Skeletal evidence suggesting biological continuity in the ruling lineage throughout the Late Helladic, Sub-Mycenaean and into the Dark Ages on the Greek Island of Kefalonia.

Summary

The cluster of sites on Borzi Hill near the village of Tzannata on the island of Kefalonia includes several habitation areas and various tombs. The evidence suggests an extensive occupation during the Mycenaean (Late Helladic) Period, including the largest tholos or "beehive" tomb in the Ionian Islands. The tomb was built around 1350 BC at the same location as an older tomb that had collapsed. Although the tomb was looted in antiquity, excavations have yielded a number of notable finds including the remains of several dozen people. All the adult mandibles studied thus far in 2015 and 2016 that are not too damaged to be analyzed, fall into two very distinct patterns by sex. All the males, including the last individual buried in the tomb, have the same distinctive mandibular morphology. The last individual was interred in a distinct style that is not seen on the island until well into the Dark Ages, around the 9th century BC. If this morphology is inherited, the evidence suggests the royal lineage retained a prominent position in the community spanning various upheavals including the complete collapse and displacement of the Mycenaean civilization.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16424