A Classical Landscape: Rural Archaeology at Metaponto Author(s): Joseph Coleman Carter Source: Archaeology, Vol. 33, No. 1 (January/February 1980), pp. 23-32 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41726815 Accessed: 28-07-2015 18:41 UTC

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This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Plan ofthe late fourth century B.C.phase of Fattoria Stefan , thebest preserved farmhouse excavatedto date in thechora of Metaponto.It is locatedabout eightkilometers from the city wallsalong the central division lineof the territory between the Bradanoand BasentoRivers.

Reconstructiondrawing of FattoriaStefan. The farmhouse plan,like contemporary ones, reflectsthe practical demands of agriculturalproduction and providedcomfortable living space.Bedrooms would have occupiedthe second story.

A Classical

Landscape

Rural Archaeology at Metaponto

by Joseph Coleman Carter

rural life has aroused littleenthu- tryside.The pictureis variegatedand complex. siasm among classical archaeologists,who, The territorywas home for the homestead Greek reinforcingthe bias of the ancientsthem- farmer,the wealthyaristocrat and veryprobably selves,continue to emphasize the importanceof the slave. Yet rural life was not merelya pale re- the city.Consequently almost nothingis known flectionof citylife. Countrydwellers here, al- about those who lived outside the walls of the though theyhad strongcultural ties to the city, polis.After five years of intensivework at sites in developed distinctiveways which show up clearly the territory- the choraaround the Greek colonial in theircemeteries and sanctuaries. site of Metaponto in Basilicata,southern Italy- Metaponto was certainlynot unique in the I am convincedthat this city-centeredview is seri- Greek world. Other citiesalso had inhabitedter- ously one-sided. What is emergingfrom excava- ritories.A few archaeological studies over the tions of rural sanctuaries,farm sites, industrial years have recorded the human imprinton the establishmentsand burial grounds is considerable classical landscape in widelyseparated regions of - evidence of permanentsettlement in the coun- the Greek world on Delos in Atticaand the

Januaiy/February 1980 23

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Plan ofthe terrority orchora of Metaponto between the Bradano and BasentoRivers. The grid of division lines has been datedin itsfirst phase to about 585 B.C.At a laterdate the territory expanded to the southwest. The dots indicate rural sites.

Crimea (Black Sea), and in southern Italy and Sic- to correspond to regular parallel depressionsin ily.They stronglyindicate that permanentfurai the ground some 200 metersapart, stretching settlementwas a major factof Greek life fromthe back fromthe citywalls about 1 1 kilometersinto sixthcentury b.c. onward. The idea of citiesand the interior.Although intensiveagricultural de- major sanctuaries,however, has remained firmly velopmentin the area has removed many traces, rooted in the minds of classical archaeologists.As theycan stillbe observed in certainareas. A dozen a resultone shall continue to read in general years ago, Dinu Adamesteânu, then Superintend- studies,perhaps for a verylong time to come, that ent of Antiquitiesfor Basilicata,organized a com- Greek farmersdid not live on the land, but com- prehensiveexploration of the territoryusing the muted daily fromtheir homes in the cityor village photographs as a framework.In addition to the (home)to the fields.Although no historianignores division lines, he noted a large number of smaller it entirely,few admit that rural settlementswere dot-likeanomalies. Surveyof the areas indicated anythingmore than an occasional phenomenon by the dots revealed concentrationsof ancient roof resultingfrom special circumstancesof economic tiles and potterywhich he believed to be the re- change or geographical conditions.The coun- mains of farmhouses.The total area covered by tryside,it is persistentlyargued, did not have these sites was approximately6,500 hectares(or enough springsto support a large population, and 15,600 acres), which includes the originalterritory thereforeonly the lowestclasses Would have lived between the Bradano and Basento Riversand its there far fromthe city'scomforts. later extension to the Cavone River in the direc- The resultsof excavation at Metaponto pose tion of ancient Herakleia near the coast, some 20 the most serious challenge, so far,to the accepted miles to the southwest.Full or partialexcavations view. As early as 1959 aerial photographyof the of over two dozen of these sites,as well as of some territoryhad revealed an almost unique survival which did not appear on the photographs,have of Greek land divisionsimilar to Roman centuria- confirmedAdamesteanu's hypothesisthat they tion: a grid of lines, parallel "anomalies," proved were ancient farmhouses.Originally there may

