 Author: Eiji OKUBO Sales Network: Amazon.com / Amazon.co.jp   |
Author: Eiji OKUBO Sales Network: Amazon.com / Amazon.co.jp |
| Written by Eiji Okubo, Printed books and e-books Heritage of Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations Detailed data on Ruins and Excavated items |
| Legacy of the Mycenaean Civilization carefuly selected Excavated 500 Items |
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| subtitle: Data and explanations of excavated items language: English format: e-book / Web-download to Amazon-kindle, PC, e-book-reader, tablet-device, mobile-phone size: 341 pages (kindle screen) / capacity: 464Mb sales: Amazon Network / Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk |
| Sumary: This e-book is a “Precision Illustrations & Data Book” of excavated main items from the prehistoric Mycenaean Civilization ruins in mainland Greece. This e-book is picking up carefully selected “Excavated 500 Items” unearthed in important archaeological sites in the Argolis, Messenia, and Laconia regions, including the Mycenae Palace and surroundings ruins, which were the center of the Mycenaean Civilization. In this e-book, notable finds from the Mycenaean Civilization sites are compared with those from the Minoan Civilization of Crete to understand influences and connections. More than 90% of the excavated items explained are depicted in Precise Illustrations, and the rest are shown in Photographs. This e-book will invite you to the “World of Crafts and Arts” of the Mycenaean Civilization through carefully selected important works from among the excavated items on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and other archaeological museums throughout the Peloponnese. Contents: I What is the Mycenaean Civilization? II Gold Products II-1 Gold Cup II-2 Gold Signet Ring II-3 Gold Death Mask, Breast-plate, Diadem II-4 Gold Necklace, Earrings, Hairpin II-5 Gold Accessories, Sheet processed products III Silver Products IV Semi-precious stones, Glass paste, Bronze Jewelry Products V Bronze Sword and Weapon VI Pottery VI-1 Pottery / EHII～LHI VI-2 Pottery / LHII VI-3 Pottery / LHIIIA VI-4 Pottery / LHIIIB VI-5 Pottery / LHIIIC VII Worship Statue VIII Fresco IX Stone Seal X Stone Products XI Pictograph/Hieroglyph, Linear A, Linear B XII Ivory Products XIII Bronze Daily Necessities |
| Sample Page：(excerpt) ---------- Eye-popping jewelry goods excavated from in the Mycenaean Palace and the surrounding ruins of the Mycenaean civilization, especially gold jewelry items have been found those who owned them to have lived in the palace, judging from the preciousness of the material, the style, and motifs expressed in the works. It can be concuded that they, owners of gold jewelry, were extremely noble people such as members of the royal family, their relatives, and of the nobility class. In addition, if it limits to the excavated items of high-quality jewelry, the number of unearthed articles is slightly less from the ruins of palace buildings or mansions, but most of them have come from the excavation of tombs inside and near the Mycenae Palace, where royal families and nobles were buried. II-1-01 Gold Goblet  Site: Shaft Grave IV, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Gold Goblet with ring-handle rosettes in repoussé, handle and cup base in granulation technique Era: LHI, ca. 1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 351 Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO II-1-02 Gold Shallow Cup  Site: Chamber Tomb 10, Dendra Shape & Decoration: Gold Shallow Cup, ivy & rosette patterns in repoussé mouth/rim and ring-handle in granulation technique Era: LHIIIA1, 1400-1375 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 8743 mouth diameter D130mm, H50mm excluding handle Local: Argolis, Peloponnese / 9km east-northeast from Argos city Drawing: Eiji OKUBO GPS: 37°39’2’’N 22°49’32’’E / ALT 60m II-1-03 Gold Stemmed Cup  Site: Shaft Grave IV, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Gold Stemmed Cup in Vaphio style, doves on mouth/rim so-called the “Nestor’s Cup” and “Dove Cup” Era: LHI, ca. 1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 412 / handle outer width max. 145mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO Related: Grave Circle A (GCA), Mycenae Palace In 