The Construction of Early Helladic II Ceramic Roofing Tiles from Mitrou, Greece: Influence and Interaction

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Ceramic roofing tiles were first invented during the Early Bronze Age (or Early Helladic [EH] period, ca. 3100-2000 BCE) and have been identified at 22 sites in mainland Greece. In this paper, I present a newly discovered assemblage of EH tiles from the site of Mitrou (East Lokris) and offer the first detailed, comparative analysis of EH tile production. I demonstrate that there was a shared tradition for the appropriate form and dimensions of tiles in mainland Greece. This uniformity, however, belies heterogeneity in production among sites and through time. The reconstructed chaîne opératoire of Mitrou‟s tiles, for instance, has affinities with the tiles of Zygouries (Corinthia) and Kolonna (Aegina), but not of the later House of the Tiles at Lerna and most tiles from Tiryns in the Argolid. With these results, I reveal a distinct network of interaction in mainland Greece in which construction knowledge was disseminated and maintained.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)153-173
JournalMediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry
Volume18
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Construction of Early Helladic II Ceramic Roofing Tiles from Mitrou, Greece: Influence and Interaction'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this