The Houses of Gournia: An Analysis of the Late Minoan IB Period Residences
Date
2020-08-28
Authors
Lehmann, Kaylyn
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Abstract
The way people build and structure the spaces around them are connected to their ways of knowing the world. While the so-called palaces of the Minoans have been studied at great length, their houses have not had the same attention. The town site of Gournia, dating to 1750-1500 BCE, provides us with many examples of Minoan houses. My research explores the ways in which we can understand the ordering of Minoan house space by what has been left behind, namely the architecture and material culture. I ask: What patterns can be seen in these houses at the Minoan site of Gournia? Are we able to learn anything about the social dynamics of the town and households via these patterns? My findings indicate certain use-related zones within the houses at Gournia can be seen architectonically and through material culture, and that these patterns may tell us about the worldview of the people who created them. In this paper, I discuss my research findings including what housing architecture suggests about private versus public space, and how that knowledge can help us understand Minoan society better.
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Keywords
Minoan culture, Houses, Spatial syntax, Domestic space