Consuming Local and Imported Pots at Kakovatos: Regional and Interregional Connections

The building complex at the acropolis plateau and the three adjacent, richly furnished tholos tombs attest tothe existence of an elite group at the site of Kakovatos during early Mycenaean times. The tombs that contained, amongother precious finds, palatial jars and oval-mouthed amphorae verify the presence of a powerful social group operatingthere during this transformative period, when major social changes took place throughout the Peloponnese with theemergence of political and social hierarchies.An integrated project combining archaeological and scientific data is being carried out concerning both the finer andcoarser pottery from Kakovatos in order to shed light on issues of pottery production and supply. Petrographic datacombined with refiring tests and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) are closely associated with the typological andstylistic analysis of the pottery. The assemblage under study comprises plain and decorated ceramics found at the settlementand the tholos tombs, including the palatial jars and the oval-mouthed amphorae, typical transport containers oftenassociated with elite groups.The current study constitutes a first attempt at exploring the local, intraregional and interregional dynamics affectingsocial transformations in this part of the Peloponnese and neighbouring and more distant areas. The preliminary resultssuggest a rather intricate pattern of supply and consumption and a cosmopolitan lifestyle with local and imported potscombined in different activities, such as drinking but also cooking. Based on the variety of imported pots, it seemsthat there are wide connections and access to regional and long-distance networks and intensive circulation betweennorthern Triphylia and other parts of the Peloponnese, as well as between the site and distant regions. Two main linesof connections could be distinguished that link Kakovatos with Crete on the one hand and with other regions of thePeloponnese, especially the northeast (i.e. the Argolid), on the other.