24 Archaeology

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions have been as many as 400 farmsitesin the terri- unpublished work of our colleagues at other sites tory.Although a number of the excavationshave in the territory,the resultsof the University'sex- been salvage operations,representative sites were cavations at Pizzica, Saldone, Incoronata and Sanť chosen at varyingdistances from the cityin order Angelo Vecchio begin to suggest the complex to document the historicalgrowth of settlementin patternof Greek rural life. the territory.The majorityof them date between Colonists fromAchaea in the northern the middle of the sixthcentury b.c. and the end Peloponnesos came to the land between the of the fourthcentury. Those of Roman date are Bradano and Basento Riversabout 650 b.c. to less numerous.The sites at the greatestdistance found theircity Metapontion - Metaponto is the fromthe cityare surprisinglyamong the earliest. modern name. The interestsof some earlier Greek settlersin southern Italy were primarily commercial,for example, the pre-Colonial Euboean tradingpost at Ischia or the recentlydis- W ho were the inhabitants?Again, excavation covered eighth-centuryb.c. site at Incoronata in has begun to supply the clues to that important the Territoryof Metaponto,which is being exca- problem,but there is stillmuch to be done. For- vated by Piero Orlandini of the Universityof tunately,the explorationof the Territoryof Milan. Unlike these settlers,the concern of the Metapontowas a projectof internationalcollab- Metapontinesabove all was to carve out farmsin oration fromthe start,involving British, Cana- a land which was not easily wrenched fromits na- dian, French,Romanian as well as Italian and U.S. tive inhabitants.Ancient sources such as the histo- teams,guided and directed by the Superintendent rian Antiochosof Syracuse emphasize the bitter- of Antiquitiesfor Basilicata. Since 1974, the Uni- ness of these early encounters.The Metapontines versityof Texas, withgenerous support frompri- had to battlenot only against the natives,whom vate donors in Texas and the National Endow- the Greeks called "Oenotrians,"but also the ment forthe Humanities,has been a part of this Tarentine Greeks to the east who had come to collaboration.When combined withthe stillmostly the region earlier. But by the second half of the

Aerialview of the spring-reservoir siteat Pizzica(top center). On the hill above (right center) arose a tilefactory in about 150B.C., perhaps the most impressive testimony tothe continuity oflife in thechora from Greek to Roman times. The NeolithicyLate Roman and Byzantineperiods are also documented bysignificant finds on thesite. Occupation of this ruralsite spanned approximately 4,000 years and for about 1,000 years paralleled that of nearby Metaponto.

Januaiy/February 1980 25

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Excavationin progress of the spring-reservoircomplex ai Pizzica. Thefigure in theforeground , the excavationarchitect , stands on the reservoirpavement; the springhouse is in theright center and thewell point's collectingtube runs across the site diagonculyfrom the lower left corner. Theinstallation ofa wellpoint at Pizzicais a difficultand rather dangerousoperation necessitated by groundwater which flooded the ancientspring and turnedtrenches intobreeding grounds for frogs. Once installed, however , this device made the excavationalmost as simpleas digging on dryland.

