Aspects of Elite Identity and Practice in the Bronze Age Aegean

elective courses

Classroom

The aim of this course is to develop an understanding of the term ‘elite’ as it is used in the archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age by

learning how this designation is applied to various cultures of this period and what it would have meant to belong to such a community, as

well as critically evaluating the usefulness of this appellation as a tool of archaeological interpretation. The course will consist of a mixture

of short lectures and interactive sessions, with an expectation of proactive engagement on the part of students.

The term ‘elite’ has become deeply embedded in Aegean Bronze Age archaeological discourse, but what do archaeologists mean when

they use this expression and how useful is it for our understanding of the past? The course investigates the application of this moniker to

people, material culture and practices in the region of the Aegean from the Early to the Late Bronze Age, with a particular focus on the

Minoan and Mycenaean cultures. It will examine what characteristics have been used by archaeologists to distinguish people, material

culture and practices as ‘elite’ and how these have been interwoven to create the concept of an elite identity. Spatial and chronological

comparison will be used to identify both universal elements and characteristics unique to a particular period or region. A range of sources

will be explored, including architecture, dress, insignia, weaponry, burial practices, feasting, iconography and contemporary texts. The

development of archaeological theory and changing interpretations of the ‘elite’ will be placed under scrutiny, including the imposition of

modern value judgements and the inherent challenges for the reconstruction of ancient systems of value and meaning. The consequences

of this terminology for understanding the wider community will also be discussed, as part of a critical assessment of the term ‘elite’, why it

is so pervasive in the archaeological literature of the Aegean Bronze Age and whether it helps or hinders our investigation of the past.

This course will be delivered through a mixture of short lectures and interactive sessions. Students will be expected to undertake a range

of informal and formal activities both as an individual and in small group settings, which will include discussions and presentations of data,

scholarly interpretations and their own opinions. This will entail a limited quantity of preparatory work outside of classes such as reading

and designing presentations. Together with the formal classes the total time required for this course is 45 hours.

Useful volumes:

J.C. Barrett and P. Halstead (eds.) 2004. The Emergence of Civilisation Revisited. Sheffield Studies in Aegean Archaeology 5. Oxford:

Oxbow Books.

J. Driessen, I. Schoep and R. Laffineur (eds.) 2002. Monuments of Minos. Rethinking the Minoan Palaces. Proceedings of the International

Workshop “Crete of the Hundred Palaces?” held at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 14-15 December 2001,

Aegaeum 23. Liege: Université de Liège.

M.L. Galaty and W.A. Parkinson (eds.). 2007. Rethinking Mycenaean Palaces II. Revised and expanded second edition. Cotsen Institute of

Archaeology at UCLA Monograph 60. Los Angeles: University of California.

R. Laffineur and W-D. Niemeier (eds.) 1995. Politeia: Society and State in the Aegean Bronze Age. Proceedings of the 5th International

Aegean Conference/5e Rencontre égéenne internationale, University of Heidelberg, Archäologisches Institut, 10-13 April 1994, Aegaeum

12. Liège: Université de Liège, Histoire de l'art et archéologie de la Grèce antique; Austin: University of Texas at Austin, Program in

Aegean Scripts and Prehistory.

Selected Papers:

Bendall, L. 2004. Fit For a King? Hierarchy, Exclusion, Aspiration and Desire in the Social Structure of Mycenaean Banqueting, in P.

Halstead and J.C. Barrett (eds.) Food, Cuisine and Society in Prehistoric Greece. Sheffield Studies in Aegean Archaeology 5. Oxford:

Oxbow Books: 105-135

Crowley, Janice L. 2012. Prestige Clothing in the Bronze Age Aegean. Kosmos: Jewellery, Adornment and Textiles in the Aegean Bronze

Age. Proceedings of the 13th International Aegean Conference/13e Rencontre égéenne internationale, University of Copenhagen, Danish

National Research Foundation's Centre for Textile Research, 21–26 April 2010, Nosch, Marie-Louise and Robert Laffineur, eds. Aegaeum

33, Leuven and Liege: Peeters. p. 231–239.

Deger-Jalkotzy, S. 1999. Military Prowess and Social Status in Mycenaean Greece, in R. Laffineur (ed.) POLEMOS: Le contexte guerrier

en Égée á l'âge du Bronze. Actes de la 7e Rencontre égéenne internationale Université de Liège, 14-17 avril 1998. Aegaeum: Annales

d'archéologie égéenne de l'Université de Liège et UT-PASP 19. Liège: Histoire de l'art et archéologie de la Grèce antique; Austin: Program

in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory: 121-131

Legarra Herrero, Borja. 2016. An Elite-Infested Sea: Interaction and Change in Mediterranean Paradigms. Of Odysseys and Oddities:

Scales and modes of interaction between prehistoric Aegean societies and their neighbors, Molloy, Barry P. C., ed. Sheffield Studies in

Aegean Archaeology. p. 25-51.

