LM III Mortuary Practices in West Crete: the Cemeteries of Maroulas and Armenoi at Rethymnon
Eleni Papadopoulou
The aim of this paper is to present data from the two organized LM III cemeteries near Rethymnon, Maroulas and Armenoi, in order to explore and understand the mortuary practices that took place there. The data comes mainly from the cemetery of Maroulas and to a lesser extent from the necropolis of Armenoi near Rethymnon. The examination of two burial assemblages is not limited to descriptions of data, but also addresses the functional role of the objects, which can lead to more interpretive approaches, based on a theoretical framework. Looking at the evidence of the two cemeteries, one can deduce that there was a specific burial programme, in which there was an accepted way of treating the dead. Whether the picture portrayed by the burial practices corresponds to social reality, and to what extent it reflects social structures that really existed, is very difficult to verify. There is no doubt, however, that the dynamic course of the relationship of each society with its past creates multiple channels of expression, which, depending on the cultural environment can be represented in complex or simple ways.
Papadopoulou E. 2017, LM III Mortuary Practices in West Crete: The Cemeteries of Armenoi and Maroulas at Rethymnon, SMEA NS 3, 131-157