beside a spring at San Biagio in the valleyof the Basento predates the farmhousesby perhaps 50 years and has female votivefigurines in the Daedalic style.These terracottafigures have been dated to the late seventhcentury b.c. Al- though theyhave the primitivefeatures of the earliestmonumental Greek sculpture- plaited hair in the Egyptianmanner, large protuberantal- mond eyes, and tube-likebodies - theymay be of later date than the sculpturethey resemble. In any case, the antiquityof San Biagio is confirmed independentlyby the pottery.Adamesteanu's ex- cavation there has broughtto lightsignificant re- mains of architectureincluding very fine terra- cotta revetmentswith processional scenes. An armed hero mountinga chariotdrawn by winged horses is certainlyinspired by Ionian models,but the mule-drawncart belongs to the Italic world. Tentativereconstruction ofthe spring-reservoir complex Since the earliestarchitecture is later than the at Pizzica.In thefourth century B.C. a springhouse earliestvotives so far found at San Biagio, it is (top)was built directly over the primitive early that the earliest there was an Waterwas channeled into a probable sanctuary sixth-centurysanctuary. one. Some have remained so. reservoir(below), measuring 11 by14 meters, which open-air may always musthave been at leastpartially roofed to judge by the The great poet Baccylides,in a hymnof praise for enormousquantity of tiles found on itspavement. The a victoriousMetapontine wrestler of the early fifth reservoirwas entered thewest a built from by carefully b.c., mentionsa of Artemis stonestairway set into a retainingwall. century sanctuary along the Kasas River. This may have been sim- ply a sacred grove withoutstructures. Directlyacross the Basento Valley seventhcentury b.c., as stratigraphiestudies in fromSan Biagio at Incoronata- a saint or the the cityindicate, the colony had entirelyreplaced madonna is associated withevery spot in which a the earlier indigenous center. Excavation has rural sanctuaryhas been found- the remainsof shown also that nearby indigenous siteswere a small sanctuarywere uncovered. It was con- abandoned about this time. structedperhaps a centuryafter the pre-Colonial Surprisingly,the firstcolonial settlementsbe- Greek settlementthere was abandoned. Among yond the cityin the Metapontineterritory are not the findswere painted terracottarevetments for a farmhousesbut sanctuaries.There appears to small wooden building. Unusual antefixesdeco- have been a lapse of nearlya centurybetween rated the eaves of the tile roof. They are a hybrid the foundingof the cityand the push of home- type combiningonly the eyes of a gorgon, all of buildingsettlers inland. An importantsanctuary whose terrifyingfeatures were normallyemployed

26 Archaeology

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Terracottarevetment from the San Biagiosanctuary depicting the departureof Amphiaraus. It protected the wooden cornice of an early sanctuary. The representation isparalleled in Ionian art; it should be dated tothe first half of the sixth century B.C. Height , 20.7 centimeters.

Votivefigurine , perhaps representing Artemis, found in thesanctuary at San Biagioon theBasento River. It datesto the mid-sixth century B.C. Similarfigures usually hold a varietyofanimals , birds and sea creatures as wellas humanbabies in theiroutstretched arms. Their tall grace and the exuberanceofsupplemental detail in thecostume sets them off from the votivesof the city sanctuary. Height , 45 centimeters.

to ward offevil spirits,with a decorative palmette. the rule. There, the typicalurban temple withits Even more interestingare a series of votivefig- stone peristylewas transferredto a rural setting. ures thatdate to the mid-sixthcentury b.c. and Fifteenof its columns are standing,although not representthe same female type found at San all of them are in situ. Rural sanctuarieson the Biagio. Artemiswas worshipped at San Biagio whole probablydid not contain an elaborate cult while the shrineat Incoronata appears to have statue but ratheracted as repositoriesfor the been dedicated to Persephone. Both goddesses numerous statuettes,vessels and occasional pre- were concerned withfertility: Artemis was mistress cious objects brought as votiveofferings by the of animals and Persephone was associated withthe rural worshippers. crops, especiallygrain and the cycle of the sea- The discoveryof sanctuariesat Incoronata as sons. Persephone'sdomain, however,also encom- well as Pizzica- originallyknown as San Nicola passed the underworldand the cycle of human and located-3 kilometersfrom the cityin the life. It is not surprisingthat there is a familyre- Basento Valley in a position analogous to thatof semblance in theirvotives. The Incoronata exam- the Temple of Hera on the Bradano side- in ad- ple is especiallyremarkable for the precise, fresh dition to those previouslyknown at San Biagio modeling and her radiant expression. This and and Tavole Palatine,reveals a distributionpattern other productsof coroplasticart fromSan Biagio that cannot be chance. The four rural sanctuaries are of such qualitythat theyadd, I believe, a dis- lie on both sides of the two major riversflanking tinctivenew dimension to the appreciation of ar- the city.Pizzica is almost exactlyhalfway between chaic Greek art. San Biagio and the city.The Temple of Hera on In contrastto the massive limestonetemples of the Bradano side of the chora is roughlythe same thepolis of Metaponto- such as the Temple of distance fromthe cityas Pizzica on the Basento Apollo Lykeiosand three other recentlydiscov- side. Furthermore,in two out of four cases- ered temples- rural sanctuarieswere small, Pizzica and San Biagio- the cult is closelytied to wooden structures,revetted with molded, brightly the existenceof a spring. All came into existence painted terracottaslabs. The well-knownTemple during the late seventhor early sixthcentury b.c. of Hera, the so-called Tavole Palatine or Paladin's The early date of these sanctuaries,their place- Tables, located two kilometersoutside the citywall ment at even intervalsalong major valleys,and along the Bradano Valley, is the exception not theirassociation with springs suggests that the

