Defunti, antenati, eroi : fenomenologia del tomb cult

Abstract

This study is specifically concerned with cult activities at Bronze Age tombs. This phenomenon, known as 'tomb cult', is not widespread all over Greece, evidences for definite and intensive worship are meager and some of the materials found in connection with chamber or tholos tombs may also be intrusive. By contrast, cults at Mycenaean tombs have gained attention in the last decades and have been described as an important means of self-definition; hero cult and ancestors cult, also, have been claimed as an interpretation of this kind of worship but no explanation seems to be really exhaustive. The main issue is to investigate the phenomenon with a proper methodology, which is actually lacking. In my research Data have been investigated with a philological and contextual approach, whose main aim was to evaluate the existence of a definite votive character in the depositions at Bronze Age tombs; “cult” and “ritual/sacred” activities have been distinguished from “profane” activities and conclusions have been drawn from both cultual and non-cultual examples. These data did not support the view that Bronze age tombs were object of cult: most often ancient tombs were not worshipped at all or were treated with disrespect. These results suggest the opportunity of a more articulated interpretation of the evidence and a reconsideration of the so-called “tomb cult” at Mycenaean tombs, which seems to be only a modern theoretical model that does not apply to the ancient world. [edited by author]