Tomb Cult and the Post-Classical Polis

An archaeological pattern of cult activity at Bronze Age tombs has been detected in the late Classical and Hellenistic periods in Greece. It is argued that the pressures of political and institutional change within the polis at this time engendered the practice. In particular, the need felt by elite elements within the society to announce and legitimate their increasingly dominant role in civic life is believed to be a major impetus behind such cult activity.