Januaiy/Februaiy1980 27

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Thecentral tomb in themajor nucleus of the Saldone cemetery containedthe skeleton of an adolescentmale and the grave goods including(left) hydria (water jar) witha scenein thered-figure techniquebythe Pisticci Painter , a transplantedAthenian who is at thehead of the development ofred-figure painting in southern Italy. The vase , whichdates to about 430 B.C., represents Zeus in amorouspursuit of the nymph Aigina. The owl cups (right) found inthe mouth of the hydria and beside the boy* sfoot are the work of thesame painter. Strigils used by athletes toclean their bodies after exercisewere found at hisside. Height of hydria , 31 centimeters.

should resolve the problem of theirfunction. The rigid symmetryof the Metapontineland- scape clearlyreflects a high degree of regimenta- tion and submissionto a single overriding purpose- agricultural*production. Of the hun- dreds of farmsitesidentified in the surveys,14 have been excavated so far. A half dozen date to the mid-sixthcentury b.c.; most have a late fourthcentury b.c. phase which is much better sanctuariesplayed a crucial role in hellenizingthe preserved. A farmsiteknown as Fattoria chora. It would be nice to be able to show that the Stefan- fattoriais the Italian word for farm- was Greek sanctuaryreplaced an indigenous one on excavated in 1969 by the Rumanian archaeologist the same site; a completelyconvincing case, how- Alexandru Simion Stefan. It is just a stone's throw ever, cannot be made at this time. Some indige- to the west of the principaldivision line, which nous potteryhas been reported at San Biagio, but bisectsthe chora between the Bradano and the earliestsanctuary at Pizzica has yielded none. Basento Riversat a distance of eight kilometers fromthe citywall. Located on a slightrise, the site has a commanding view of the whole chora to the 'The organizationand developmentof life in the sea. Its externalwalls are in near perfectalign- chora is directlyrelated to the parallel divisions ment withthe divisionlines. Althoughthe relation imposed on the landscape. Several grid systems of structureand divisionlines is clearestat Fat- were used to divide the land. The earliestis dated toria Stefan,this same relationshipis generally by Adamesteanu to the firsthalf of the sixthcen- true of the other farmsitesas well. FattoriaStefan turyb.c., largelyon the evidence of the tombs is oriented parallel to the grid and positionednear which run parallel to the divisionlines. The basic unit appears to have been an area approximately 400 to 600 meterson a side, comparable in size to that in the chora of Chersonesos located in the Crimea. But, unfortunately,not enough evidence existsto relate these divisionlines to property lines. The lines for the Metapontinechora were discovered in aerial photographicstudies; their existencehas now been confirmedon the ground, but mainlyindirectly. In the rural burial ground excavated in 1976 at Saldone, for example, all tombsexcept the earliestare perfectlyaligned in the directionof the division lines. It has been ar- gued that the division lines must have been coun- trylanes, and that an irrigationand drainage project placed its systemof canals over the same grid in the fifthcentury b.c., although this has never been confirmed excavation. The terrain by Terracotta a in the has been altered since 1959, but antefixrepresenting nymph found considerably sanctuaryatSan Biagio.She dates to the early Hellenistic tracesof the lines are stillin evidence especiallyin period, the last third of the fourth century B.C., which was the area known as Casamassima. Furtherstudy thefinal flourishing ofthe chora. Height , 25 centimeters.

