Dinamiche insediative delle élites nell’Antico Elladico II
Gli indicatori archeologici dei fenomeni di comparsa e interruzione dello sviluppo
abstract
To describe relationships between elites in Prehistory is a difficult task, for the available data are scanty. Without written sources, what we know about the growth of elite groups and their settlement choices depends exclusively on archaeological evidences. As for the Early Helladic period, it is possible to identify a gradually increasing social complexity, which resembles the ‘chiefdom-type’ model. At the same time some archaeological clues allow us to recognise the presence of distinct élite groups: e.g. the monumental elements displayed by the Building BG and the House of Tiles in Lerna, the Rundbau at Tiryns, the Weisses Haus at Kolonna, the Fortified Building at Thebes, two megara at Akovitika, and the House of Pithoi at Zygouries. The growth as well as the discontinuity of these protopalatial sites can easily be followed through the archaeological evidence: not only in Lerna and the Argolid, but also in the surrounding area.
Keywords: Protopalatial sites • Monumental build- ings • Early Helladic period • Social complexity • Elite groups