Early State Formation and Expansion in Greece: Iklaina, A Secondary Center of the Mycenaean State of Pylos

FAIN: RZ-51493-12

University of Missouri, St. Louis (St. Louis, MO 63121)
Michael Basil Cosmopoulos (Project Director: December 2011 to May 2017)

Archaeological excavation and analysis at the Mycenaean settlement of Iklaina, Greece, from the 15th to 13th century BCE, and publication of previous excavation results. (36 months)

Archaeologists agree that the first states of the Greek mainland were formed through the unification of previously independent regional polities, sometime at the beginning of the Mycenaean period (ca. 1650-1100 BCE). Traditionally, the driving force behind the formation of those states was thought to have been hierarchy, but recent models have shifted our focus from the center to the hinterland and highlighted the need for a systematic investigation of non-palatial settlements. In the present project we apply a "bottom-up" approach to the study of state formation and expansion in early Greece. Through the interdisciplinary investigation of Iklaina, a secondary center of the Mycenaean state of Pylos, we seek to produce the datasets necessary to test existing models about the emergence of Mycenaean states; investigate the dynamic relationship of centers to hinterlands; and develop cross-cultural models useful in understanding the processes of state formation in other parts of the world.

Media Coverage

Iklaina featured in the PBS/NatGeo film "The Greeks" (Media Coverage)
Date: 12/12/2019

The Birth of Bureaucracy (Media Coverage)
Publication: Archaeology
Date: 7/1/2012
Abstract: At the site of Iklaina, excavations are revealing new evidence of how the Mycenaean state functioned.
URL: https://archive.archaeology.org/1207/features/iklaina_pylos_greece_mycenean_state.html

Associated Products

The Political Geography of A Mycenaean District: The Archaeological Survey at Iklaina (Book)
Title: The Political Geography of A Mycenaean District: The Archaeological Survey at Iklaina
Editor: Michael Cosmopoulos
Abstract: This is the archaeological report on the survey at Iklaina, Greece.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://www.worldcat.org/title/political-geography-of-a-mycenaean-district-the-archaeological-survey-at-iklainadedited-by-michael-b-cosmopoulos/oclc/962408832&referer=brief_results
Primary URL Description: WorldCat listing
Access Model: Book
Publisher: Athens, Greece: The Archaeological Society at Athens
Type: Edited Volume
ISBN: 9786185047276
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Iklaina: The Monumental Buildings (Book)
Title: Iklaina: The Monumental Buildings
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: A record of the Mycenaean Cyclopean monumental buildings found at Iklaina, Greece.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://www.academia.edu/38143545/2018-Iklaina._The_Monumental_Buildings
Primary URL Description: Online open access publication
Access Model: Book and open access
Publisher: Athens, Greece: The Archaelogical Society at Athens
Type: Multi-author monograph
ISBN: 9786185047399
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

State Formation in Greece: Iklaina and the Unification of Mycenaean Pylos (Article)
Title: State Formation in Greece: Iklaina and the Unification of Mycenaean Pylos
Author: Cosmopoulos, M.B.
Abstract: or a long time, the emergence of Aegean states was explained in terms of general evolutionist models based on evidence from a handful of major palatial sites. Recently, however, a growing emphasis on regional diversity has demonstrated the importance of specific models for understanding the multiple pathways to social complexity. It is becoming increasingly clear that static neoevolutionary types do not reflect the fluid and dynamic character of human societies and that top-down explanatory models based on top-tier centers are biased and incomplete. In this article, a detailed historical modeling of the Mycenaean state of Pylos based on new data from the systematic excavation of Iklaina tests the current model and proposes that the Pylian state, as it is known to us from Linear B tablets, was not integrated until an advanced phase of the Late Helladic IIIB period. This analysis suggests that for most of the Mycenaean period both Iklaina and Ano Englianos were primary centers following parallel trajectories and functioning as capitals of independent micropolities. A late date for the unification of the Pylian state could account for its partly decentralized character, the duplication of administrative structures, and the instability that may have contributed to its collapse.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://www.ajaonline.org/article/3919
Primary URL Description: AJA
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: American Journal of Archaeology
Publisher: American Journal of Archaeology

New accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates from the Mycenaean site of Iklaina (Article)
Title: New accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dates from the Mycenaean site of Iklaina
Author: Cosmopoulos, M.B.
Author: Allen, S.E.
Author: Riebe, D.
Author: Ruscillo, D.
Author: Liston, M.
Author: Shelton, C.
Abstract: Although the ceramic phases and relative chronology of the Mycenaean (or “Late Helladic” abbr. LH) period on the Greek mainland are well established, there is ongoing disagreement regarding the relationship between the ceramic phases and their associated calendar dates. Part of the problem is the small number of radiocarbon dates from Mycenaean sites. In this article, we publish a set of 15 new AMS radiocarbon dates from the Mycenaean site of Iklaina, in southwestern Greece. The resulting date ranges allow us to establish an absolute chronology for major stages in the life of the Iklaina settlement and the associated relative chronology based on ceramic phases. In general, the Iklaina dates show a better fit with the High Chronology for the early Mycenaean period. Specifically, the transition from the Middle to Late Helladic, at the beginning of the Mycenaean period, is placed between the end of the 19th c. and the beginning of the 17th c. BC. The LH II period, when large-scale architecture appears at Iklaina for the first time, spans the 17th century BC and the LH IIIA1 period goes into the 15th century. None of the analyzed samples were recovered from secure LH IIIA2 deposits, so they do not affect the chronology of this period. However, the samples from the destruction of the monumental buildings, which ceramically is placed in the LH IIIB period, provide a general latest use date in the 13th century. Given the possibility that this destruction marks the annexation of Iklaina by the Palace of Nestor and the unification of the Pylian state, this becomes an important chronological marker for the formation of this state. It also indicates a very short life-span for this state, since its destruction is traditionally dated to ca. 1200?BCE.
Year: 2019
Primary URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X18307624
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports
Publisher: Journal of Archaeological Science-Reports

A Mycenaean Open-Air Cult Place in Iklaina (Article)
Title: A Mycenaean Open-Air Cult Place in Iklaina
Author: Cosmopoulos, M.B.
Abstract: During the recent excavations at the Mycenaean settlement of Iklaina a pit was unearthed, containing burned animal bones, numerous drinking vases, plaster offering tables, and animal figurines. This find presents a reasonable case of an open-air site with ritual associations. Here I present a preliminary description of the pit and its finds and assess its possible function and importance.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/jaei/article/view/18691
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections
Publisher: Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections

A non-destructive technological study of three fresco fragments from Iklaina, Pylos, Greece (Article)
Title: A non-destructive technological study of three fresco fragments from Iklaina, Pylos, Greece
Author: G. Tsairis
Author: E. Palamara
Author: N. Zacharias
Author: M. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: The objective of the present study is to conduct a non-destructive characterisation analysis of three fresco fragments from Iklaina, southern Peloponnese, Greece, in order to identify their manufacture techniques. Furthermore, this study aims at using the results of the scientific and analytical analyses to produce accurate replicas of these fragments (use of similar composition mortars, pigments, and manufacture techniques), which can be used for the restoration program of the site. These replicas will be exhibited alongside the originals in the new Pylos Archaeological Museum. Due to the high archaeological value of the objects, the analytical approach we followed was completely non-destructive and was based on the parallel use of optical microscopy, p-XRF and SEM/EDS. The analyses suggest the use of Egyptian blue pigment for the backgrounds. The wavy black coil of hair was painted with an organic black pigment. The use of inorganic pigments has been revealed on the upper layers on the basis of the identification of minerals and rocks. The substrate of the wall paintings is made of aluminosilicate lime mortars. The results corroborate the suggestions of previous studies for the pigments comprising the Mycenaean artistic palette and provides further insight on the artistic and technological choices made by Mycenaean artists.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/20548923.2017.1395153
Access Model: Open Access
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: STAR: Science & Technology of Archaeological Research
Publisher: Routledge

A Preliminary Examination of the Miniature Vessels from the Bronze Age Site of Iklaina. (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: A Preliminary Examination of the Miniature Vessels from the Bronze Age Site of Iklaina.
Author: Joann Gulizio
Abstract: NA
Date: 1/3/2013
Conference Name: AIA & APA Joint Annual Meeting

Excavations at Iklaina (Article)
Title: Excavations at Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2013
Format: Other
Periodical Title: Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society

