Greek Thrace and the Archaic Period Thassian peraia: interaction, dialogue, contact and network in Northern Aegean

It is our objective, in this article, to present geographical and historical aspects of South Western Thrace and the island of Thassos, as well as to bring up and highlight the interaction between continent and island. Thassos has a marked proximity to the continent and, according to archaeological sources1, a close relationship between the island and the region of Thrace since the Neolithic period can be established. With the arrival of the Greeks, in the Archaic Period, the fluidity of the contact between continent and island solidified with the foundation of Thassian settlements within Thracian territory. This relationship was marked by intense commercial and social exchanges and local and regional interactions in the Northern Aegean in the Archaic Period.

THE DOUBLE CREMATION BURIAL WITHIN THE URBAN INSULAE: HEROON OF ARCHAIC BORYSTHENES?

В ходе раскопок архаического поселения на о. Березань в устье Днепро-Бугского лимана в 1970 г. была сделана важная находка, значению которой ранее не уделялось должного внимания. Экспедицией ИА АН УССР под руководством В. В. Лапина раскрыто двойное захоронение - кремация. Два ионийских сосуда, использованные в качестве урн для помещения праха, и аттическая чаша на ножке, послужившая в качестве крышки одного из них, позволяют датировать погребение концом VI или рубежом VI-V вв. до н. э. Понимание контекста захоронения затруднено плохой сохранностью окружающих архаических строительных остатков - они в значительной степени уничтожены при строительстве на этом месте большого комплекса построек в IV в. до н. э. Однако установлено, что двойное погребение находилось на значительном удалении от некрополя, в центральной части городского квартала, и всего в 18 метрах от общественного здания - т. н. «дома с апсидой». Возможно, здесь был расположен героон. Раскрытые В. В. Лапиным погребения вполне могли бы принадлежать кому-то из лидеров колонистов, основавших и построивших на Березани урбанизированное поселение несколькими десятилетиями ранее - в начале третьей четверти VI в. до н. э. Захоронение с двойной кремацией своей датировкой приблизительно совпадает со сменой строительных фаз II-A и II-B в периодизации Березанского поселения. Завершение фазы II-A отмечается пожарами, разрушениями и последующими перестройками, прослеженными в разных частях памятника. Нельзя исключить того, что гибель двух человек, погребенных неподалеку от «дома с апсидой», также была связана с этой катастрофой, причины которой пока не установлены. During the excavations of an Archaic period settlement on the Berezan island in the mouth of the Dnieper-Bug silted estuary in 1970 an important find was made that was not given due consideration. The expedition of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences led by V. V. Lapin discovered a double cremation burial. Two Ionian vessels (Fig. 3) used as urns with ashes and an Attic footed cup that was used as a lid of one of these vessels suggest that the burial dates to the end of the 6th c. BC or the end of the 6th - early 5th cc. BC. Understanding the burial context is hampered by poor preservation conditions of archaic buildings debris which were mostly pulled down during construction of a group of buildings in the 4th c. BC. However, it has been found that the double burial was located at a long distance from the necropolis in the central part of the city blocks, only 18 m away from the public building, the so called house with an apse (Fig. 2). Maybe, a heroon was located there. The burials uncovered by V. V. Lapin probably belonged to one of the colonists’ leaders who had founded this urban settlement on the Berezan island several decades before, i.e. in the early third quarter of the 6th c. BC. Chronologically the double cremation burial almost coincides with the replacement of construction phases II-A and II-B according to the Berezan settlement periodization. The end of construction phases II-A was marked by fires, collapse of buildings and subsequent rebuilding traced in various parts of the site. We cannot exclude that the death of two individuals buried not far from the house with the apse was also linked to this disaster by factors not yet identified

ἄριστον μέν ὕδωρ: An Examination of the Public Waterworks in Athens in the Early 5thC BCE

This article examines the design and social impact of waterways in Athens in the early 5thC BCE. While the Athenian political landscape transitioned from a series of tyrannies to democracy at the end of the Archaic period (ca. 650-480 BCE), the archaeological record also shows widespread innovation in the development of public water systems, particularly in sanitation and water supply. A movement away from buildings constructed by the Athenian tyrants facilitated the development of the Classical Agora and the creation of new public-use spaces and structures, like the Southeast Fountain House and the Great Drain in the Agora. The fountain has long been identified with the famous Peisistratid Enneakrounos (“Nine Spouts”) fountain, but through investigation into the arguments of J.M. Camp and Jessica Paga, I propose that a later date ca. 500 BCE is more suitable for the historical and archaeological context of the fountain. I investigate several Athenian waterworks built/maintained during the late Archaic period to the Classical period (~500-323 BCE): the Great Drain in the Agora, the Southeast Fountain House, the Klepsydra fountain, and the Asklepieion on the Akropolis. The works of Hippocrates, Thucydides, and—to a lesser extent—Pausanias, inform my examination of the implications of the construction of these waterworks and the development of democracy in the 5th century. These waterways show a dedicated shift from the private use of water and tyrannical building works, to a new, fully public and communal mode of engagement with the city and its resources.