Logue, W. 2004. Set in stone: the role of relief-carved stone vessels in Neopalatial Minoan elite propaganda. BSA 99: 149-172

Senn, Heidi. 2013. Warrior Burials and the Elevation of a Military Elite in LHIIIC Achaia. Chronika 3. p. 67-77.

Van de Moortel, Aleydis, Salvatore Vitale, Bartłomiej Lis, and Giuliana Bianco. 2019. Honoring the Dead or Hero Cult? The Long Afterlife

of a Prepalatial Elite Tomb at Mitrou. Μνήμη / Mneme. Past and Memory in the Aegean Bronze Age: Proceedings of the 17th International

Aegean Conference, University of Udine, Department of Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Department of

Humanities, 17-21 April 2018, Borgna, Elisabetta, Ilaria Caloi, Filippo Maria Carinci, and Robert Laffineur, eds. Aegaeum 43, Leuven -

Liège: Peeters. p. 277-291.

Voutsaki, S. 2001. Economic Control, Power and Prestige in the Mycenaean World: The Archaeological Evidence, in S. Voutsaki and J.

Killen (eds.) Economy and Politics in the Mycenaean Palace States. Proceedings of a Conference held on 1-3 July 1999 in the Faculty of

Classics, Cambridge. Cambridge Philological Society Supplementary Volume 27. Cambridge: Cambridge Philological Society: 195-213

Whittaker, Helène. 2011. Exotica in Early Mycenaean Burials as Evidence for the Self-representation of the Elite. Exotica in the Prehistoric

Mediterranean, Vianello, Andrea, ed. Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow Books. p. 137-146.

Wright, J.C. 2004a. Mycenaean Drinking Services and Standards of Etiquette, in P. Halstead and J.C. Barrett (eds.) Food, Cuisine and

Society in Prehistoric Greece. Sheffield Studies in Aegean Archaeology 5. Oxford: Oxbow Books: 90-104.

The student:

K_W02 ~ knows detailed concepts and terminology used in Aegean Bronze Age archaeology

K_W03 ~ has extended knowledge of the description, analysis and interpretation of archaeological sources related to the Aegean Bronze

Age

K_W04 ~ has an ordered and theoretically based knowledge covering the key issues of Aegean Bronze Age archaeology, including

terminology, theories and methodology

K_W06 ~ has detailed, specialist knowledge of the ‘elite’ communities in the Aegean Bronze Age, including terminology, theories and

methodology in the field of archaeology

K_W12 ~ knows and understands advanced methods of analysis and interpretation of research problems in the field of Aegean Bronze

Age archaeology, appropriate for the traditions, theories and research schools related to the investigation of the ‘elite’

K_W13 ~ knows and understands advanced methods for the analysis and interpretation of information contained in scientific publications

concerning the Aegean Bronze Age

The student can:

K_U02 ~ identify, analyse, use, classify and interpret archaeological sources concerning the Aegean Bronze Age, by selecting appropriate

analytical methods, making a critical analysis and creating an interpretation in English

K_U03 ~ creatively use existing methods and techniques, adapting them to the needs arising from the specific research issues related to

the ‘elite’ in the Aegean Bronze Age

K_U05 ~ independently formulate conclusions, argue and create synthetic summaries in English about the ‘elite’ in the Aegean Bronze

Age whilst taking into account different views

K_U12 ~ present research results in the form of oral presentations in English, using specialised scientific language and terminology

appropriate for Aegean Bronze Age archaeology, with the use of information and communication technologies

K_U13 ~ use a foreign language at the B2 + level of the European System for the Description of Language Education and specialized

terminology in the field of Aegean Bronze Age archaeology

K_U15 ~ cooperate with other people as part of an interdisciplinary team

The student is ready to:

K_K01 ~ use their knowledge and skills and is aware of the need to challenge themselves through the opinions of experts

K_K02 ~ recognise the significant importance of artefacts, eco-facts and written sources from the Aegean Bronze Age as elements of the

cultural heritage of humanity

K_K03 ~assess the unique value of archaeological sources and their role in recreating the human past

K_K04 ~ critically evaluate the interpretation of archaeological sources with awareness of multi-faceted interpretation

K_K05 ~ use their knowledge of the complex nature of culture and analyse various categories of sources to recreate the human past

The performance of the students will be monitored throughout the course, and the quality of their contributions via discussion and

presentations will be assessed against the learning outcomes listed above. Of particular importance will be their ability to engage with the

major research questions concerning elites in the Aegean Bronze Age, to demonstrate a firm grasp of the relevant archaeological

evidence, to critically evaluate the interpretations of others and to construct and disseminate a coherent argument that shows some

element of original thinking.