1. Late Bronze Age Religion

2. Accessing Prehistoric Religion ? Who can help? What evidence is there? What are the obstacles?

3. Anthropologists Homer Scholars Philologists Archaeologists

4. Roots of Mycenaean Religion? Mesopotamian? Near Eastern? Minoan? Cycladic?

5. Bronze Age Mediterranean Near East Levant & Anatolia Crete Cyclades Cyprus Mainland Greece

6. Minoan Religion Horns of Consecration Peak Sanctuaries Cave Tree & Pillar/Stone Cults Bull

7. Peak Sanctuary Horns of Consecration Pillar or Altar At or near peak of mountains or hills

8. Mycenae: Mylonas’ Cult Center

9. “House of the Idols” LHIIIB Architecture “Temple” (room 18) Storeroom (room 19) upstairs Triangular alcove Entrance through anteroom Central Platform (hearth?) Benches of varied heights

10. The “Temple” & Storeroom Steps to storeroom Central Platform Benches: for offerings? platforms for cult “statues”?

11. End of Days Storeroom Sealed after earthquake Broken figures kept in sealed room Only 1 idol “in use” standing in anteroom at time of final fiery destruction of cult center (LHIIIB2) Cult Center not rebuilt or reused in LHIIIC, Submycenaean or Protogeometric Periods

12. Room with the Fresco LHIIIB1 construction date Fresco on East Wall Altar/Platform in front of Fresco Central Hearth Low Bench on South Wall “Shrine” added on West side: “Room with the Ivories”

13. Fresco Room Hearth Bench Altar “Shrine” Entrance Rich Finds of Clay, Ivory, Lead, Stone, and Faience (self- glazing sand/quartz paste)

14. The Finds Ivory Lion for ornate chair arm? Ivory Head to fit on wooden body/frame? Scarab of Queen Tiye, wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III (100 years older than shrine)

15. Lower Register: Woman with Ears of Grain

16. Upper Register: Women with Sword & Staff

17. Hierarchy of Position?

18. Goddess or Priestess? Linear B evidence? Si-to-po-ti-ni-ja “Wheat Lady” I-je-re-ja Priestess?

19. What or Who do the “Idols” Represent? Snakes in Minoan Religion but not coiled clay ones Smaller, decorated figures as deities?

20. Matriarchal or Patriarchal Religion? Anthropomorphic (Gunaikomorphic) Piriform Jar Alcove in House of Idols

21. “Goddess” of Room of the Ivories? Cp. Psi figurine?

22. Goddess of Room with Idols? Holding Breasts Tau figurine?

23. Votaries & Worshippers? Holding the Labrys (double-headed axe)?

24. Tiryns Shrine Built against inside of fortification wall of Lower Citadel Megaron Plan Central Hearth, Vestibule & Main Room Bench against Fortification Wall in Main Room Several LHIIIC phases

25. Shrine Sites? Mycenae Tiryns Tsoungiza Midea Ayia Irini Philakopi

26. Shrines at Midea & Tsoungiza?

27. The Islands Phylakopi on Melos Ayia Irini on Kea

28. Lady of Phylakopi Phylakopi Shrines from LHIIIA-C NW Altar of West Shrine: Male Figures! Large Bull Figures LHIIIA2-LHIIIC

29. Phylakopi Bull Figures Cp. Dimini (N. Greece) & Mitrou (C. Greece)

30. Ayia Irini Initially Minoan, then Mycenaean Cult Center from MC (18thC) to Hellenistic Period (3rdC B.C.)!

31. Ayia Irini 50 Female LHIIIA- B TC Statues

32. Linear-B God Names We Recognize A-RE Ares? E-NU-WA-RI-JO Enyalios (“warlike” or “battle”, later epithet for Ares) PA-JA-WO-NE Paiawon ("Paian", later epithet for Apollo) PO-SE-DA-O-NE Poseidon (main god at Pylos) E-NE-SI-DA-O-NE Enosidas ("Enosigaios" or "Earthshaker") DI-WO Zeus

33. Unknown Deities? PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia ("mistress") DA-PU-RI-TO-JO PO-TI-NI- JA Potnia of the Labyrinth A-TA-NA PO-TI-NI-JA Potnia (from?) Atana (= "Athena"?) DI-WI-JA Diwia (female counterpart of Zeus) PO-SI-DA-E-JA Posidaieia (female counterpart of Poseidon) PA-KI-JA-NI-JA Sphagianeia?? I-QE-JA Hippeia ("of horses"?) A-SI-WI-JA Aswia NE-WO-PE-O ? U-PO-JO ?