The Gathering: Collectivity and the Development of Bronze Age Cretan Society
(2023) Journal of Archaeological Research — Vol. 31, n° 1, p. 1-60 (2023)
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- Authors
Driessen, Jan 
- et. al.
- Abstract
- In this paper, we argue that the sociopolitical trajectory of Bronze Age of Crete was characterized by the progressive but intentional manipulation of an enduring collective ethos, notably in the organization of gatherings and feasts. These key practices, meant to ensure cohesion, took place within a larger social organization of which the constituents were formed by corporate groups that we interpret as “houses.” We also argue that the nature of these houses changed over time. This process is particularly evident in the varying contexts in which these gatherings took place, with differences in terms of scale and origin of participants and variations in the balance between base-driven and imposed practices. We highlight that a landscape initially dotted with small local communities, connected through kinship bonds and shared practices at the microregional level, was progressively transformed into a homogenous, all-embracing ideological structure, which pervaded society and constituted the backbone of its hierarchical organization. Legitimized and mobilized within a religious system with clear political overtones, this process resulted into a supraregional, global network that can rightfully be called “Minoan".
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Citations
Driessen, J., & et al. (2023). The Gathering: Collectivity and the Development of Bronze Age Cretan Society. Journal of Archaeological Research, 31(1), 1-60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-023-09183-1 (Original work published 2023)