28 Archaeology

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions - but not too close to the line which would make The materialsemployed to build FattoriaSte- verygood sense if the divisionline also served as a fan were the same as everyother farmstructure road. This is exactlywhat happens in the chora of in the territory.Foundations and walls were often Chersonesos where the division lines are roads. fashioned on the spot fromthe materialsclose at The finalphase of FattoriaStefan dates to the hand. Even the tiles were probablylocally pro- end of the fourthcentury b.c. The plan is rec- duced- The use of available materialnot only for tangularand the shorteastern side running par- the?roof, but in the foundationand elsewhere,is allel to the centraldivision line iß 60 feet in length. another indicationof the economical and flexible The unit employed is the Ionic foot of 0.295 design of this rural architecture.The building rested meters.Ten rooms are tightlyorganized around on a foundationof fieldstone,leveled withfrag- an off-centersquare courtyardmeasuring 30 Ionic mentary,reused roof tiles. Above them rosé a wall feeton a side. As withmost excavated homes and of mudbrick,protected by a roof of well-made farmhouses,the functionof the various rooms is Laconian tiles bearing the stamp of a certain largelya matterof speculation and no room is AHETIQN. The floorswere uniformlymáde of withoutsome problem of interpretation.Was the beaten earth. The builder of this house knew that courtyardopen, as suggested by the drain for . . when materialsthat neitherrot nor decay, rainwaterrun-off? Or was it partiallyroofed, as that is, the stones and tiles are placed at the bot- indicatedby the thicktile fall? tom, and bricksand timberare put togètherin In the room opening off the courtyardto the the middle, the resultis somethingof great value northwéstis a clearlyidentifiable hearth. It is con- . . .," as Xenophon, the fourth-centuryhistorian, structedof tileslaid on edge- a systemwhich has Socrates say when describingthe ideal house would have retained heat well. Undoubtedlythis ( MemorabiliaIII 1, 7 Loeb edition). room served as the kitchenand heart of the living quarter of the farmhouse.Finds of pottery- much storageware but also considerable quantitiesof steady,abundant supply of water has always cooking,table and fine wares- make it clear that been the essentialcondition for life in the country. the buildingwas a productiveunit which was at The presumed absence of water in the area the same time intenselylived in. Numerous frag- around ancient Greek citiesis the most popular mentsof pithoi,large earthenwarestorage jars, theoreticalargument aginst the existenceof the^ were found in the room adjoining the kitchen,in- isolated farmin the Greek world. A fourth- dicatingthat this space was used for storage. If centuryb.c. spring and reservoir,unexpectedly the low base against the east wall supported a discovered in 1977 at Pizzica, provides a unique press,then the room could also have been used insightinto the Metapontinecountry dwellers' so- for the productionof oil or wine. The low L- lution to the problem of obtainingwater. The Piz- shaped wall perhaps formed a vat or basin. This zica complex is located at the foot of a low spur same featureappears again in another room that extends into the Basento Valley. Because of whichmay also have contained a press. A very copious ground water,the excavation has been large collectionof loom weightsfound in a room slow, expensive and sometimesdangerous. The just to the south suggeststhat here raw wool was water comes out of the ground where the ancient turned into cloth by the women of the house. Al- spring did, withthe importantdifference that the though weavingwas probablyexclusively their water table has risen about a meter.Thus for concern,women were certainlyinvolved in many three years,until the introductionof a "well other aspects of agriculturalproduction, if not di- point" pumping systemin 1977, the springeffec- rectlyin the work of the fields.The large space is tivelyblocked the discoveryof its ancient course. enclosed by only three walls and also may have The well point which is widelyused in present been utilizedas a stable. day agriculturemakes soggy or submerged land The varietyof room sizes and shapes in this dry enough to cultivateor excavate. So far it is the rural farmhouse,sharply contrasts with the mod- only completelysuccessful way to make such ter- ified urban design of Atticcountry houses where rain suitable for regular excavation. It was intro- the rooms are all more or less the same size. Here duced in archaeological research in the excavation the spaces are differentiatedby size and shape. of the temples in Metaponto itselfin the 1960*8, Successive modificationmade by furthersubdivi- and has since been regularlyemployed in the ex- sion of the original rectanglecould and probably cavation of Sybaris,another Achaean colony, did respond to changes in the agriculturalactivity known as the richestGreek cityof all, located of the unit. Like the arrangementsof the land- some 80 kilometersfurther along the coast into scape, the farmhousefloor plan reflectsa domi- Calabria. Metal tubes, seven meterslong, withper- nant concern withefficient organization. foratedtip$ and filtersare drilled into the ground

