XRF measurements were taken, with this in mind. The second section investigates the question of whether bronze and copper alloy vessels have the capability to preserve molecular organics within their corrosion products. Twenty-two samples of corrosion and associated material from five Early Roman bronze vessels found in cremation burials during the A2 Pepperhill to Cobham project in County Kent, United Kingdom were studied for organic material. These samples provide some of the first evidence that the residues of original content are preserved in copper alloy vessels either through entrapment in or reactions with copper corrosion.

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This thesis studies interactions between Egypt and the Aegean during the Middle to Late Bronze Ages, focusing on reciprocal influences in the spheres of healing, warfare, and legitimation of power. Chapter 1 provides an introduction, starting with an overview of previous research. The next two sections discuss a couple of issues of general significance, namely chronology and the Egyptian terminology for Aegean peoples and locations. The last two sections deal with issues of methodology and explain the aims of this work. Chapter 2 is devoted to healing practices. Like the two chapters that follow, it begins with a cross-cultural comparison between the Egyptian and Aegean milieus. The basis for the discussion is provided by references to Crete in a couple of Egyptian medical texts. Other potential indications of an exchange of medical lore include containers that might have been used for medical preparations, amulets with healing properties, and possible similarities in practices and medical terminology. Chapter 3 treats warfare, considering it in its broadest sense as a cultural phenomenon, besides looking for evidence suggesting military interaction or cooperation between Egypt and the Aegean. The material under scrutiny ranges from the decoration of weapons to the exchange of raw materials destined for the production of military equipment. Ideology and iconography also contribute to the discussion. Chapter 4 explores the possibility of Egyptian influence in the development of the Aegean ideologies of power and the exploitation of foreign contacts as a source of legitimation. The main body of the chapter deals with the role of exotica in the pursuit of prestige. Some potential examples of the adoption of foreign customs and ideas are also discussed. Chapter 5 summarises the conclusions of the previous chapters concisely and discusses how they may fit within the broader context of the study of Egyptian–Aegean relations. Finally, some possible lines of research for the future are suggested.

This study concerns a long marine section (DSDP Site 380: Late Miocene to Present) and onshore exposed sections from the Late Miocene and/or Early Pliocene. The main target of this study is to reconstruct vegetation and climate in the North Anatolia and North Aegean region for the last 7 Ma. Two vegetation types were alternately dominant: thermophilous forests and open vegetations including Artemisia steppes. During the Late Miocene, most of the tropical and subtropical plants declined because of the climatic deterioration. However, some of them survived during the Late Pliocene, such as those which constituted coastal swamp forests (Glyptostrobus, Engelhardia, Sapotaceae, Nyssa) or composed deciduous mixed forests with mesothermic trees. Simultaneously, herbaceous assemblages became a prevalent vegetation component despite steppe elements (Artemisia, Ephedra, Hippophae rhamnoides) did not significantly develop. At 2.6 Ma, as a response to the onset of Arctic glaciations, subtropical elements rarefied despite some taxa persisted (Glyptostrobus, Engelhardia, Sapotaceae, Nyssa). In parallel, deciduous mixed forest assemblages composed of mesothermic trees (deciduous Quercus, Betula, Alnus, Liquidambar, Fagus, Carpinus, Tilia, Acer, Ulmus, Zelkova, Carya, Pterocarya) almost disappeared too while steppe environments strongly enlarged. Then, Artemisia steppic phases developed during longer temporal intervals than mesophilous tree phases all along the glacial-interglacial cycles (first with a period of 41 kyrs, then 100 kyrs). Since 1.8 Ma, herbaceous ecosystems including Artemisia steppes still continuously enlarged up today. Such an expansion of Artemisia steppes in the Ponto-Euxinian region was observed at the earliest Pliocene but their earliest settlement in Anatolia seems to have occurred in the Early Miocene. The development of the Artemisa steppes in Anatolia might result from the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Relictuous plants such as Carpinus orientalis, Pterocarya, Liquidambar orientalis, Zelkova persisted up today. This story can be explained by some influence of the Asian monsoon which reinforced as a result from the uplifted Tibetan Plateau.

