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Roads and Forts in Northwestern Attica Author(S): Eugene Vanderpool Source: California Studies in Classical Antiquity, Vol Roads and Forts in Northwestern Attica Author(s): Eugene Vanderpool Source: California Studies in Classical Antiquity, Vol. 11 (1978), pp. 227-245 Published by: University of California Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25010733 . Accessed: 08/12/2014 16:03 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to California Studies in Classical Antiquity. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions EUGENE VANDERPOOL Hp6cKEiTatTij; 3COpacfipCl O6pj esydXa, KaIKcovTa iffi Tiv Botioiav, 6S' )v Eiei TV Xcpav ooao60t Cs vai E KCai IpodavTEtS Xenophon, Memorabilia 3. 5.25 Roads and Forts in Northwestern Attica In recent years I have done a good deal of walking, accompanied by various members of the American School of Classical Studies, in the mountainous country of northwestern Attica between the upland plains of Mazi and Skourta and the coastal plain of Eleusis.' The peaks in this region, which are covered with a forest of pine, rise to heights of over seven hundred meters above sea level, their sides are steep and often precipitous, and they are separated by deep valleys in which flow the two streams, the Kokkini and the Sarandapotamos, which unite to form the Eleusinian Kephissos just before they emerge from the hills into the coastal plain (figs. 1 and 2). This country is almost entirely without roads except for a track that runs along the Sarandapotamous valley and a rough road that has been carved out of the mountainside and runs from the village of Krora (now Stephani) on the Skourta plain down through the hamlet of Kok kini to the plain of Eleusis. These roads are quite unimproved and are passable only in dry weather with a sturdy vehicle.2 Apart from these roads, which are very little used, there are only paths through the region. Two of these paths, however, are rather special ones. Carefuly laid out, with gentle grades, with retaining walls on the downhill side, and with well-engineered zig-zags on the steeper slopes, they had obviously been designed as roads even though no longer used as such. Feeling that they must be ancient, we traced their course with keen interest. 227 This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 228 Eugene Vanderpool THEBESS oT TANAGRA A S P O S Dervenosalesi o PLATAIA Skourta Tsoukrati Limiko Plain -CT HAER ON PANAKTON Kavasala \ )OINOE \^ oKrora o 0o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "^--j ''^^^ s--1412 Villia 0 S , }/ok Krorc Kokkini PHYLE Sarandc'potamos R.-S2-.^^ j^. Ag. Georgios Ag. Vlasis Plakoto mt. Pateras ELEUSIS MEGARA ATHENS SALAMIS o A. C. Figure 1. General Map of Western Attica. THE OINOE ROAD A short stretch of this road, about five hundred meters long, is shown in red and marked "Strassenspuren" on Sheet XXV of the Karten von At tika just east of the saddle between hills 532 and 513. Captain Winterberger, one of the officers who did the survey for this sheet of the Karten, mentioned it briefly in a lecture but did not consider the traces sufficient to belong to an important road. They are also mentioned This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Roads and Forts inNorthwestern Attica 229 OSiOs5 0 KAKO NISTIRI SKOUR TA PLA /N MELET MEL E T OS ?530 ?O PACONAKTOUR INTERVASAL < SPRING2. 680 i fL (o 1th e A W ~Wi C~ 1970s ^^^9~~/\-^--~if r LA/ OFELEU~SI~S~i. CONTOUR INTERVAL I01 M. OF ELEUSIS WWj.19.70_PLAIN Figure 2. Map of theHill Country of Northwestern Attica. briefly (on the basis of the map reference and not autopsy) by A. Milchhoefer and L. H. Chandler, and by I. SarrisSarris who adds that there is another section of the road north of Agios Viasis.3Vlasis.3 Repeated visits to the area have shown that this road can in fact be traced for a distance of about six kilometers. This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 230 Eugene Vanderpool A person looking for the road for the first time would do well to follow the modern track up the Sarandapotamos valley as far as Agios Vlasis and then strike up the hill to the north for a few minutes until he comes to the ancient road which will be clearly recognizable by its con spicuous retaining wall of rough stones, here averaging a meter high, running across a fairly open area at the boundary between the olive groves and the pine trees (pl. 1:1). From here, if he wishes, he may easi ly follow it back eastwards for nearly a kilometer to the point where it first appears. At this easternmost point the retaining wall of the road consists only of a single row of rough stones which might easily be mistaken for field terracing did it not fall exactly in line with the road we have been following. Returning to the point above Agios Vlasis, we follow the road westward (pl. 1:2). It rises along the flank of the hill at a gentle gradient and we soon come to the best-preserved stretch where the retaining wall is as much as two meters high (pl. 2:1). The road itself may have been about four or five meters wide, but there is no road surface preserved, the fill behind the retaining wall at this point having mostly been wash ed away. About a kilometer west of Agios Vlasis we come to a zig-zag, and the road, having gained altitude, soon crosses a saddle leaving the low hill 345 to the left. The retaining wall, which has hitherto been on our left now appears on the right. Near the center of the road bed at one point are clear marks of wheel ruts 1.50 meters from center to center. The road now climbs steeply up the flank of hill 513 in a series of short zig-zags. This section has been much damaged recently when an under ground pipeline or cable was laid, but fortunately the actual turns are clearly preserved on either side of the disturbance. The road now runs westward along the flank of hill 513 with the retaining wall again on the left, making for the saddle between hills 513 and 532 (pl. 2:2). This is the stretch noted on the Karten von Attika. It has been rather badly damaged recently, apparently by the people who laid the pipeline or cable. Emerging on the saddle, traces of the road are harder to discover as no retaining wall, or only a small one consisting of a single row of stones was necessary. Enough is preserved, however, so that with a sharp eye we can follow its line, and at one point wheel ruts may be seen in the rock. It goes westward on fairly level ground until the hill begins to drop off. Then it turns sharply to the right and descends in a series of irregular zig-zags. The modern path follows a more direct course. On the lower slopes we gradually lose the traces of the road until on This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions PLATES This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Plate 1 Vanderpool 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * _ INO Air- ,,i 1. Thet_ ... ..Oinoe ..:, road running along flank of hill west of Agios Vilas'is. ~., _!1 w l* r e 2.:" The .. ..... '~ , ~ .. *.? :*: '~',~.. Tei On a I Vat A -;i:i? i,..........' 2__ 2.The a Oinoe road unn_if lR westhl ak of Agios Vlasis. This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Vanderpool Plate 2 A., . 7..**, ?f- ,"~. * . * 1. Retaining wall of Oinoe road west of Agios Vlasis. 2. Looking SE from Oinoe to hills 513 and 532. The Oinoe road crosses saddle between the two hills. This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Plate 3 Vanderpool -AM ? ,* I .. ...?.......... .. ....... ..?..? 2'. zzar :.,, ai;~~~~~~&a A.... ?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ""~?. l.~. ,,'* ,:..' .. 1.I. The PanakronPanakton road with Panakton in the distance. :~~~~~~~~~i?:: '.:::. ::., . , f ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.i?L "??~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:.::' :.. 14 f: .a ? _ ? ~~~~~.?' : ?':'?" ,. .' :. ":....: . ::4:,~[:' 4: ::..~:, j~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -~ . ~.~:' '":~-.'',~:i'~::'" .d~'* ' : z.. ." . , ' . : ': .... zig-zag.2.A the~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~on Paanra. ~.. ..~::~~i::'~..:, ,'.l :-U???~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. !1? . -~...~rlE ~ 2.A zig-zagon the Panakton road.~~~~~"" This content downloaded from 137.22.1.233 on Mon, 8 Dec 2014 16:03:34 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Vanderpool Plate 4 , ...:.:::d :: r.....: | ?, 2 l i 1.The ..Pn?": t Ro .
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