Confronting Hegemony in Mycenaean Central Greece

Central Greece, though less prominent than the Peloponnese in Mycenaean studies, hosted significant palatial centers like Thebes, Orchomenos, and Gla during the Late Bronze Age. This study challenges the assumption that Mycenaean political organization was uniformly centered around monumental sites such as Mycenae or Pylos, revealing instead a diverse range of sociopolitical formations across the region. While tholos tombs—characteristic of Peloponnesian funerary architecture—were adopted later in central Greece, elaborate funerary enclosures and chamber tomb cemeteries, particularly at Thebes, Chalkis, and Athens, indicate alternative pathways to social differentiation. Additionally, the presence of imported pottery, especially from Crete, underscores central Greece's role in Aegean trade networks, with sites like Thorikos serving as key hubs for copper and silver exchange. The study also highlights the shifting dominance in maritime trade, marked by Mycenae's rise and Aegina's decline during the LH IIIA period.

Knodell, A. R. (2021). Confronting Hegemony in Mycenaean Central Greece. Societies in Transition in Early Greece: An Archaeological History, 63–115. https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.101.d