Ancient Aegean Measurement Systems Analysed Through the Treasury of Atreus

Here the debated issue of units of length in building construction practice in ancient Aegean architecture is focused through the case study of the Mycaenean tholos tomb, the Treasury of Atreus. Recent architectural analysis of the monument highlights a geometric mesh underlying its architectural form, which reveals the coexistence of more than one unit of length and the geometric relations among them. These units are consistent with the modular units reported in the literature. Starting from such details, the present study explores the usefulness of the identified mesh for measuring lengths and areas in situ and controlling the construction process. The integrated analysis of length measurement systems and the associated geometric pattern shed light on their strict correlation. The contextualization of the units of length in their systems in multiples and sub-multiples and the aim to compute lengths explain and clarify the co-existence of diverse modular units in Aegean architecture.