The elite of Mycenaean Greek society had very specific types of burial. The earliest types were shaft graves, a cumbersome burial type that made the graves troublesome to reuse but safe from grave robbers. This burial type was then replaced by the tholos tomb which combined features of the Bronze Age chamber tomb with specifically Helladic features.
Shaft Graves
The oldest forms of elite Mycenaean burial, Shaft graves consisted of a deep vertical shaft which was cut into bedrock or earth. At the bottom was a horizontal rectangular trench which acted as the tomb. Both the tomb and the shaft were lined with rubble walls, with the tomb also having a rough pebble floor.
The deceased was lowered into the grave via the shaft, along with grave goods. Wooden beams were them put in place over the entrance of the tomb and the grave closed off with thin stone slabs. The shaft was then filled in. Archaeology suggests this occurred at the end of the funeral rite as debris from the funeral feast such as bones and broken pottery has been found mixed in with the earth in the shaft. The location of the grave was marked by an earthen mound or a stone stele.
Shaft graves were often used as family tombs and therefore reused. This meant the shaft had to be excavated before opening the tomb, a cumbersome process which could explain why they fell out of fashion in the fifteenth century BC. The troublesome nature of shaft graves also made them difficult to break into, preserving the sanctity of the dead and the grave goods. The shaft graves at Mycenae still contained the fabulous grave goods known as the treasure of Agamemnon when they were discovered by Henrich Schliemann in the nineteenth century.
Tholos Tombs
Shaft graves were replaced as the burial of choice for the Mycenaean elite by tholos tombs. The word ‘tholos refers to a round building and was a term applied to a variety of different structures in Greece, tholos tombs being but one of them, which could explain why tholos tombs were often mistaken for other buildings, such as the so called Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae.
The tombs were a typically Mycenaean innovation. The oldest examples can be found at Messenia but the best and largest survive at Mycenae where nine have been found in total.
The layout of tholoi was very similar to the chamber tomb burial type which was common across Europe during the Bronze Age. It was approached by a long passage and entered through a dromos which led into a circular burial chamber which was covered in earth.
Tholos tombs differed in that they were not cut out of the earth. The main chamber was constructed from masonry which was built upwards and inwards, a technique known as corbelling, resulting in a beehive shaped structure. Burials were made in pits dug into the earth floor of this main chamber.
The outside of the masonry chamber was covered with earth to help support the structure. It is uncertain if it was designed to hide it. Certainly, tholos tombs were designed to be more accessible for multiple burials than shaft graves and chamber tombs. The dromos or entrance to the tomb was equipped with elaborate and beautiful doorways rather than being sealed or filled in with rubble. It is unclear whether the narrow passages leading to these doors would have been covered or uncovered as they are today. What is certain is that tholos tombs were easy to rob, as most of their contents, including bodies as well as grave goods do not survive, making them often difficult to accurately date.
Sources
Ancient cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome (2003) Charles Gates.Routledge: London and New York
Illustrated Dictionary of Archaeology (1977) Book Club Associates: London.
Natasha Sheldon - A writer since 2000, Natasha Sheldon holds a BA Hons in ancient history and archaeology and MA in ancient history and historiography.
Join the Conversation