Januaiy/Februaiy;1 980 29

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ered in one wing. This factory,which can be dated to 150-50 b.c., is perhaps the most impres- sive testimonyof the continuityof life in the chora into Roman times. The reservoirconsists of a Head ofa votivefigurine fourth-century fromIncoronata , dating to the fieldstonepavement, measuring approximately 1 1 mid-sixthcentury B.C., perhaps by 14 meters,located below the spring and the Persephone, daughter of the ancient level. It was GrainMother Demeter and contemporary ground ap- fromthe west a narrow con- brideof Hades , Lordof the proached by stairway Underworld.Mother and structedof large squared blocks made of local daughterwere among the most stone set into a wall of similarmaterial. A and venerated parapet powerful widely wall existed on the east. Although ofthe gods of Magna Grecia, corresponding Greeksouthern Italy and Sicily. the blocks had been extractedduring ancient Height,11.5 centimeters. times,the cavitiesthey left were filledwith earth of a darker color. Careful excavation has revealed the course of this dismantledwall. Consideringthe quantityof tiles found here, it is safe to assume that the reservoirwas at least partiallyroofed. This reservoiris unlike the typicalurban fountain by forcinga jet of water throughthem. Water house withits parallel settlingtanks, draw basin pressure and muscle power essentiallydig the and colonnaded façade. Perhaps the closestcom- hole. This is the riskypart. The pressure can parison is the more carefullyconstructed spring- cause an explosion of water and gravel. Then the reservoirof Minoe on the island of Delos in the tubes are connected to a collectingtube and a Aegean. Both buildingsare utilitarianwith an im- vacuum pump driven by diesel or electricalpower. portantreligious function. Minoe was a shrineof Withinseveral days the newly-driedland is ready the nymphs,and so perhaps was Pizzica, although for excavation.The system,however, must be the votiveshere suggest other possibilities. kept operating continuously.A slightpause can be The pavement of the Pizzica reservoirwas cov- enough to flood the site again. ered withnumerous fragmentsof large vessels for Thanks to the well point the excavationwent collectingwater, but the findsalso include high ahead and the general developmentof the site can quality red-figureware as well as terracotta now be sketched.At Pizzica, in about 600 b.c., the figurinesof Pan, satyrs,females (perhaps nymphs spring mouth,a channel and two collectingbasins or maenads), and plaques witha couple, perhaps were lined withstones. This date is based on the Hades and Persephone, witha child. The most earliestpottery and votivefigurines found at the remarkablediscovery of all, however,came from site. The complete half-figurestatuette with out- clay samples takenjust above the fieldstones.They stretchedarms, whichonce stood in a basin sur- were passed througha water separationdevice rounded by votivecups, belongs to the firsthalf made froma 50-gallon oil barrel,using water of the sixthcentury b.c. For nearlya centuryonly fromthe excavation recycledby the well point this veryprimitive open-air place of worship pump. What miraculouslyfloated to the top when existed. At the end of the sixthcentury, an un- the clay sank was a mass of seeds, perfectlypre- usual building witha fieldstonefoundation served in the dense clay fill.A preliminary measuringroughly eight by 14 meterswas con- analysisof the materialreveals abundant quan- structedhere on an extensivefieldstone terrace titiesof grape seeds and barley.Among the wild - many timesits size. Artifactsfrom this building, plants are blackberriesand cattails flora that besides large numbers of terracottavotive figures, sprout when a populated area is suddenly aban- include several fragmentsof what appears to be a doned. This botanical materialappears to reflect bellows used in iron refiningand large quantities the period of the decline and destructionof the of iron bloom. rural reservoir. A spring house and a reservoirwere built on There is everyreason to believe that this the same spot during the second half of the spring-reservoirwas not an isolated phenomenon fourthcentury b.c. The spring house was con- in the chora of Metaponto. Ancienthabitations structeddirectly on top of the archaic spring. tend to clusterhere along the valleysof secondary Afterthe establishmentof the Roman military streamsthat feed the two great riverswhere camp {castrum)at Metaponto, a tile factorywas springswould naturallyhave been found. The built on the hill above the reservoir,making use spring at San Biagio has been called the only all- of both the spring and rich deposits of clay. Two weather spring in the chora, and untilthe Pizzica unusuallywell-preserved kilns have been discov- reservoirwas discovered,it remained the only ex-

