Paper long abstract:

Although transitional instances in people's life have received various interpretations and a great amount of ethnographic data has been gathered, however approaching such instances in past cultures confronts two main problems: the scarcity of archaeological evidence and the inevitable etic point of view of the researcher.

However, in the frame of Minoan Archaeology, a method of evading these two main problems is proposed. Instead of trying to trace adequate archaeological data which could be referring to liminal instances, it is proposed to search for the ideological and religious preconditions that would allow the approach of liminal "landscapes". This could be achieved by focusing on phenomena which are evolved around indisputable facts of social change and importance, such as death.

Through detailed approach of the data coming from the tholos tombs in Crete during the Pre and the Protopalatial period, many indications can be gathered by focusing into the ritual acts. The performance of both primary and secondary burials into the same chamber, the offerings to the dead, the rituals taking place inside and outside the tomb, the practice of fumigations and cleanings inside the tomb, all these practices can be explained through the animistic theory and Hertz's theory of double burials. What is more, certain aspects of the architecture of these tombs and their geographic position in relation with the site they served seem to be in accordance with theories of cognitive psychology. Finally, there are some indications of fear towards the dead and their spirit.