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TITLE Μετακίνηση και αλληλεπιδράσεις στην Προανακτορική Νότια Κεντρική Κρήτη
AUTHOR Déderix Sylviane , Σαρρής Απόστολος
SECTION a
LANGUAGE Ελληνικά / Greek
PUBLISH DATE 01.06.2018
KEYWORDS Θολωτοί τάφοι, Προανακτορική Περίοδος, Νότια Κεντρική Κρήτη, Γεωγραφικά Συστήματα Πληροφοριών, Μετακίνηση, Δίκτυο Εστιακής Μετακίνησης, Ιεραρχικό Δίκτυο Επικοινωνίας
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Abstract


This article is concerned with patterns of interaction among the social groups associated with circular tombs in Prepalatial south-central Crete. The issue is examined through the lens of movement modeling. Geographical Information Systems are used to generate a hierarchical communication network ‒ that is, a network in which paths are ranked according to their estimated importance in connecting the burial communities of south-central Crete between Early Minoan (EM) I and Middle Minoan (MM) I. The location of the tombs with respect to natural corridors of movement testifies to spatial and chronological variations that show interesting parallels with the distribution of exotic grave goods. Most EM I circular tombs were built in the southern Asterousia near secondary and minor paths, reflecting an emphasis on local and regional movement. Starting in EM II, however, several circular tombs were positioned right along major paths running across south-central Crete and connecting the region with north-central Crete. This suggests a growing interest in long-distance communication at a time when interregional systems of exchange started to grow in importance, first in the Aegean and then in the Eastern Mediterranean. Some EM II groups in the Mesara and in the foothills of Mt Psiloritis appear to have monopolized access to interregional systems of exchange, while advertising status and prestige through the funerary consumption of exotic goods. The Asterousia, on the other hand, remained mostly peripheral to these large-scale systems of exchange until the late Prepalatial period, when a series of circular tombs were constructed along major paths in the central Asterousia, in this way bridging the gap between the Mesara and the south coast. Altogether, the examination of mobility patterns strengthens the conclusions of recent studies that demonstrated that heterogeneous social strategies were at play in the adoption and diffusion of circular tombs in Prepalatial south-central Crete.