The Construction of the Aegisthus Tholos Tomb at Mycenae and the ‘Helladic Heresy’

Abstract

The article examines the importance of the Aegisthus tholos tomb in the formation of the tripartite chronological scheme of the Mycenae tholos tombs by A. J. B. Wace. The scheme is assessed in the light of the epistemological debate between Wace and Evans concerning the nature and extent of Minoan influence on mainland Greece in the early Late Bronze Age. It is here suggested that the two-phase construction identified by Wace in the Aegisthus tholos contributed significantly to the establishment of the structural development of the Mycenae tholoi, an important point against Evans's views on the subject. The two-phase construction is re-visited with a view to highlight its importance in Wace's scheme but more significantly to shed light on the planning and execution of the Aegisthus tomb. While the two-phase construction cannot altogether be dismissed, it is suggested that the ashlar façade of the Aegisthus tomb was not an afterthought, as is largely maintained, but a preplanned action and part of the tomb's original design.