30 ARCHAEOLOGY

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions - cavated example. In 1979 we found yet another figurestyles a person known as the Pisticci springat Sanť Angelo Vecchio. Justlike Pizzica, Painter,after the nearbytown where a number of there was a ceramic complex with,in this instance, his workswere discovered. He was trained in four well-preservedkilns and evidence for a cult Athens and, for all we know, may have come to of Zeus. Similar structuresprobably existed out- southernItaly as part of Perikles'colony at Thurii side any Greek citythat depended heavilyon ag- near Sybariswith the historianHerodotus. In any riculture.When the fourth-centuryb.c. lyricpoet event,he painted the hydriain about 430 b.c., Leonidas of Taras described the experience of a and probablyalso made the two owl cups. An travelerstopping at a spring to offera drinking amphora witha sagging belly,known as a pelike, cup to the nymphs,he must have been recounting was found in another grave and is certainlythe a common countryexperience. work of the PisticciPainter's more innovativecol- league, the AmykosPainter. It depicts Eros seated on a rock and dates to about 420 b.c. The three sites in the Metaponto chora- For the most part, however,the grave goods Incoronata,Fattoria Stefan and Pizzica- clearly were not made by paintersof the firstorder. Most show how the inhabitantsof the countrysidelived, were simplyplain black-glazedpottery, but they dates for worked,worshipped and obtained theirwater. But do permitus to establishfairly precise who were they?The question of who made up the the burial ground. It was in use for roughlya agriculturalwork force in the Greek and Roman centuryfrom 480 to 380 b.c., withthe greatest worldsis one which has long preoccupied histo- activityin the last half of the fifthcentury b.c. rians. Were theyslaves? Or independent farmers? The typesof tombs range fromelaborate cists Houses like FattoriaStefan probablydid not be- lined withstone slabs to simple earthen graves. long to slaves,but to farmersof modest means. The lattersometimes contained only the skeleton The best evidence is provided by burials. It has withoutgrave goods; the formerhad mostlybeen not alwaysbeen easy to distinguisha farmer's robbed veryrecently by clandestinediggers. In the grave froma citydweller's, since the urban ne- medium range were the graves covered withslabs cropolisor burial ground was almost always lo- and those covered withenormous terracottatiles cated outside the ancient city.Rural burials have especiallymade for burials. A child's grave was not oftenbeen recognized as a result.In 1976 we normallycovered witha single large roof tile. had an unusual opportunityto carryout a salvage A comparison of the typesof tombs,burial excavationin the chora at Saldone, some eight methods and accompanyinggrave goods fromthe kilometersfrom the citywalls of Metaponto. After rural Saldone necropolis withthose of urban three weeks' work,we had discovered some 30 Metaponto demonstratesbeyond any doubt that gravesand are now able to describe a complete the farmerswho were buried at Saldone were or nearlycomplete rural familyburial ground. culturallythe same people who lived in the cityof The plan of the Saldone cemeteryshows a Metaponto. For example, the numerous strigils clusterof adult and children'sburials around one discovered at Saldone mirrorthe fashionin the grave whichcontained the skeletonof a young urban necropolisof characterizingthe deceased male. The unusuallyfine grave goods included male as an athlete.Yet the burials in each locality two strigils,metal instrumentsused by athletesto clean theirbodies afterexercise. A waterjar (hy- dria) was placed at his feet,one owl cup was in the mouthand a second lay nearby.The hydria,on whicha rare scene of Zeus in pursuitof a nymph (perhaps Aigina) appears, was decorated by the firstSouth Italian painterof vases in the red-

Thetwo kilns in thewest wing of the late Republican tile factorydiscovered on thehillside at Pizzica(150-50 B.C.). The largerkiln , usedfor the production of rooftiles and heavy coarseware pottery , was protected from the evil spirits by a very largephallic stela plated beside the firing hole. The smaller kunwith the arched grill over the combustion chamber still intactwas used for pottery.

