Les armes aux premiers temps de la Grèce mycénienne : marqueurs de pouvoir et de hiérarchie sociale

At the end of the Middle Helladic period (ca. 1650-1550 BC, MH), major cultural and social changes occurred in mainland Greece. Weapons were deposited in graves of this period. This practice, generally ignored during the major part of the MH (from 2000 BC), continued during the whole Mycenaean period, i.e. the Late Helladic period (1550-1050 BC, LH). Of course, weapons are instruments made for attack or defence and used at the time of conflict or war. Weapons make individuals more powerful, and so can be regarded as markers of power. However, it is by considering the funerary context in which the weapons appear that the social position of their owners during the first Mycenaean phases can be discussed. We argue that the warrior being or status at the beginning of the LH period is assimilated to the chief one, but is probably different in LH III A1, before the LH IIIA2-B palatial period