A Gripping Tail: Re-interpreting the Archaic Potnia Theron Schema

<p>The Archaic Potnia Theron schema depicts a central female figure grasping an animal in each hand. She is often associated with the goddess Artemis. Yet, evidence from the early Archaic period indicates that she was not yet associated with the goddess. The identity of the schema has been the subject of a number of studies, and the connection of the figure with Artemis is well ingrained in scholarship. The identification of the figure as Artemis relies heavily on a brief description from Pausanias’s Perigesis, and the epithet Ποτνία Θηρῶν given to Artemis once in the Iliad (Hom. Il. 21.470). Furthermore, the image was later attributed to the goddess Artemis on account of her affiliations to wild animals. However, this thesis investigates the identification of the figure and examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for the attribution of the figure to Artemis in the Archaic period. Chapter One will investigate the Potnia Theron schema and its use in the Bronze Age. It will consider the possible contribution that the Bronze Age schema may have had on the image in the Archaic period, acknowledging possible influence from the Near East. It will also discuss problems with Archaic source material, the fluidity of Archaic Greek religion, and the characteristics of the Archaic Potnia Theron schema. Chapter Two will analyse the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta as the main case study for the use of the Archaic schema in a sanctuary context. The chronology at the site, and its examples of the schema make it particularly useful for this investigation. Chapter Three will follow with an analysis of the schema on items lacking contexts, as it was used for decorative purposes on vases, jewelry, and plaques. Finally, Chapter Four will examine the role of Artemis, how the Potnia Theron pose has since been interpreted to represent the goddess. This thesis will determine when the schema became associated with Artemis and investigate evidence for its use prior to this association.</p>

A Gripping Tail: Re-interpreting the Archaic Potnia Theron Schema

<p>The Archaic Potnia Theron schema depicts a central female figure grasping an animal in each hand. She is often associated with the goddess Artemis. Yet, evidence from the early Archaic period indicates that she was not yet associated with the goddess. The identity of the schema has been the subject of a number of studies, and the connection of the figure with Artemis is well ingrained in scholarship. The identification of the figure as Artemis relies heavily on a brief description from Pausanias’s Perigesis, and the epithet Ποτνία Θηρῶν given to Artemis once in the Iliad (Hom. Il. 21.470). Furthermore, the image was later attributed to the goddess Artemis on account of her affiliations to wild animals. However, this thesis investigates the identification of the figure and examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for the attribution of the figure to Artemis in the Archaic period. Chapter One will investigate the Potnia Theron schema and its use in the Bronze Age. It will consider the possible contribution that the Bronze Age schema may have had on the image in the Archaic period, acknowledging possible influence from the Near East. It will also discuss problems with Archaic source material, the fluidity of Archaic Greek religion, and the characteristics of the Archaic Potnia Theron schema. Chapter Two will analyse the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta as the main case study for the use of the Archaic schema in a sanctuary context. The chronology at the site, and its examples of the schema make it particularly useful for this investigation. Chapter Three will follow with an analysis of the schema on items lacking contexts, as it was used for decorative purposes on vases, jewelry, and plaques. Finally, Chapter Four will examine the role of Artemis, how the Potnia Theron pose has since been interpreted to represent the goddess. This thesis will determine when the schema became associated with Artemis and investigate evidence for its use prior to this association.</p>

Wandering wives or foreign fillies? The women of archaic Greek colonisation

<p>Greek colonisation in the archaic period encompassed an enormous geographical area. But for all its prevalence, the textual evidence is limited in both quantity and quality and the archaeological evidence goes only some way towards helping decipher social change and ethnicity. These issues become even more apparent when considering the position of women in the new city foundations. Did Greek colonists take their own wives with them to their new homes? Were Greek women sent out at a later date once the colony had become established? Did Greek colonists intermarry with indigenous women on arrival? Or did something else happen, including a mix of these options? The weight of scholarly opinion currently falls in favour of intermarriage, though frequently little evidence is proffered to support this view. This thesis focuses on this hypothesis and examines the evidence (or lack thereof) to support this conclusion. Chapter One examines the problems associated with archaic Greek colonisation generally, particularly those issues connected with the ‘language of colonisation’. The study of Greek colonisation has been complicated by imprecise and ambiguous terminology, which frequently draws comparison with more modern (although altogether different) instances of the phenomenon. A major repercussion of this is the tendency to overlook both women and any indigenous peoples. The opening chapter also examines the various reasons behind the foundation of colonies, as well as the different types of settlements, so that an assessment can be made as to whether Greek women might have been more likely to accompany colonising expeditions in some instances over others. Chapter Two looks at the concept of intermarriage more closely and assesses Greek attitudes towards foreign women. It also evaluates the evidence typically called upon by scholars to argue for and against intermarriage in Greek colonisation. Chapter Three assesses the evidence for the presence of women in ten different colonies. Presented roughly in chronological order, these colonies were selected for their geographical scope, covering different regions from the Western Mediterranean, Magna Graecia, North Africa, and the Black Sea. This discussion explores both the literary and archaeological evidence (where possible) for each of these colonies and assesses the potential for intermarriage. This thesis demonstrates that broad conclusions about intermarriage as a widespread practice are unsustainable and concludes that colonisation in the archaic period cannot be considered a uniform phenomenon.</p>