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Ceramic roofing tiles were first invented during the Early Bronze Age (or Early Helladic [EH] period, ca. 3100-2000 BCE) and have been identified at 22 sites in mainland Greece. In this paper, I present a newly discovered assemblage of EH tiles from the site of Mitrou (East Lokris) and offer the first detailed, comparative analysis of EH tile production. I demonstrate that there was a shared tradition for the appropriate form and dimensions of tiles in mainland Greece. This uniformity, however, belies heterogeneity in production among sites and through time. The reconstructed chaîne opératoire of Mitrou's tiles, for instance, has affinities with the tiles of Zygouries (Corinthia) and Kolonna (Aegina), but not of the later House of the Tiles at Lerna and most tiles from Tiryns in the Argolid. With these results, I reveal a distinct network of interaction in mainland Greece in which construction knowledge was disseminated and maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of the symbols engraved on prehistoric unknown use terracotae, the so called frying pan vessels (Teganoschema), reveal a symbolic writing that depicts astronomical phenomena, that are complex calendars based on the Sun and the Moon and all then known planets. The frying pan vessels are mainly found in Cyclades, and around the Aegean, Crete, Attica, and Thessaly. They are artifacts of the Cycladic civilization of the Early Helladic Era. They have been found mainly in graves and settlements. The first findings came to light during the late nineteenth century in the islands of Cyclades and their possible use is still causing strong scientific interest, as it is unknown. Until now, archaeologists could not determine their use and the meaning of their representations. It was believed that these vessels were used in funeral rituals, therefore depicted patterns like the sun and the sea may be associated with beliefs about the afterlife. We have studied the morphology and the representations of the Cycladic frying pan vessels that are found in museums and in literature dating from the middle of the 4th millennium. In this paper we argue that the Cycladic frying pan contain calendars that are not only based on the periodicities of the Sun and Moon, but in a very advanced knowledge of the movements of the planets, their periodicities in relation to the Earth and the phases of Venus, which is used as calendar, as well as pregnancy and birth predictor calculator.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the decipherment of the Phaistos Disk. The present assumption is that the Disk was a solar calendar. The proposed method is used to recreate the night sky over Crete in the year 1613 B.C., beginning on September 1, and to follow the astral phenomena for a year thereafter. In addition, the figures on the Disk are interpreted by what is known about Bronze Age Cretan culture, especially agriculture. The result was a set of plausible interpretations of most of the icons found on the Disk. The conclusion is that the Phaistos Disk Unknown Script was created primarily to serve as a guide to the timing of agricultural activities and religious rituals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]