Abeehive tomb, also known as atholos tomb (pluraltholoi; fromGreek:θολωτός τάφος,romanized: tholotós táphos,θολωτοί τάφοιtholotoi táphoi, "domed tomb(s)"), is a burial structure characterized by itsfalse dome created bycorbelling, the superposition of successively smaller rings of mudbricks or, more often, stones. The resulting structure resembles abeehive, hence the traditional English name.
Tholoi were used for burial in several cultures in theMediterranean andWest Asia, but in some cases they were used for different purposes such as homes (Cyprus), rituals (Bulgaria, Syria), and even fortification (Spain, Sardinia). AlthoughMax Mallowan used the same name for the circular houses belonging to theNeolithic culture ofTell Halaf (Iraq,Syria andTurkey), there is no relationship between them.
InGreece, the vaultedtholoi are a monumental LateBronze Age development. Their origin is a matter of considerable debate: were they inspired by the tholoi ofCrete which were first used in theEarly Minoan period[1] or were they a natural development oftumulus burials dating to the Middle Bronze Age.[2]In concept, they are similar to the much more numerousMycenaean chamber tombs which seem to have emerged at about the same time. Both have chamber, doorwaystomion and entrance passagedromos but tholoi are largely built while chamber tombs are rock-cut.[3]
A few early examples of tholoi have been found inMessenia in the SW Peloponnese Greece (for example atVoidhokoilia),[4] and recently nearTroezen in the NE Peloponnese.[5] These tholoi are built on level ground and then enclosed by a mound of earth. A pair of tumuli atMarathon, Greece indicate how a built rectangular (but without a vault) central chamber was extended with an entrance passage.[6]
After about1500 BCE, beehivetombs became more widespread and are found in every part of the Mycenaean heartland. In contrast, however, to the early examples these are almost always cut into the slope of a hillside so that only the upper third of the vaulted chamber was above ground level. This masonry was then concealed with a relatively small mound of earth.
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 chamber is always built inmasonry, even in the earliest examples, as is the stomion or entrance-way. The dromos in early examples was usually just cut from thebedrock, as in the Panagia Tomb atMycenae itself. In later examples such as theTreasury of Atreus andTomb of Clytemnestra (both atMycenae), all three parts were constructed of fineashlar masonry.[7]
The chambers were built ascorbelled vaults, with layers of stone placed closer together as the vault tapers toward the top of the tomb. These stone layers were trimmed from inside the tomb, creating a smooth dome.[8][9][10]
The entrances provided an opportunity for conspicuous demonstration of wealth. That of the Treasury of Atreus, for example, was decorated with columns of red and green “Lapis Lacedaimonius” brought from quarries over 100 km away.
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 rulingmonarchy only, although the sheer size and therefore the outlay required for the larger tombs (ranging 10–15 m (33–49 ft) 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 beenpillaged both inantiquity and more recently. Although theVapheio tholos, south of Sparta, had been robbed, two cists in the floor had escaped notice. These contained, among other valuable items, the two gold “Vapheio cups” decorated with scenes of bull taming which are among the best known of Mycenaean treasures.[11]
Circular structures were commonly built in the Near East, including the examples known astholoi found in theNeolithicHalaf culture of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. They were probably used as both houses and as storage structures, but ritual use may also have occurred. Other, later examples are found inCyprus (Khirokitia), where they were used as homes. There is no clear connection between these domestic, circular buildings and later tholos tombs.
In theChalcolithic period of theIberian Peninsula, beehive tombs appear among other innovative "megalithic" variants, from c. 3000 BCE. They are especially common in southernSpain andPortugal, while in Central Portugal and southeastern France other styles (artificialcaves especially) are preferred instead. The civilization ofLos Millares and itsBronze Age successor,El Argar, are particularly related to this burial style.[12]
The Bronze Age fortifications known asmotillas inLa Mancha (Spain) also use thetholos building technique.
The imposing stone structures known asnuraghi, 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.
There are also recordedEtruscan tombs at a necropolis atBanditaccia dating from the 6th and 7th centuries BCE, having an external appearance similar to a beehive. The interiors of these Etruscan tombs were furnished and decorated to resemble domestic dwellings, providing insight into the Etruscan practice of honoring the dead in a manner that reflected daily life.
The beehiveThracian Tomb of Kazanlak is an example of the richly decorated tholoi tombs ofThracian rulers, many of which are found in modernBulgaria and date from the 4th–3rd century BCE. The walls of the Kazanlak tomb are covered with plaster and stucco, with ornate scenes from the life of the deceased. Othertumuli, known asmogili in Bulgarian, that feature underground chambers in the form of a beehive dome include, among others, theThracian Tomb of Sveshtari,Thracian tomb of Aleksandrovo,Golyama Arsenalka,Tomb of Seuthes III,Thracian tomb Shushmanets,Thracian tomb Griffins,Thracian tomb Helvetia,Thracian tomb Ostrusha. There have been severalsignificant gold and silver treasures associated with Thracian tombs currently kept at Bulgaria's Archaeological andNational Historical Museum and other institutions.
The earliest stone-built tombs which can be called "beehive" are inOman and theU.A.E., built of stacked flat stones which occur in nearby geological formations. They date to theHafit period of the earlyBronze Age, between 3,500 and 2,500 years BCE, a period when theArabian Peninsula was subject to much more rainfall than now, and supported a flourishing civilization in what is now theArabian Desert, to the west of theHajar Mountains along theGulf of Oman. No burial remains have ever been retrieved from these "tombs", though there seems no other purpose for their construction. They are only superficially similar to 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 (particularlyJebel Hafeet nearAl Ain in the U.A.E.,[13] and theArchaeological Sites of Bat, Al-Khutm and Al-Ayn in Oman),[14] Hat Region, and Hadbin area close toBarkaʾ. The Hajar tombs are very numerous and one or two have been restored, allowing one to crawl into the centre of a tall stone structure measuring 5–6 m (16–20 ft).
NE of Qandala is a field of tombs of varying sizes.
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