La tectonique actuelle et récente (~40 Ma) de la région Egée-Anatolie en fait un laboratoire naturel privilégié pour l'étude de la déformation continentale. L'analyse de la structure détaillée et de la déformation du manteau de cette zone de collision continentale immature constitue une étape indispensable pour comprendre les relations entre la cinématique de surface et la dynamique du manteau. La structure du manteau supérieur a été étudiée à l'échelle de la région en réalisant un modèle 3-D de la vitesse des ondes S par tomographie télésismique en ondes de surface. Les résolutions latérale (~100-200 km) et verticale (~50 km) des images obtenues, grâce à l'utilisation d'un réseau sismologique large bande composé de ~150 stations (permanentes et temporaires (expérience SIMBAAD), apporte de nouvelles contraintes sur la structure du manteau de la Grèce continentale à l'Anatolie centrale. Cette tomographie révèle notamment des corrélations verticales claires entre les géométries des déchirures affectant le slab Hellénique et celles des zones de cisaillement trans-tensives qui accommodent le mouvement rapide du bloc Egéen vers le SW. Le slab Chypriote est clairement imagé dans le modèle 3-D comme plissé et déchiré en plusieurs segments sous l'Anatolie. L'analyse de l'anisotropie azimutale par méthode de réseau sur les ondes de Rayleigh a permis de proposer l'existence de deux couches anisotropes dans le manteau supérieur. L'étude de variations latérales de l'anisotropie sous la région suggère que la déformation des slabs et la cinématique de surface sont contrôlées par des flux mantelliques toroïdaux de différentes échelles. / The last ~40 M.y. tectonics of the Aegean-Anatolia region has shaped a natural laboratory ideal to study the continental deformation processes. The detailed analysis of the mantle structure and deformation of this non-mature continental collision zone constitutes an essential step to investigate the contribution of mantle dynamics to surface kinematics. The upper mantle structure is investigated over the entire region through a new 3-D S-wave velocity model from surface-wave tomography. The model reveals remarkable vertical correlations between geometries of the Hellenic slab tears and geometries of shear zones which accommodate the rapid SW movement of the Aegean bloc. The Cyprus slab is clearly identified in the 3-D model as fold and torn in tree segments beneath Anatolia. The observed azimuthal anisotropy from Rayleigh-wave array analysis suggests the existence of two anisotropic layers in the upper mantle. The lateral variations of anisotropy beneath the region are interpreted as the indication of toroidal mantle flows at different scales governing the slabs deformation and the surface kinematics.

During the fall of 1973, the newly formed (American) Institute of Nautical Archaeology conducted its first systematic underwater survey of the southwestern coast of Turkey with the goal of locating the first shipwreck to be subsequently excavated by the Institute. Of the 18 wreck sites identified during the survey, a site off Sheytan Deresi (Devil’s Creek) proved to be the one that attracted George Bass, director of the survey, as most meriting further study. During the excavation that followed in September and October 1975, the site produced a number of complete and fragmentary ceramic vessels that formed the main artifact assemblage. Although the ceramic vessels brought to light at Sheytan Deresi have been studied by George Bass, Roxani Margariti and others since the 1975 excavation, locating precise parallels for the assemblage proved a difficult task and resulted in a less than full understanding of the site. The following thesis represents a renewed effort to answer a number of questions still surrounding the Sheytan Deresi site. In addition to expanding the extensive search for parallels undertaken by Bass and Margariti, recent research has involved a number of scientific analyses, including petrographic analysis of the ceramic assemblage, luminescence dating of ceramic fragments, and elemental examination of the fabric through neutron activation analysis and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The use of three-dimensional modeling has been adopted for the purposes of site interpretation. Although the impact of this more holistic approach cannot be entirely foreseen at this time, a number of interesting hypotheses regarding the site can now be suggested. It appears that the ceramic assemblage, which is now conclusively of a single origin, may be of a specialized maritime nature, and likely belongs to the Middle Bronze Age, reminiscent of, but entirely similar to, regional types of Anatolian and Cretan vessels. These tentative conclusions, as well as an examination of the site itself, suggest that the (Minoanizing) ceramic assemblage of Sheytan Deresi stood witness to a fairly small Middle Bronze Age coastal trading vessel that capsized rounding a dangerous cape, not far from its point of origin. We are still not in a position to fully comprehend the wrecking event that took place at Sheytan Deresi, but we are now firmly on course towards reaching that objective.