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E-book Labouring with Large Stones : A study into the investment and impact of construction projects on Mycenaean communities in Late Bronze Age Greece

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Penilaian

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Considering their imposing nature, this study thus aims to find out how the communities coped with the investments associated with manufacturing the buildings. Analysing the cost of large-scale construction for a society has been researched before (e.g. Abrams and Bolland 1999, who focused on Central America), but few have made Mycenaean Greece the primary focus of such a study (but see e.g. Fitzsimons 2006; Harper 2016). Yet, insight in the cost of such prolonged building programmes can provide a better understanding of the build-up of a society and the impact such building activities had on that society. The SETinSTONE project, of which this research is a part, thus aims to assess “if and how monumental building activities in Late Bronze Age Greece affected the political and socio-economic structures of Mycenaean polities, and how people may have responded to these changes” (Brysbaert 2017: 1). Since these aims go beyond what is possible to study in a single PhD dissertation, the study in this book is one step towards the SETinSTONE goals. Additional studies are executed on the building activities regarding tomb-building by Daniel Turner (2020) and on the subsistence strategies and agricultural economics of the Argive Plain by Riia Timonen (forthcoming). Hence, together these studies provide the core to answer the research questions dealt with within the overarching SETinSTONE project.The presented research explores the materials and costs of the cyclopean architecture found at two case-studies in the Peloponnese (Greece): Mycenae (Argolid) and Teichos Dymaion (Achaea). The various challenges that the builders faced are discussed. Subsequently, the influence of these structures and their costs on communities are reviewed. In contrast to earlier studies by Fitzsimons (2011) and Harper (2016), who have carried out labour cost studies (see below) based on published data, the data will come from fieldwork. This will allow several types of in-depth analyses of building materials and techniques. Therefore, in this study, the data will be more critically evaluated and subsequently more nuances can be used to come to a better founded estimation of the labour costs.Labour cost studies are based on the principle of calculating the number of people needed, for what amount of time to perform a certain task. By calculating the required investments of structures, the opportunity is created to compare these structures. Thus interpreting these labour costs is most useful when they can be set against other calculated labour costs. Hence, not only are the fortifications of two sites studied, also a number of domestic structures are considered. This way, the costs involved with building the fortifications can be set against the construction of more mundane buildings and interpretations regarding their potential impact can be properly evaluated.The fortifications studied in this research are documented using photographs and Total Station point recordings. The subsequent 3D models of the structures, which are created through photogrammetry, are used to calculate the volumes of the structures and where possible of the individual stones. The volumes of the domestic structures are based on data from literature, covering previous studies of these buildings. Using the earlier mentioned labour-rates, an estimate can then be provided on how many persons and other resources are needed to move the materials and achieve the subsequent construction. This method can thus provide an assessment of the costs in labour of the selected architecture.In order to come to an accurate estimation of the costs of these structures, the construction of the building is broken down into three main stages concerning the material: (1) Acquisition of the material, (2) the transportation of the material to the construction site and (3) the assembly of the building. Additionally, the levelling of the terrain, the dressing of the individual blocks (only where applicable) and the creation of ramps for the assembly are also taken into account. Some of these stages have several sub-phases, which are individually assessed.This book consists of nine chapters. Chapter 2 is aimed at providing information about the Mycenaean context, in which the studied structures were built. The first section is a basic chronology of the periods under investigation. Secondly, a general background is provided on Mycenaean society, focusing on how this society is seen by scholars, in particular in terms of social differentiation. This is closely intertwined with the third factor: Mycenaean economy. The reason for specifically discussing the economic organisation of Mycenaean society is its link to the aim of the larger SETinSTONE research. The impact of monumental structures on a society is not only a social matter, which may consist of intimidation, display of power and prestige, and the difference between elite and non-elites. It is certainly also an economic issue as this study investigates the required investment for the buildings. In order to explore the economic organisation, a variety of economic models is discussed to examine their applicability to the Mycenaean context.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

939.4 BOS l

Penerbit

London : Sidestone Press., 2021

Deskripsi Fisik

198 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9789464280111

Klasifikasi

939.4

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

History of Ancient Middle East to 640

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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