The House of Kadmos at Mycenaean Thebes: A preliminary re-examination of the architecture

Abstract

During 1906-1929 Antonios Keramopoullos unearthed the surviving portion of a massive Mycenaean building at Thebes, Greece, the so-called "House of Kadmos". In 1971, and possibly in 1964, more parts of this building came to light south of Keramopoullos' excavations. This research does not claim to be an integrated analysis of the building in terms of "form, function and chronology", but is a preliminary study of its architectural remains. The thesis focuses on the schematic reconstruction of the landscape upon which the building stands, the description of the surviving remains, the analysis of building materials and construction techniques. The prominent location of the edifice and some of its construction characteristics (e.g. the pseudo-ashlar wall, a possible light-well, the multi-storeyed elevation) would seem to fit the standards of Mycenaean palatial architecture. However, whether the "House of Kadmos" is the central core of a palace or an (ancillary?) palatial structure is unclear, although the terrace type employed suggests that it was a free-standing building. The surviving portion of the plan reveals that it was predetermined and that it belongs to a purely Helladic architectural tradition, already crystallised in Menelaion Mansion I. A summary of the excavation campaigns and recorded clean-up operations, as well as general discussions on the plan and the elevation of the building are included (Volume I). A new plan, sections and other original drawings accompany the dissertation (Volume II). The plan and sections are based on the results of two fieldwork campaigns at the "House of Kadmos" (April and July 1998).