House of the Tiles

Coordinates: 37°33′04″N 22°43′06″E / 37.5512°N 22.7183°E / 37.5512; 22.7183
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
House of the Tiles
Early Helladic III (c. 2200 – c. 2100 BC)
CulturesKorakou culture
Site notes
Excavation dates1950s
ArchaeologistsJohn Langdon Caskey

The House of the Tiles is a monumental Early

architectural features that were advanced for its time during the Helladic period, notably its roof covered by baked tiles, which gave the building its name.[1][2] The building belongs to the "corridor house" type.[3][4]

History

Excavation

The site was excavated during the early 1950s by the

Structure

The structure dates to the

Greek architecture in the 7th century BC.[12] The walls of the "House of the Tiles" were constructed with sun-dried bricks on stone socles.[2]

Destruction

Carbon-14 dating indicates that the House of the Tiles was finally destroyed by fire in the 22nd century BC.[9] Not long after the destruction, the place was cleared in such a way as to leave a low tumulus over the site.[9] The destruction of both the building and the building site was first attributed by John Langdon Caskey to an invasion of Greeks and/or Indo-Europeans during the Early Helladic III period.[13] John Coleman, however, argued in 2000 that the elaborate structure of the tumulus built during the Early Helladic III period over the ruins of the House of the Tiles indicates a "showing of respect for their predecessors that one would not expect of invaders of a different culture."[14]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Cline 2012, p. 202: "The House of the Tiles was named for the enormous quantity of fired clay roof tiles associated with the building. It was built of mud brick over a substantial stone foundation course (ca. 12 x 25 m), with traces of wood-sheathed doorjambs and stucco-plastered walls in some rooms. It was two stories high, as indicated by traces of stairways, and may have had several verandas upstairs, partially covered by a pitched roof, as suggested by Shaw (1990). The House of the Tiles was preceded by an earlier structure of similar type, House BG. Those buildings sometimes also incorporated elaborate clay hearths that are decorated with stamped-seal impressions."
  2. ^ a b Overbeck 1969, p. 5.
  3. ^ Shaw 1987, pp. 59–79.
  4. ^ Pullen 2008, pp. 36, 43 (Endnote #22): "A corridor house is a large, two-story building consisting of two or more large rooms flanked by narrow corridors on the sides. Some of those corridors held staircases, others were used for storage."
  5. ^ "John Langdon Caskey, Professor of Archeology". New York Times. Associated Press. 8 December 1981.
  6. ^ a b Overbeck 1969, p. 6.
  7. ^ Overbeck 1969, p. 5; Shaw 1987, p. 59.
  8. ^ Neer 2012, pp. 44–45.
  9. ^ a b c Caskey 1968, p. 314.
  10. ^ Shaw 1987, p. 72.
  11. ^ Shear 2000, pp. 133–134.
  12. ^ Wikander 1990, p. 285.
  13. ^ Caskey 1960, pp. 285–303.
  14. ^ Coleman 2000, p. 106: "The people of EH III constructed an elaborate tumulus over the ruins of the EH II "House of the Tiles (Caskey 1960; 1965:144–145) showing respect for their predecessors that one would not expect of invaders of a different culture."

Sources