1876, German businessman J.H. Schliemann discovered a double stone slab circle with a maximum outer diameter of 27.5 m inside the citadel of the Mycenae Palace ruins in the Peloponnese-Argolis region, currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The circular ruins were a large cemetery called "Grave Circle A," which dates back to the 16th century BC. Grave Circle A in the Mycenae Palace is located immediately to the right of the interior after entering through the Lion Gate, the main gate of the palace area. In Grave Circle A, the Shaft Grave I to Grave V were discovered during Schliemann's excavation work, and later the Shaft Grave VI was discovered by Greek researcher Panagiotis Stamatakis. Schliemann called initially this area of Grave Circle A the "Agora" which later meant a public square and market place in Ancient Greece.  Site: Grave Circle A, Mycenae Palace Situation: A unique Mycenaean cemetery a) double slab circle=outer diameter 27.5m, inner 25m b) center left tomb=largest Shaft Grave IV c) center right tomb=Shaft Grave I Era: MHIII-LHI, 1625-1500 BC Local: Argolis, Peloponnese / 11km north-northeast from Argos city Photo: 1982 GPS: 37°43'49.50''N 22°45'23''E / ALT 240m  Site: Plan of Grave Circle A & surroundings, Mycenae Palace Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO Grave Circle A had a structure in which double circle-shaped stone slabs surrounded the ground surface. The stone slab circle is not a perfect circle, but a slightly distorted, almost circular shape, with the maximum outer diameter of the outer circle being approximately 27.5m, and the inner diameter of the inner circle being about 25m. A total of 19 bodies had been buried in Grave Circle A, including eight adult men, nine women, and two children. The burial persons are undoubtedly members of the second or third generation of the royal family who lived in the Mycenae Palace approximately 3,600 to 3,500 years ago, or members of the royal family or relatives, such as the king's brothers. Burial bodies in GCA: Shaft Grave I: 3 women Shaft Grave II: 1 man Shaft Grave III: 3 women and 2 children Shaft Grave IV: 3 men and 2 women Shaft Grave V: 3 men Shaft Grave VI: 1 man and 1 woman II-1-08 Vaphio style Gold Cup (1)  Site: Royal Tholos Tomb, Vaphio Shape & Decoration: Gold Cup in Vaphio style rampaging bulls & young man trying to catch in repoussé Era: LHIIA, 1500-1450 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 1758 / mouth/rim diameter D108mm Local: Laconia, Peloponnese Photo: 1982 II-1-09 Vaphio style Gold Cup (2)  Site: Royal Tholos Tomb, Vaphio Shape & Decoration: Gold Cup in Vaphio style quiet bulls that have been subdued in repoussé Era: LHIIA, 1500-1450 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 1759 / mouth/rim diameter D108mm Local: Laconia, Peloponnese Photo: 1982 Among researchers, this gold cup has become a model for prehistoric metal vessels and pottery styles, and is called the “Vaphio style Cup” due to its exquisite design and appearance. Related: Royal Tholos Tomb, Vaphio  Site: Royal Tholos Tomb, Vaphio (as of 1982) Situation: Mycenaean Tholos Tomb inner diameter 10m, remaining wall height 1.6m Era: LHIIA, 1500-1450 BC Local: Laconia, Peloponnese / 7km south-southeast from Sparti city Drawing: Eiji OKUBO GPS: 37°01'13''N 22°28'04''E / ALT 195m II-2-13 Gold Signet Ring, “Treasure of Aidonia”  Site: Chamber Tomb 7, Aidonia, near Nemea Shape & Decoration: Gold Signet Ring, “Treasure of Aidonia” two-wheeled chariot and a man Era: LHI-LHII, ca.1500 BC Museum: NEAM, inv. No. 1005 / L33.5mm Local: Corinthia, Peloponnese / 20 km northwest of Mycenae Palace Drawing: Eiji OKUBO GPS: 37°50'25''N 22°34'59''E / ALT 355m II-2-09 Gold Seal  Site: Royal Tholos Tomb IV, Nestor’s Palace Shape & Decoration: Gold Seal, cushion shape intaglio, a griffin spreading wings, triglyph pattern back side=diamond (mesh) pattern Era: MHIII-LHIIA, 1650-1450 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 7986 / L27mm, W21mm, T6mm Local: Messenia, Peloponnese<br> 13km north from Pylos port, 35km west from Kalamata city Drawing: Eiji OKUBO Royal Tholos Tomb IV, Nestor’s Palace  Site: Royal Tholos Tomb IV, Nestor’s Palace (as of 1982) Situation: from Dromos to Entrance a) Tholos chamber: Semi-underground type, inner diameter 9.35m