Januaiy/Februaiy1980 31

This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Tue, 28 Jul 2015 18:41:57 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions stillhad distinctcharacteristics. At Saldone the nized by the author in close collaborationwith body always pointsnorth and faces west,but in Dinu Adamesteanu and Dottoressa Elena Lattanzi, the cityit is oriented to the south, although it may the present Superintendentof Antiquities.A full also face west. Furthermore,grave goods are al- catalogue and a volume of lectureson rural ar- most always placed at the feet in adult burials at chaeology in Italy which accompanied the ex- Saldone, while theynormally lie at the head in city hibitionin Austin,Texas, is now in preparation. burials. The outlay for grave goods was less at Saldone, but the level of taste was high. Children's graves also appear to be proportionallymore numerous in the countryand more generously filledwith goods than citychildren's graves, al- though it mustbe noted that knowledge of the For Further Reading on excavationsin the Metapontinenecropoleis is stillincomplete. Large chora of Metaponto: The definitivepublication familiesare perhaps to be expected in a period on the excavationsis scheduled to appear in a when all farm labor was done by hand. Several in- supplementaryvolume of Notiziedegli Scavi of fantswere buried withstrigils, which, of course, the Accademia dei Lincei. theywould have been too young to have known On Basilicata: Dinu Adamesteanu,Basilicata how to use. Is this inclusionsymbolic of the par- Antica(Cava dei Tirreni, Italy 1974), a hand- ent's frustratedhopes? It is possible that the extra somelyillustrated survey of ten yearsof pioneer- attentionpaid to children'sburials at Saldone is a ing archaeologicalwork on Metaponto,Herakleia, reflectionof the special favor thatchildren haVe theirterritories and theirinfluence, and on the oftenenjoyed in a rural society? indigenous centersof the interior. The tombs at Saldone no longer exist. They On aerial photographyin archaeologyin gen- in were swept away by the agriculturalearth-moving eral: John Bradford,Ancient Landscapes. Studies project which made our salvage work imperative. FieldArchaeology (G. Bell, London 1957), section A cooperativefarmer at Sanť Angelo Vecchio on field systemsin Atticais of special interest; helped to save that site fromdestruction, while at Moses I. Finley,editor, Problèmes de la terreen Grèce Pizzica the patience and generosityof the Ente ancienne(Mouton et Co., Paris 1973), a collo- the Irrigazioneof Bari, whose experimentalfarm oc- quium on the rural population,especially "Homestead Farms in Classi- cupies the land, has provided an ideal situation paper by J. Pečírka, "Ar- for achaeological research and site preservation. cal and HellenisticHellas"; Sally Humphreys, Economic of The bond between rural archaeologyand chaeology and the and Social History present-dayrural societyis a close and oftenbene- Classical Greece," Parola del Passato 1 16 (1967): ficialone. But ironically,as the area becomes 374-400, an historian'scomprehensive critique more prosperous and modern techniques pene- of archaeology and the problem of the rural tratedeeper into the territory,the last fragileevi- population; Giovanni Uggeri, "KAHPOI arcaici dence of well-preservedGreek rural life will dis- e bonificaClassica nella XQPA di Metaponto," appear forever.Today it is the territorymore Parola del Passato 2 (1969); Michael Jameson,"The than the citywhich presentsclassical archaeologists Southern Argolid: The Settingfor Historicaland withtheir most urgentchallenge. A beginninghas Cultural Studies,"Annals of theNew YorkAcademy of been made but time is runningout. Sciences(Humanistic Section) 268 (1976):74-91, de- scribesthie provisional results of a broad studyof the region combiningethnographic, archaeological and historicalapproaches; John Ellis Jones,"A An exhibitionentitled "Ancient Crossroads," CountryHouse in Attica,"Archaeology 16 which includes a selectionof artifactsfrom exca- (1963):276-283 and "Another CountryHouse in vationsin the chora of Metaponto since 1977, has Attica,"Archaeology 28 (1975):6-16, discusses in been touringmuseums in Austin,Houston and detail two farmhousesat the Dema wall and Vari; Corpus Christi,Texas, and in Vancouver, British for a fullerversion, see Annalsof the British School Columbia (where it was featuredat the annual at Athens57(1962):75-1 14 and 68 (1973):355-452; meetingof the Archaeological Instituteof Giulio Schmiedt and Raymond Chevallier, America in December 1978) and Edmonton, Al- Caulonia e Metaponto(l'Universo, Milan 1959), the berta in Canada. It is scheduled next for aerial photographicstudy which revealed the divi- Bucharest,Romania. The exhibition,made possi- sions of the Metapontinechora. Updated by Dinu ble by the generosityof the Ministerodei Beni Adamesteanu and Claude Vatin in "L'arriere-pays Culturalied Ambientaliand the National Endow- de Me taponte," Comptes rendus de Vacademie des in- ment for the Humanities,was designed and orga- scriptions(197 6) : 1 10-125.

32 Archaeology

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