 In
the centre of this building there was a subterranean tomb divided into two compartments. In
one compartment a richly decorated bronze vase was found which contained the
ashes of a man, an iron sword and spear and the burial of a woman bearing
rich gold offerings. In the other compartment the skeletons of four horses
were found which had probably been buried along with the couple, whose
identity is almost impossible to identify. What is of greater importance
for the study of this period is the political and social elements deriving
from the study of this building which demonstrate that the hierarchical organization
of the local society was such that it allowed a family or other,
smaller group to take advantage of the surplus in production
of this kind of construction and burial. The style of the offerings
reflects, among other types, intense commercial contact with the East,
Cyprus in particular. |
Lefkandi on Euboea is a unique example of a Geometric settlement in Greece. Its heyday
dates to around the mid-10th century BC (950 BC) and it is considered the richest
and most developed settlement of its time. From archaeological finds it is concluded that after
1000 BC the inhabitants of Lefkandi were organized into a society such that they were able to
construct an apsidal building 45 metres long and
10 metres wide, which was very impressive for its time. Its construction differs from similar buildings of the Mycenaean
palaces and introduces a completely different technique with walls made of plinths
resting upon stone foundations and an external wooden peristyle which makes
subsequent peripteral buildings likely.