Kingship
in the Mycenaean World and
Its Reflections in the Oral Tradition
by Ione Mylonas Shear
During
the last few decades, there has been great interest in the
problems of defining the extent and nature of kingship in
the Mycenaean world. Questions concerning the degree of
economic and religious power held by the king have been
given special emphasis. This book surveys the conclusions
drawn by individual scholars studying the Linear B tablets,
contrasts their theories with our knowledge of the Mycenaean
kingdoms as derived from the archaeological record, and
finally compares this evidence with possible reflections
in the oral tradition, specifically in the Iliad and Odyssey.
This approach leads to the suggestion that the king in the
Mycenaean period had only limited power over the society
and its economy. Although the king appears to have controlled
a large segment of the economy, it is argued here that other
individuals and family groups within the kingdom also had
a certain degree of economic independence.
Contents: Introduction; 1. The Archaeological Evidence;
2. The Evidence of the Linear B Tablets; 3. The Ugarit Parallel; 4. The Evidence
of the Oral Tradition; 5. The End of the Tradition; 6. Summary.
120p, 8 b/w figs
(Prehistory Monographs 13,
INSTAP Academic Press, 2004)
ISBN 1-931534-12-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-931534-12-3
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