b) ceiling: concrete restoration Era: MHIII-LHIIIA a) 1650-1450 BC=continuous burial for 200 years b) 1450-1350 BC=intermittent burial for 100 years Local: Messenia, Peloponnese / 13km north from Pylos port Drawing: Eiji OKUBO GPS: 37°01'38''N 21°41'42''E / ALT 195m A total of 19 people of the highest rank of the Mycenae Palace, including kings, queens, and members of the royal family, had been buried in the Grave Circle A. During Schliemann’s excavations, from the GCA, multiple gold death masks that covered the face of male burials and beautiful form gold cups were excavated, as well as gold crowns, and dazzling jewelry such as earrings and necklaces that would have been worn by female royals. In addition, an endless number of finely decorated daggers inlaid with gold and special metals, various silverware and bronze vessels, and many ceramics with a characteristic pattern of the early Mycenaean civilization have been unearthed from Shaft Graves of the GCA. II-3-01 Gold Death-mask  Site: Shaft Grave V, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Gold Death-mask, in repoussé Excavator J.H. Schliemann's conjecture: “Gold Mask of Agamemnon,” 13th century BC scholar's judgment: Death-mask of a "King" over 300 years older than "King Agamemnon" Era: LHI, ca. 1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 624 / H250mm, weight 168.5g Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Photo: 1987 III-01 Silver Goblet  Site: Shaft Grave IV, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Silver Goblet, elaborate fine inlay technique fern leaves (or flower baskets), horizontal gold line, stippling gold on niello line Era: LHI, ca. 1550 BC Museum: NAM, No. 390 / H155mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO IV-05 Carnelian bead Necklace  Site: Shaft Grave II, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Carnelian bead Necklace Era: MHIII, 1600-1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 110 and others Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO V-04 Bronze Dagger, “Tangles type”  Site: Shaft Grave V, GCA, Mycenae Shape & Decoration: Bronze Dagger of the “Tangles type,” with gold hilt a) grip-handle=lily flowers on hilt in repoussé b) niello and electrum alloy inlay technique on blade Era: LHI, ca. 1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 764 / L180mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO VI-1-10 Spherical Jug  Site: Shaft Grave II, GCA, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Spherical Jug, horizontal line pattern and chained spiral Era: MHIII, 1625-1550 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 200 / H295mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO VI-4-01 Pictorial style, Krater with leg  Site: Citadel, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Pictorial style, Krater with leg, whorl-shell pattern Era: LHIIIB1, 1300-1250 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 1148 / H370mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO VIII-08 Fresco “Goat-headed Daemon”  Site: House of Tsountas, Citadel, Mycenae Palace Shape & Decoration: Fresco “Goat-headed Daemons carrying palanquin poles” Era: LHIIIA2-LHIIIB1, 1375-1250 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 2665 / L100mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO IX-01 Amethyst Seal, Fighting Soldiers  Site: Tholos Tomb, Koukounara Shape & Decoration: cushion-shaped, Amethyst Seal, soldiers fighting with swords Era: LHI-LHIIIA, 1550-1300 BC Museum: PLAM, inv. No. 13 / L17mm Local: Messenia, Peloponnese / 8km southeast from Nestor’s Palace Drawing: Eiji OKUBO GPS: 36°58'08.50''N 21°45'39''E / ALT 215m X-04 Rock-crystal Vase for cosmetics  Site: Shaft Grave O, GCB, Mycenae Shape & Decoration: Rock-crystal vase, Duck shaped with spout for cosmetics imported from Minoan Crete? Era: MHIII, ca. 1600 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 8638, L132mm mouth height H42mm, head height H47mm Local: Argolis, Peloponnese Drawing: Eiji OKUBO XII-02 Ivory Comb  Site: Chamber Tomb, Spata Shape & Decoration: Ivory Comb, front and back=relief engraving of sphinx and rosette Era: LHIIIB, 1300-1200 BC Museum: NAM, inv. No. 2044 / L160mm Local: Attica / 5km northwest from New Athens International Airport Drawing: Eiji OKUBO ----------  |