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Burial practices in Late Bronze Age Macedonia do not manifest particularly elaborate traits in terms of grave architecture and prestigious items accompanying the dead. In contrast to practices in the southern mainland, local communities adopted subtler and less homogeneous forms of treating the deceased in an attempt to signify their particular identities in the cultural, political, and symbolic landscape. Recent research has established a special focus on descent in extramural cemeteries, such as the cist grave cemetery with multiple burials at Spathes on Mount Olympus, the tumuli of Western Macedonia and Southern Pieria, the burial enclosures of Faia Petra, and the tumuli at Exochi and Potamoi in Eastern Macedonia. In Central Macedonia, on the other hand, where tell settlements dominate the natural and symbolic landscape, burial practices possess a less prominent place in the social space. The dominant trait here seems to be the absence of formal mortuary practices. Burials may occur within the settlement without special care regarding the treatment of the dead, but with a desire to mark out the links of the deceased with particular residential groups. The handling of death in Late Bronze Age Macedonia emerges therefore as a powerful practice, which was manipulated in different modes by the living communities in order to claim a diverse set of social identities and significant properties in the diverse cultural landscape and the varied political scenery of the area.

We use stable isotope analysis of crop, faunal and human remains to investigate agricultural strategies and diet at EBA-LBA Archontiko and MBA-LBA Thessaloniki Toumba. Crop production strategies varied between settlements, phases and species; flexibility is also apparent within the crop stores of individual houses. Escalating manuring intensity at LBA Thessaloniki Toumba coincides with large co-residential ‘blocks’ geared towards hoarding of agricultural surpluses, spectacularly preserved by fire at nearby LBA Assiros Toumba. Faunal isotope values reflect a range of feeding strategies, including probable herding of cattle on C4-rich coastal salt marshes, evident at Archontiko through to the LBA alongside bulk cockle harvesting. Palaeodietary analysis of LBA humans at Thessaloniki Toumba indicates that C3 crops represent the only plausible staples. Millet was a minor food but may have played a particular role in the sub-adult diet. Meat probably featured in supra-household food sharing and hospitality, associated with Mycenaean-style tableware in the LBA.

The synthesis and characterization of potassium 4-styrenesulfonyl (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (STFSIK) monomer as well as its controlled/living nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMRP), using N-tert-Butyl-N-(2-methyl-1-phenylpropyl)-O-(1-phenylethyl) hydroxylamine as initiator in 50% w/v solutions of DMF at 125 °C, are reported. The kinetic studies of STFSIK indicated controlled/“living” polymerization process free of coupling and transfer reactions. 1H NMR and SEC were employed to determine the rate of monomer consumption and molecular weight distribution, Ð, of the synthesized samples. The polymerization reaction established high monomer conversion in just an hour with high end-group fidelity and the ability to continue polymerization with no visible terminations. Finally, the synthesis of the corresponding PSTFSILi homopolymer was achieved through a metathesis reaction between PSTFSIK and LiClO4, and the subsequent purification was successful against dialysis in water.

This study investigates the origin of the lithic findings from the prehistoric site at Toumba, Thessaloniki in Greece, during the Early Bronze Age (EBA). The artefacts from the excavation were studied in order to compare the raw materials utilized for the manufacture of these tools with the geological occurrences of the corresponding materials in the broader region. This research provides evidence for the provenance of these materials and consequently some insight into the socioeconomic system of the settlement. For this reason, samples of siliceous sediments were chosen from regions with similar geological formations, such as Vasilika and Galatista. Apart from macroscopic examination, both archaeological and petrographic, microscopic examination was also applied in order to identify the microstructure and the mineralogical context, and finally geochemical study by ICP-MS analysis and XRF spectrometry for determining the major, trace and rare earth element concentrations. The comparison of these features with the archaeological features reveals that during the Early Bronze Age there was possibly a relation between Toumba inhabitants and the regions of Vasilika and Galatista for the procurement of chert. The petrographic examination of the lithic findings shows whether the tools are manufactured in the settlement or if there is an import of tools from other sites.

Numerous objects of gold displaying an impressive variety of types and manufacturing techniques are known from the Late Bronze Age (LBA) contexts of Mycenaean Greece, but very little is known about the origin and processing of gold during the second millennium B.C: . Ancient literature and recent research indicate that northern Greece is probably the richest gold-bearing region in Greece, and yet, very little evidence exists regarding the exploitation of its deposits and the production as well as use of gold in the area during prehistory. The unusual find of a group of small stone crucibles at the prehistoric settlement of Thessaloniki Toumba, one with visible traces of gold melting, proves local production and offers a rare opportunity to examine the process of on-site gold working. Furthermore, the comparison of the chemical composition of prehistoric artefacts from two settlements with those of gold deposits in their immediate areas supports the local extraction of gold and opens up the prospect for some of the Mycenaean gold to have originated in northern Greece. The scarcity of gold items in northern Greek LBA contexts may not represent the actual amount of gold produced and consumed, but could be a result of the local social attitudes towards the circulation and deposition of artefacts from precious metals.

Cet article propose de resumer l'etat des recherches et les principaux resultats des projets d'etude de ces deux dernieres decennies sur le Neolithique et l'Age du Bronze des provinces grecques de Thessalie, de Macedoine, de Thrace et d'Epire

The northern Aegean communities were dynamic partakers of the cultural processes that transformed southeast Europe and the Aegean during the Neolithic period until the end of the fifth millennium. During the third millennium, however, the dramatic developments in settlement organization, elaboration of material culture, technological advancement, and exchange caused the focus of changes to shift to the south and east. This article concentrates on the regions of the north, which present the strongest evidence for contacts with the cultural developments in the Aegean during the Bronze Age. These include the islands of Thasos and Samothrace, coastal Thrace, the coastal plains of central and southern Macedonia, and the peninsula of Chalkidiki. The discussion also focuses on parts of the inland basins of eastern, central, and western Macedonia and leaves out northern Macedonia, which remained outside the reach of significant Aegean influences.

The study of technology transfer in pottery production to the periphery of the Mycenaean world has been addressed by considering two different areas, southern Italy and central Macedonia. Technological features such as ceramic paste, decoration and firing have been determined for different ceramic groups established according to provenance criteria. The studies of technology and provenance have been performed following an archaeometric approach, using neutron activation analysis, petrographic analysis, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results have revealed the existence of two different models. On the one hand, southern Italy seems to exhibit a more organized pottery production, which follows a Mycenaean-like technology, while in central Macedonia production is probably more varied, being based in part on the technology of the local tradition.

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