A Tale Of Two Tombs

A Tale of Two Tombs

Graves are important archeological finds that can reveal a great deal of information about a culture as well as about the individual that was buried in it. Two tombs found in Athens belonging to two upper-class females accomplish this. By examining the means of burial, the items sealed with the remains and the pottery styles used in the graves many important facts can be obtained. When comparing the two different gravesites even more conclusions can be drawn about the changes in culture and burial styles. Both the cist found from the Geometric period and the grave found from the Mycenaean period discloses a plethora of information pertaining to burials and their reflections on social status.

In both gravesites there were many items buried along with the remains of the deceased women. These items show that the women were both from wealthy families. Although the Mycenaean woman's tomb was found unsealed and her body was removed from the site there are still many artifacts leading to the conclusion that she was a woman of high status. In her burial place there are well carved benches and a sloped roof. The cist was also covered with a large stone slab and was much larger than others of the same time. This shows that her family had the resources to secure a costly resting place.

The Athenian woman's tomb also has many clues to show her high social status. The Athenian woman was cremated; at the time cremation was a costly way to prepare a dead body. Her jewelry is very intricate in design and creation. Her large gold earrings, with elaborate pomegranate designs carved into them, and beaded necklace are both luxurious items for an Athenian woman from the Geometric Period. Her tomb also contained pottery and jewelry that was imported from Syria.

The pottery in both tombs may have reflected a mutual representation of status, but they hold different symbolic definitions. The tomb found dated from the Mycenaean period contains more marine themed in design as reflected by the time it is from. The Athenian's is more geometric, as its respective era of origin describes. The Athenian tomb's pottery style holds human silhouettes and meanders painted on