Late Bronze Age Religion

Accessing Prehistoric Religion

? • Who can help?

• What evidence is there?

• What are the obstacles?

Anthropologists

Homer Scholars

PhilologistsArchaeologist

s

Roots of Mycenaean Religion?Mesopotamian?Near Eastern?Minoan?Cycladic?

Bronze Age Mediterranean• Near East

Levant & Anatolia

• Crete• Cyclades• Cyprus• Mainland

Greece

Minoan Religion• Horns of

Consecration• Peak

Sanctuaries• Cave • Tree &

Pillar/Stone Cults

• Bull

Peak Sanctuary• Horns of

Consecration• Pillar or Altar• At or near

peak of mountains or hills

Mycenae: Mylonas’ Cult Center

“House of the Idols”

• LHIIIB Architecture• “Temple” (room 18)• Storeroom (room 19)

upstairs• Triangular alcove• Entrance through

anteroom• Central Platform

(hearth?)• Benches of varied

heights

The “Temple” & Storeroom• Steps to storeroom

• Central Platform• Benches:

for offerings?platforms for cult “statues”?

End of Days• Storeroom Sealed after

earthquake• Broken figures kept in

sealed room• Only 1 idol “in use”

standing in anteroom at time of final fiery destruction of cult center (LHIIIB2)

• Cult Center not rebuilt or reused in LHIIIC, Submycenaean or Protogeometric Periods

Room with the Fresco

• LHIIIB1 construction date• Fresco on East Wall• Altar/Platform in front of

Fresco• Central Hearth• Low Bench on South Wall• “Shrine” added on West

side: “Room with the Ivories”

Fresco Room• Hearth• Bench• Altar• “Shrine” Entrance• Rich Finds of Clay,

Ivory, Lead, Stone, and Faience (self-glazing sand/quartz paste)

The Finds

• Ivory Lion for ornate chair arm?

• Ivory Head to fit on wooden body/frame?

• Scarab of Queen Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (100 years older than shrine)

Lower Register: Woman with Ears of Grain

Upper Register: Women with Sword & Staff

Hierarchy of Position?

Goddess or

Priestess?• Linear B

evidence?• Si-to-po-ti-ni-ja• “Wheat Lady” • I-je-re-ja• Priestess?

What or Who do the

“Idols” Represent?• Snakes in

Minoan Religion but not coiled clay ones

• Smaller, decorated figures as deities?

Matriarchal or

Patriarchal Religion?

• Anthropomorphic (Gunaikomorphic)Piriform Jar

• Alcove in House of Idols

“Goddess” of Room of the

Ivories?Cp. Psi figurine?

Goddess of Room

with Idols?

• Holding Breasts

• Tau figurine?

Votaries & Worshippers

?• Holding the Labrys

(double-headed axe)?

Tiryns Shrine• Built against

inside of fortification wall of Lower Citadel

• Megaron Plan• Central Hearth,

Vestibule & Main Room

• Bench against Fortification Wall in Main Room

• Several LHIIIC phases

Shrine Sites?

• Mycenae• Tiryns• Tsoungiza• Midea• Ayia Irini• Philakopi

Shrines at Midea &

Tsoungiza?

The Islands

• Phylakopi on Melos

• Ayia Irini on Kea

Lady of Phylakopi• Phylakopi Shrines from LHIIIA-C• NW Altar of West Shrine: Male Figures!• Large Bull Figures• LHIIIA2-LHIIIC

Phylakopi Bull Figures• Cp. Dimini (N.

Greece) & Mitrou (C. Greece)

Ayia Irini• Initially Minoan,

then Mycenaean• Cult Center from

MC (18thC) to Hellenistic Period (3rdC B.C.)!

Ayia Irini50 Female LHIIIA-B TC Statues

Linear-B God Names

We Recognize

• A-RE Ares?• E-NU-WA-RI-JO Enyalios

(“warlike” or “battle”, later epithet for Ares)

• PA-JA-WO-NE Paiawon ("Paian", later epithet for Apollo)

• PO-SE-DA-O-NE Poseidon (main god at Pylos)

• E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE Enosidas ("Enosigaios" or "Earthshaker")

• DI-WO Zeus

Unknown Deities?• PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia ("mistress")• DA-PU-RI-TO-JO PO-TI-NI-JA

Potnia of the Labyrinth• A-TA-NA PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia

(from?) Atana (= "Athena"?)• DI-WI-JA Diwia (female

counterpart of Zeus)• PO-SI-DA-E-JA Posidaieia (female

counterpart of Poseidon)• PA-KI-JA-NI-JA Sphagianeia?? • I-QE-JA Hippeia ("of horses"?)• A-SI-WI-JA Aswia • NE-WO-PE-O ?• U-PO-JO ?