Towards an Artistic Approach to Burial: Curation and Aesthetics in the Early Mycenaean Mortuary Sphere

Abstract This article works towards an artistic approach to the mortuary sphere, centred around the twin concepts of curation and aesthetics. It focuses on the early Mycenaean period, between c. 1700 and 1400 bce on mainland Greece, a period characterized by a wealth of burial evidence and an absence of textual sources. In what follows, I use one case study to explore the applications and outcomes of this artistic approach: the Dendra tholos in the southern Peloponnese. I examine the selection of specific visual and material properties for deposition, the placement of objects in relation to the bodies of the deceased and the resultant visual impression of the burial context for the Mycenaean mourner. My aims are twofold: to emphasize the role of deposition as a creative action in this period and thus to rethink current interpretations of early Mycenaean art and burial, and to reintroduce ‘art’ as an important analytical tool not only for archaeological objects, but also for archaeological contexts. I see this artistic approach, with its focus on the aesthetics of bodily adornment and presentation, as broadly applicable across time periods and places, both within and beyond Greece.