AbstractsAnthropology

The main subject of this dissertation is the Mycenaean archaeological evidence from the south-eastern Aegean. The term "Mycenaean" is typically used to refer to the dominant archaeological culture of the central and southern Greek mainland during the Late Bronze Age, which is dated between about 1700 and 1050 BC. In this research the focus has been on the period from the 14th to 13th centuries BC, during which strong Mycenaean influences are visible in the archaeological record of the south-eastern Aegean. These are especially clear from the large number of Mycenaean finds which have come to light in settlements and tombs. A wide variety of Mycenaean goods is represented, comprising different types of pottery vessels, bronze weapons and tools, glass and stone jewelry beads, and stone seals and implements. The main aim of this dissertation is to establish whether Mycenaean (material) culture was used to express different group identities in tombs in the south-eastern Aegean. The method that is used in this dissertation to study group identities is called "neo-culture history". It is based on the analysis of the archaeological assemblages found inside tombs, which are regarded as the material manifestation of the activities through which these identities were expressed. In this way, a new light is shed on the social dynamics characterizing the societies of the south-west coast of Anatolia and adjacent islands in the Late Bronze Age.