Why so Serious? An Extraordinary Cone Shell Group from Mycenae and the Problem of Identifying Mycenaean Board Gaming Material
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22017706 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vassiliki Pliatsika (National Archaeological Museum), Jacqueline S Meier (University of North Florida), Jacqueline Meier (0000-0003-2003-9482, University of North Florida) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 51-93 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Board Game Studies Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2183-3311 • E-ISSN: 2183-3311 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.2478/bgs-2022-0003 |
| OpenAlex | W4224452029 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 29 |
In 1974 in Room Θ3 of House Θ in the Southwest Quarter of the Mycenae citadel, an extraordinary find came to light: 545 conus mediterraneus ventricosus shells were found together with 12 small objects in a crevice of the bedrock. 353 cones were intentionally pierced and ground, and 9 of them were filled with lead. This assemblage includes the largest collection of cone shells known from the Late Bronze Age Aegean, and it is now possible to attempt an interpretation of its use, after the publication of the Southwest Quarter excavation. The find is examined in detail, in comparison to other large cone shell groups from Mycenaean contexts. The facts suggest that the Θ3 assemblage artefacts could have been markers for a kind of game, for which games of strategy, skill and chance known in the Eastern Mediterranean, are suggested as possible candidates. Under this hypothesis, context finds from the Room Θ3 deposit are also examined. This study highlights the difficulty in identifying the material remains of board games, as well as the need to include the game – being a basic human activity- in the potential interpretations of archaeological records from the Mycenaean period
Archaeology · Excavation · Ancient Near East History · Computer Science · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Law, logistics, and international trade · Artificial Intelligence · Geology
Ritual, Play and Belief, in Evolution and Early Human Societies
Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques en Grèce en 1965
Board Games from Canaan in the Early and Intermediate Bronze Ages and the Origin of the Egyptian Senet Game
Cultural transmission in the ancient Near East
Le palais de Iolkos et sa destruction
Facilitating Interaction
The Nature and Function of Astragalus Bones from Archaeological Contexts in the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean
On Phormiskoi Again
On the Use of Mycenaean ‘Buttons’
The Use of Cone Shells in Neolithic and Bronze Age Greece
The Attic Phormiskos
Game boards or offering tables
The Knossos Game Board
The Morgantina Phormiskos
Rules in Oracles and Games
Museum Research Notes
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |