A Simplified 2D Methodology for Assessing the Stability of Carved Mycenaean Tombs Under Asymmetrical Geological Conditions
A Simplified 2D Methodology for Assessing the Stability of Carved Mycenaean Tombs Under Asymmetrical Geological Conditions
Rock-carved Mycenaean chamber tombs often exhibit complex geological asymmetry, such as stratification, discontinuities, weathering, and nearby slopes, while their structural response is inherently three-dimensional. In fully closed chambers, excavation induces circumferential (hoop) stresses along horizontal rings of the cavity, generating a ring-type confinement mechanism that significantly enhances stability. This mechanism is captured by axisymmetric analysis but is entirely absent in plane-strain models, which are nevertheless required to represent real-world asymmetry. As a result, direct plane-strain modelling of ring-type chambers can systematically exaggerate deformation and yielded zones and may lead to unnecessarily heavy or poorly targeted interventions. This paper proposes a simplified hybrid (pseudo-3D) methodology that restores the missing confinement in a 2D asymmetric model through an equivalent stabilizing pressure profile .The confinement function is derived analytically using Kirsch-type elastic solutions and/or extracted from staged axisymmetric reference analyses, and is then introduced into a plane-strain model that includes the actual stratigraphy and boundary conditions. The method is presented for both fully closed and fully open roof configurations (with brief reference to intermediate cases), and is illustrated through an exemplary application for the carved tomb 1 at Pellana.
Keywords: Carved Mycenaean tombs; pseudo-3D stability; hoop stresses; confinement correction; Kirsch solution; axisymmetric reference; plane strain; cultural heritage conservation.
Dimitrios Egglezos; L. Pantelidis
4th International Symposium on the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites
Underground Monuments and Rock Engineering
https://doi.org/10.53243/tc301-2026-58