The House of the Tiles burned c. 2,200 BCE. The next phase (Lerna 4) saw a deliberate earthen mound about 25 meters across with a stone perimeter built atop the ruins. Caskey read this as an Indo-European invasion; John Coleman argued in 2000 that conquerors wouldn't build monuments over victims' ashes, suggesting community continuity instead. Lerna later became a Mycenaean cemetery.
Destruction of House of Tiles c. 2200 BCE and deliberate burial mound
GreeceGeneral
Key facts
- The House of the Tiles was burned down around 2,200 BCE
- In the following phase (Lerna 4), a deliberate earthen mound 19 meters across with a stone perimeter enclosure was built directly on top of the ruins
- Caskey interpreted the event as an invasion by incoming Indo-European speakers
- Archaeologist John Coleman argued in 2000 that a conquering force would not build an elaborate monument over the ashes of those they destroyed, reading the mound as continuity by the same community
- Lerna continued in use as a Mycenaean-era cemetery before final abandonment around 1,250 BCE
- If the House of the Tiles was an elite seat of administrative power, Lerna pushes the emergence of complex stratified society in Greece centuries earlier than Mycenae, Argos, and Tiryns
Site mentioned
Sources
House of Tiles | ancient building, Lerna, Greecebritannica.com
The so-called House of Tiles at Lerna, destroyed by fire toward the end of the period, appears to have been an important focus for the community.
Lerna: A Preclassical Site in the Argolid. Vol. 8, The Historical Greek Villageajaonline.org
The site is famous for the mythical Hydra and for the House of Tiles, familiar to every student of Greek archaeology as an outstanding achievement of Early ...
Archaeological Site of Lerna, 'House of Tiles' & Stone Enclosureargolisculture.gr
The settlement of Lerna on the west side of the gulf of Argolida, in the modern village of Myloi, is one of the most important Prehistoric sites in Greece.
The House of Tiles at Lerna: Evidence for Early Bronze Age social ...camws.org
The Lerna residence is significant not only for its well-preserved architectural remains, but also for its informative deposits of clay sealings and ceramics.
Lernaascsa.edu.gr
A simple Neolithic village became a more complex settlement in the Early Helladic period when the massive House of the Tiles was built.
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