Iklaina (Book Section)
Title: Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Editor: Vassileios Petrakos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2013
Book Title: Annual Report ("Ergon") of the Athens Archaeological Society

Crafts, Specialists, and Markets in Mycenaean Greece. Economic Interplay Among Households and States (Article)
Title: Crafts, Specialists, and Markets in Mycenaean Greece. Economic Interplay Among Households and States
Author: C.W. Shelmerdine
Abstract: NA
Year: 2013
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: American Journal of Archaeology

Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society (Article)
Title: Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2014
Format: Other

Iklaina (Book Section)
Title: Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Editor: Vassileios Petrakos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2014
Book Title: Annual Report ("Ergon") of the Athens Archaeological Society

A new Mycenaean center at Iklaina (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: A new Mycenaean center at Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Date: 10/08/2010
Conference Name: Peloponnesiaka. Proceedings of the Fourth Congress on Messenian Studies, Kalamata. Society for Peloponnesian Studies 31, Athens, 2014

So Many Samples, So Few Seeds: The Search for Plant Remains at Bronze Age Iklaina (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: So Many Samples, So Few Seeds: The Search for Plant Remains at Bronze Age Iklaina
Author: S.E. Allen
Author: C. Shelton
Abstract: NA
Date: 01/09/2015
Conference Name: 115th Annual Meeting, Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting

A Mycenaean open-air cult place in Iklaina (Article)
Title: A Mycenaean open-air cult place in Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2015
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 7:3

A group of new Mycenaean frescoes from Iklaina, Pylos (Book Section)
Title: A group of new Mycenaean frescoes from Iklaina, Pylos
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Editor: Haricleia Brekoulaki
Editor: Jack L. Davis
Editor: Sharon R. Stocker
Abstract: NA
Year: 2015
Book Title: Mycenaean Wall Painting In Context. New Discoveries, Old Finds Reconsidered

Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society (Article)
Title: Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2015
Format: Other

Iklaina (Book Section)
Title: Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Editor: Vassileios Petrakos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2015
Book Title: Annual Report ("Ergon") of the Athens Archaeological Society

Exploring the Provenance and Depositional History of a Sediment Found at the Iklaina Archaeological Site, Messenia, Greece (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Exploring the Provenance and Depositional History of a Sediment Found at the Iklaina Archaeological Site, Messenia, Greece
Author: A. Christova
Author: J. Glaubius
Author: N. Zacharias
Author: M. Cosmopoulos
Author: S. Drakopoulou
Abstract: NA
Date: 09/25/2016
Primary URL: http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2016AM/webprogram/Paper285208.html
Conference Name: Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America

The Monumental Architecture of Iklaina (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Monumental Architecture of Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Date: 10/05/2016
Conference Name: (Social) place and space in early Mycenaean Greece

The Archaeological Survey (Book Section)
Title: The Archaeological Survey
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Editor: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2016
Publisher: Library of the Archaeological Society at Athens
Book Title: The Political Geography of a Mycenaean District: The Archaeological Survey at Iklaina

Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society (Article)
Title: Proceedings of the Athens Archaeological Society
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2016
Format: Other

Gazetteer of sites and off-site scatters (Book Section)
Title: Gazetteer of sites and off-site scatters
Author: M.B. Cosmopoulos
Author: C.W. Shelmerdine
Author: J. Gulizio
Author: J. Glaubius
Editor: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2016
Publisher: Library of the Archaeological Society at Athens 306, Athens
Book Title: The Political Geography of a Mycenaean District. The Archaeological Survery at Iklaina

Mycenaean Habitation in the Region of Iklaina (Book Section)
Title: Mycenaean Habitation in the Region of Iklaina
Author: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Author: C.W. Shelmerdine
Editor: Michael B. Cosmopoulos
Abstract: NA
Year: 2016
Publisher: Library of the Archaeological Society at Athens
Book Title: The Political Geography of a Mycenaean District: The Archaeological Survey at Iklaina

ICP-MS Analysis of Bronze Age Pottery From Iklaina, Greece (Article)
Title: ICP-MS Analysis of Bronze Age Pottery From Iklaina, Greece
Author: M. Galaty
Author: C.W. Shelmerdine
Author: J. Gulizio
Author: P. Thomas
Abstract: NA
Year: 2016
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Archaeological Science

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