Ashes to Kraters, Dust to Jugs. Use of Ceramic Vessels as Urns in the Middle and Late Bronze Age East Aegean–West Anatolian Region

Abstract

The appearance of a large number of cremation burials towards the end of the Late Bronze Age in the west Aegean is usually explained as a result of the influence from the east Aegean–west Anatolian region, which is itself seen as influenced by the central Anatolian tradition. Although in some cases the cremated remains were deposited directly into graves, there are a number of cases in which they were first deposited in urns. This paper focuses on the use of urns in the east Aegean–west Anatolian region during the Middle and Late Bronze Age. It examines the use of different shapes of ceramic vessels as urns, as well as the similarities and differences between the attested traditions. The paper also compares the east Aegean–west Anatolian traditions to the picture emerging from the cemeteries in central Anatolia in order to re-examine the possible origin of the east Aegean–west Anatolian practices. Moreover, the east Aegean–west Anatolian traditions in the use of ceramic vessels as urns are compared to the newly emerged traditions at the end of the Late Bronze Age in the west Aegean. Finally, the results are used to re-evaluate the widely accepted and simplified narratives about the spread of the cremation burial rite from Anatolia to the west Aegean.