The Conglomerate Quarry at the Mycenaean Site of Vapheio-Palaiopyrgi

Abstract

Although many studies have been published on Minoan quarries, few details have ever been published on Mycenaean quarries. Here we present a conglomerate quarry discovered at the Bronze Age site of Vapheio-Palaiopyrgi in Laconia, best known for its tholos tomb. The quarry preserves many unusual features, including a column base in situ and curved cuttings indicating the removal of additional blocks of stone. It is proposed that the quarry should be associated with Late Bronze Age Mycenaean culture based on its topography, the importance of the Eurotas Valley in this era, and the material—namely conglomerate—that characterized and became symbolic of Mycenaean prestige architecture.