DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12762#0033
6
THE VAULTED TOMBS OF MESARA
tholos b would have been just before reaching the doorway,1 and in fact traces of the
walls of this vestibule, about four stones in situ on either side of the doorway,
can be seen in Plate XVII b; these stones are marked on a plan of this tholos
made by Sir Arthur Evans and Mr. de Jong in the summer of 1923.
A Paved Court Further to the east the ground rises a little, and beyond a kind of wall
partially preserved there are remains of a court paved with slabs. It forms an
irregular circle with a diameter of about 6-50 m. and extends also in front of
Tholos E (Plate LXI). The pavement is of slabs of dark slate lying on a bed
of limestone slabs. We shall find a similar paved court between the two tholoi
at Platanos, and such a court was found in front of the three built chamber
tombs at Mochlos.2
The Mound over The depth of the earth mound over Tholos B varied from -80 m. to 1-50 m.
Tholos B a great part of the stone material had been removed at various times by the
inhabitants, a fate that befell many other tholoi. Of the mound itself the
upper half, or in places a little more, consisted only of stones and common
earth, and it was this that contained the Roman tile grave. The lower portion,
from -40 m. to -80 m. deep, was the regular burial stratum, a mixture of burial
objects, of human bones for the most part decayed, and of earth washed in by
rain.
The greater part of this earth was black, especially at the bottom, from
the decay of organic material and also, as it would seem, from the smoke of
numerous fires lighted in the tomb. For after the tomb had been finally
Indications of Fires cleared up, I observed clear indications of fires on the floor of natural rock,
inside the Tomb The marks of a large hearth showed in the middle of the circle immediately
under the hole that must have existed in the roof to let the smoke out and to let
in light when wanted. This hole was probably closed at other times by a
movable slab.3 The stones, too, of the inner surface of the wall on the north
have clearly suffered from a fierce fire, and there were traces of another fire-
Blackened Bones place by the south-eastern section of wall. Now the bones found near these
fireplaces were blackened inside and out. Nevertheless I cannot admit that
cremation was practised.
Outside the doorway both earth and stones had a burnt appearance, and
the bones found there were blackened. Traces of fire were also observed in the
area between the Tholoi B and E.4
It is not to be wondered at after so many centuries that all the tholoi
1 A similar square hollow built in front of the elic. 10). Both sunk ante-room and trilithon door-
door of the tomb exists in the Cycladic tombs of way exist in the large tholos at Hagfa Triada
Euboea (F. na7ra/3airtA£i'ou, Hepl tbi' iv Ei'/3oi'a {Mem. 1st. Lomb., loc. cit., Tav. VIII, fig. 18).
"Pn'r??r'C^JI'ai,191l0)'<r£A-2;?','-AI'Ii-A;)' 2R.Seager, Explorations in the Island of
and the tholos at Praesos has one (Annual of the MoM * fi
British School at Athens, VIII, p. 240). In the tombs x °
of Sfra Dr. Tsountas records ' a pavement in front ^ee P-
of the entrance as it were the beginning of a 4 Compare similar marks of fire at Portf and
road' ('E^/xe/Dis ,Apxa'°'W"<r) (1899)> o-«A. 82, Platanos, pp. 56 and 89.
THE VAULTED TOMBS OF MESARA
tholos b would have been just before reaching the doorway,1 and in fact traces of the
walls of this vestibule, about four stones in situ on either side of the doorway,
can be seen in Plate XVII b; these stones are marked on a plan of this tholos
made by Sir Arthur Evans and Mr. de Jong in the summer of 1923.
A Paved Court Further to the east the ground rises a little, and beyond a kind of wall
partially preserved there are remains of a court paved with slabs. It forms an
irregular circle with a diameter of about 6-50 m. and extends also in front of
Tholos E (Plate LXI). The pavement is of slabs of dark slate lying on a bed
of limestone slabs. We shall find a similar paved court between the two tholoi
at Platanos, and such a court was found in front of the three built chamber
tombs at Mochlos.2
The Mound over The depth of the earth mound over Tholos B varied from -80 m. to 1-50 m.
Tholos B a great part of the stone material had been removed at various times by the
inhabitants, a fate that befell many other tholoi. Of the mound itself the
upper half, or in places a little more, consisted only of stones and common
earth, and it was this that contained the Roman tile grave. The lower portion,
from -40 m. to -80 m. deep, was the regular burial stratum, a mixture of burial
objects, of human bones for the most part decayed, and of earth washed in by
rain.
The greater part of this earth was black, especially at the bottom, from
the decay of organic material and also, as it would seem, from the smoke of
numerous fires lighted in the tomb. For after the tomb had been finally
Indications of Fires cleared up, I observed clear indications of fires on the floor of natural rock,
inside the Tomb The marks of a large hearth showed in the middle of the circle immediately
under the hole that must have existed in the roof to let the smoke out and to let
in light when wanted. This hole was probably closed at other times by a
movable slab.3 The stones, too, of the inner surface of the wall on the north
have clearly suffered from a fierce fire, and there were traces of another fire-
Blackened Bones place by the south-eastern section of wall. Now the bones found near these
fireplaces were blackened inside and out. Nevertheless I cannot admit that
cremation was practised.
Outside the doorway both earth and stones had a burnt appearance, and
the bones found there were blackened. Traces of fire were also observed in the
area between the Tholoi B and E.4
It is not to be wondered at after so many centuries that all the tholoi
1 A similar square hollow built in front of the elic. 10). Both sunk ante-room and trilithon door-
door of the tomb exists in the Cycladic tombs of way exist in the large tholos at Hagfa Triada
Euboea (F. na7ra/3airtA£i'ou, Hepl tbi' iv Ei'/3oi'a {Mem. 1st. Lomb., loc. cit., Tav. VIII, fig. 18).
"Pn'r??r'C^JI'ai,191l0)'<r£A-2;?','-AI'Ii-A;)' 2R.Seager, Explorations in the Island of
and the tholos at Praesos has one (Annual of the MoM * fi
British School at Athens, VIII, p. 240). In the tombs x °
of Sfra Dr. Tsountas records ' a pavement in front ^ee P-
of the entrance as it were the beginning of a 4 Compare similar marks of fire at Portf and
road' ('E^/xe/Dis ,Apxa'°'W"<r) (1899)> o-«A. 82, Platanos, pp. 56 and 89.