This book explores the cost, expressed in labor, of constructing
fortifications during the Late Bronze Age in Greece (ca. 1600 - 1050
BCE). The underlying question for this study is whether the cost of
large scale constructions, built with large, unwieldy blocks, may have
overstretched the (economic) capabilities of communities, leading to
their collapse.
In order to determine the labor costs, the building process is
deconstructed and for each sub-process, the costs are determined. The
costs for these sub-processes are based on the amount of material that
is required and the speed with which the tasks associated with these
processes can be performed. However, a simplistic number expressing the
labor (in person-hours, for example), gives limited insight into the
impact such building projects may have had on the communities. Hence,
elaborate comparisons are made to put these labor costs into context.
This involves, for instance, comparisons between different
fortifications, different building styles, as well as between types of
structures. It is in these comparisons where the true strength of labor
cost studies lie.
This study on its own cannot definitively answer the question whether
these construction projects led to the downfall of the Mycenaean
communities. However, based purely on the results of the labor cost
analyses, it is shown that, despite the impressive nature of the walls,
both due to their size as well as due to the size of the stones used,
communities seem to have been able to cope with the stress it may have
put on their economies. This study, therefore, provides insights into
building processes, the impact of material and building styles on
construction costs as well as the large varieties that exist within a
context collectively known as 'Mycenaean'.
