Under the instruction and supervision of Dr. Daniel Pullen, Debra Trusty will study changes in prehistoric ceramic cooking vessels from five important sites in Greece: the Petsas House at Mycenae, the Potter's Shop at Zygouries, the East Alley at Korakou, and the newly-discovered sites of Stiri and Kalamianos. Mycenae, located in the northeast Peloponnese of Greece, was such an influential citadel and developed such remarkable innovations that it gave its name to the culture of the prehistoric Greek mainland during the Late Bronze Age, known as the Mycenaean period (1,600-1,200 BC). The other four sites incorporated into this study have varying connections to Mycenae which changed over time depending upon their access to raw materials and trade routes. This study focuses on identifying how Mycenae gained political control in the northeast Peloponnese, especially in areas previously thought to be outside of Mycenae's influence. Ms. Trusty will conduct specific archaeological techniques, including petrographic microscopy and Neutron Activation analysis, on ceramic cooking vessels to determine if and how Mycenae was able to manufacture and trade such items to peripheral sites by Mycenae for economic and social gain.
This research is significant because it provides insight into the dynamics which allow traditional societies to function and to expand over time. Because archaeology can document "slow" changes which often take place on a millennial time scale it provides a unique window into the processes which lead to societal transformation. This research provides a case in point.
Cooking pots are important elements of daily life in all cultures as they bridge the gap between elite and lower classes through the common need for nourishment and are frequently found in large numbers in archaeological excavations. Such vessels can be tested using different ceramic analyses that can identify the sources of raw materials, uses of vessels, and production methods distinctive of individual potters or workshops. Nevertheless, cooking pots are an understudied and misunderstood element of Mycenaean culture. Ms. Trusty seeks to correct this imbalance by analyzing changes in stylistic features of cookware vessels, examining production techniques, determining the origin of minerals within clays through use of a petrographic microscope, and studying distribution patterns through Neutron Activation Analysis conducted on clay types. By accomplishing this four-step methodology it is argued that a "changing of the guard" can be identified at peripheral sites, where the area initially had strong trading contact with various cities in Greece until Mycenae achieved dominance over long-distance trade by the beginning of the Mycenaean period. These results will aid in identifying specific measures taken by the elite in Mycenae in order to gain and maintain control over territories and trade routes.
This project seeks to have a broader impact as it is strongly dependent upon international collaboration and contributes to projects directed by scholars in the United States. Research will be conducted in Greece using laboratories and equipment from the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the British School in Athens, and the National Center for Scientific Research in Athens. The conclusions reached for this project will result in a published dissertation and smaller articles and presentations, which will be submitted to international and national journals and conferences. Such endeavors aim to contribute to the general understanding of science, archaeology, ancient economies, and ceramic studies.
Under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Pullen, Debra Trusty has spent 2011-2013 studying changes in prehistoric ceramic cooking vessels from five important sites in Greece: the Petsas House at Mycenae, the Potter’s Shop at Zygouries, the East Alley at Korakou, and the newly-discovered sites of Stiri and Kalamianos. Mycenae, located in the northeast Peloponnese of Greece, was such an influential citadel and developed such remarkable innovations that it gave its name to the culture of the prehistoric Greek mainland during the Late Bronze Age, known as the Mycenaean period (1,600-1,200 BC). The other four sites incorporated into this study have varying connections to Mycenae and another citadel on the island of Aegina named Kolonna, only 50 kilometers away. This relationship changed over time depending upon each city’s access to raw materials, production methods, and trade networks. This dissertation project focused on examining the political, economic, and social activities of major citadels like Mycenae through the lens of a single object type (ceramic cooking vessels) in order to interpret how these centers gained political control in more distant areas of the Peloponnese. Cooking pots are important elements of daily life in all cultures as they bridge the gap between elite and lower classes through the common need for nourishment. Such vessels were used primarily by women, are frequently found in large numbers in archaeological excavations, and can be tested using different ceramic analyses in order to identify the sources of raw materials, specific production methods, and the use of these vessels. Nevertheless, cooking pots are an understudied and misunderstood element of Mycenaean culture. Ms. Trusty conducted specific archaeological and scientific techniques, including petrographic microscopy and Neutron Activation Analysis, on these vessels to determine if and how elite and politically influential classes manufactured and traded cooking vessels to peripheral sites for economic and social gain. Over the past two years Ms. Trusty has sought to correct the imbalance between fineware vessels (used for feasts, drinking rituals, and dining activities) and coarseware vessels (used for storage and cooking) by examining long-term changes in stylistic features, determining production techniques and fabric manufacturing, identifying the origin of minerals within clays through use of a petrographic microscope, and studying distribution patterns through Neutron Activation Analysis conducted on clay types. After completing the majority of this four-step methodology (data interpretation is still ongoing) early results confirm that stylistic changes in cooking pots, such as rim shape and length, handle location and size, and base or tripod foot formation, are similar to the changes seen in fineware vessels. This is significant because it suggests that cooking vessels were produced in the same manner as fineware vessels, were influenced by the same popular trends as fineware vessels, and were not "stagnant" or "unvalued" pieces of cookery. More importantly for the field of archaeology, these results establish cooking pots as chronological tools that can be used to date specific deposits. Fabric analysis confirms that certain settlements were well-connected to trading patterns and were long-established producers of cooking vessels, such as the island of Aegina. Such economic activity affected the nearby region of the Corinthia during different periods of time, depending on the accessibility of trade routes. If these initial results are verified by ongoing data interpretation, we can conclude that cooking pots were produced in the same workshops as fineware vessels, instead of being the products of household, non-specialized producers, as scholars had previously believed. Furthermore, these results identify ceramic manufacture and trade in prehistoric Greece as a complex system of networks and argue for the reconsideration of cooking vessels as culturally significant objects. This project has had international impact as it has depended on collaboration from scholars in Greece, England, and the United States. Research and observations were conducted in Greece using laboratories and equipment from the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the British School in Athens, and the National Center for Scientific Research in Athens, as well as in England at the University of Sheffield’s Archeology Department, and in the United States at the University of Missouri’s Research Reactor’s Archaeometry Laboratory, the University of Pennsylvania’s archaeological ceramics laboratory, and Florida State’s National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Furthermore, this research and the results contribute to projects directed by scholars in the United States. Drs. Daniel Pullen (Florida State University) and Thomas Tartaron (University of Pennsylvania) co-directed the archaeological survey at Kalamianos and Stiri; Dr. Kim Shelton (University of California, Berkeley) is the director of excavations at Mycenae’s Petsas House. The results of this project will be part of Trusty’s published dissertation and will also be submitted as smaller articles and presentations for international and national journals and conferences. Such endeavors aim to contribute to the general understanding of science, archaeology, ancient economies, and ceramic studies.
