- Beehive tomb
A beehive tomb, also known as the tholos tomb (plural tholoi), is a burial structure characterised by its false
dome created by the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudbricks or, more often, stones. The resulting structure resembles abeehive and hence the traditional English name.Tholoi were used for burial in several cultures in the Mediterranean and
West Asia , but in some cases they were used for different purposes such as homes (Cyprus), ritual (Syria), and even fortification (Spain, Sardinia). The ultimate origin of this architectural technique could be in theNeolithic culture ofTell Halaf (Syria andTurkey ).Greece
In
Greece , the "tholoi" are a monumental LateBronze Age development of either theMycenaean chamber tomb s ortumulus burials dating to the Middle Bronze Age.After about
1500 BCE , beehivetomb s became more widespread. They were built as corbelledarch es, with layers of stone placed closer together as the arch tapers toward the top of the tomb. The tombs usually contain more than oneburial , in various places in the tomb either on the floor, in pits and cists or on stone-built or rock-cut benches, and with variousgrave goods . After a burial, the entrance to the tomb was filled in withsoil , leaving a small mound with most of the tomb underground.The tripartite structure of the tombs is not always evident in the earliest mainland examples (for example at
Voidhokoilia ), but by the time the architectural type had leftMessenia , the separation into chamber,stomion anddromos was fixed. The chamber is always built inmasonry , even in the earliest examples, as is the stomion or entrance-way, which provided an opportunity for conspicuous demonstration of wealth. The dromos was often just cut from thebedrock , even in some of the earlier examples atMycenae itself. In later examples, all three parts were constructed of fineashlar masonry.The abundance of such tombs, often with more than one being associated with a settlement during one specific time period, may indicate that their use was not confined to the ruling
monarchy only, although the sheer size and therefore the outlay required for the larger tombs (ranging from about 10 meters to about 15 meters in diameter and height) would argue in favour of royal commissions. The larger tombs contained amongst the richest finds to have come from the Late Bronze Age of Mainland Greece, despite the tombs having beenpillage d both in antiquity and more recently.There are also recorded Etruscan tombs at a necropolis at
Banditaccia from the 6th and 7th Centuries BCE having an external appearance similar to a beehive. The interiors are decorated and furnished as Etruscan dwellings.Levant and Cyprus
The oldest known "tholoi" (beehive buildings) are found in the
Neolithic Halafian culture of Syria and Turkey, where they may have been used for ritual purposes. Later they are found inCyprus (Khirokitia), where they were used as homes.outhwest Europe and Sardinia
In the
Chalcolithic period of theIberian peninsula , beehive tombs appear among other innovative "megalith ic" variants, since c. 3000 BCE. They are especially common in southernSpain andPortugal , while in Central Portugal and southeastern France other styles (artificialcave s especially) are preferred instead. The civilization ofLos Millares and itsBronze Age successor,El Argar , are particularly related to this burial style. [Cerdá, F.J., et al, "Historia de España I. Prehistoria", 1986. ISBN 84-249-1015-X]The Bronze Age fortifications known as "
motillas " inLa Mancha (Spain) also use the "tholos" building technique.The imposing stone structures known as "
nuraghi " as well as the similar structures of southernCorsica , dominated the Bronze Age landscape ofSardinia (Italy). Nuraghi are truncated conical towers of dry-laid stone, about 40 feet in diameter, sloping up to a circular roof some 50 feet above the ground. The vaulted ceiling is 20 to 35 feet above the floor.Although the remains of some 7,000 nuraghi have been found, up to 30,000 may have been built.Oman
The earliest stone-built tombs which can be called "beehive" are in
Oman , built of stacked flat stones which occur in nearby geological formations. They date to between 3,500 and 2,500 years BCE, to a period when the Arabian peninsula was subject to much more rainfall than now, and supported a flourishing civilisation in what is now desert, to the west of the mountain range along theGulf of Oman . No burial remains have ever been retrieved from these "tombs", though there seems no other purpose for their building. They have only superficial similarities with the Aegean tombs (circular shape) as they are built entirely above ground level and do not share the same tripartite structure - the entrances are usually an undifferentiated part of the circular walling of the tomb.Currently there are three areas where these tombs can be found:
Al Hajar Region, Hat Region, and Hadbin area close to Barka. The Hajar tombs are very numerous and one or two have been restored, allowing you to crawl into the centre of a 5-6m tall stone structure.ee also
*
Mycenaean Greece
*Nuraghi Notes and references
* Sturgis, Russell (1906). "A History of Architecture", Vol. I, pp. 123-25. New York: Baker & Taylor.
External links
* [http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/ancient/aegean_art.htm Mycenaean tholos tombs paintings]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.