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The British School at Athens December an institute for advanced research 2017 the Academy of Athens, the National From the Director Hellenic Research Foundation, the Benaki Museum, the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and of the 17 other foreign The Director with schools and institutes with bases in the his @LegoClassicists alter ego protevousa (‘the capital’, as Athens is known in Greece). The wall around our premises is a highly porous membrane, through which many pass to make use of our Library, or to attend various events, or simply to meet and discuss topics of mutual academic interest. A December newsletter affords a Janus-like view, not only of events past, but also of those scheduled, both in the UK and in Greece, for the next six months. We are raising awareness in the UK about the inspiring work It is a great pleasure to wish everyone the staff of the Ministry of Culture and being facilitated by the School a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Sports, both in Athens and the regions through an increasing number of UK Year with this second issue of our in which we carry out this work; we are events and hope that many of you newsletter. Here those who share most grateful for that cooperation. will be able to attend these. Since our passion for the humanities and This partnership is, however, only we know that most cannot attend social sciences in Greece and its wider one of many that are facilitated and events in Athens, we make most of geographical context will find up to enabled by our location in Athens. With the lectures we sponsor here avail a- date news of our activities. our neighbours, the American School ble on our YouTube channel (https:// This issue focuses on the courses of Classical Studies at Athens, we share www.youtube.com/channel/UCJLq- that we run for postgraduate and a ‘campus’ and cooperate on library d0Q3Upn28hO5UWptmw/videos). undergraduate students and BSA- resources, including a unified catalogue, We hope you find this newsletter sponsored archaeo logical field work Ambrosia. But our intellectual life is more informative and enjoyable. Please do programmes over the past year. Field- generally enriched through the willing feed back reactions and suggestions work and study programmes are only collaboration of such other institutions to [email protected]. possible thanks to the cooperation of as the Archaeological Society of Athens, John Bennet BSA Fieldwork 2017 Antiquity features regularly in our Upper We are most grateful to Dr Maria wide range of bodies, including: the House seminar series, as will be apparent Andreadaki-Vlazaki, Secretary General of Institute for Aegean Prehistory, the from the list of past and future events at the Ministry of Culture and Sport and Dr National Geographic Society, the Jackman the end of this newsletter; we also this year Eleni Korka, Director General of Antiquities, Foundation, the Loeb Classical Library enjoyed lectures at Knossos in June and as well as to the numerous colleagues in Foundation, the Faculty of Classics July on Prehistoric and Byzantine Crete, the Ministry who make our archaeological Cambridge University, the University of a memorable lecture on Pella in London work possible. In particular, we thank those Michigan, Brown University, Cambridge and a workshop in Athens focused on in charge of the Ephorates of Antiquities Humanities Research Grants, the Gerda ceramics in memory of Christopher Mee, in which our major fieldwork took place Henkel Stiftung, the McDonald Institute former Assistant Director and Professor — Dr Dimitris Athanasoulis (Cyclades), Dr Cambridge, UCL, the British Academy, at Liverpool, at which Christa Mee spoke Alexandra Charami (Boeotia), Mr Ioannis the Rust Family Foundation, the Cyprus movingly of their time at the BSA. Kanonidis (Chalkidike & Mount Athos), Institute, the Piraeus Bank Foundation, Fieldwork continued at Olynthos, Dr Konstantinos Kissas (Corinthia), Dr All Souls College Oxford, Sidney Sussex Keros, Knossos and Koutroulou, while we Efthymia Karantzali (Fthiotis & Evrytania), College Cambridge, Marie Skłodowska- initiated a new collaborative project at Dr Vassiliki Sythiakaki (Herakleion), Dr Curie Actions, plus many private donations. Prosilio and we returned, for one season Alkistis Papadimitriou (Argolid), Dr Pari Further information on these projects only, to the island of Kythera. There were Kalamara (Euboea), Mrs Evangelia Pantou will appear in Archaeology in Greece also study seasons for the Kenchreai (Laconia), Mrs Chryssa Sofianou (Lasithi), Online (http://chronique.efa.gr) and Arch­ Quarries Project, Knossos (both KULP and Dr Stella Chrysoulaki (Western Attica, aeological Reports, and we will report and Gypsades), Lefkandi and Palaikastro Piraeus & the Islands). again on archaeological activities in the (PALAP and previous excavations), as well In addition we recognise the generous Fitch Laboratory and the Knossos Research as for Kouphovouno and Mycenae. financial support for projects from a Centre next June. The British School at Athens 2017 – December Kythera-Paliokastro Survey Project 2017 From 1998 to 2001 the Kythera Island Project (KIP, co-directed by Cyprian Broodbank and Evangelia Kiriatzi) con- ducted diachronic intensive field survey over a 101 km2 area of central-southern Kythera. A 2.5 km2 portion of this region, around the inland urban centre of ancient Kythera, known as Paliokastro, was not available to KIP. Excavations by Yannis Petrocheilos documented the existence of a town there from at least later Geometric times until Early Roman and a major acropolis sanctuary (epigraphically attributed to Athena) dating from the 8th century BC to Hellenistic times. In 2017 the opportunity arose to reinforce and extend our understanding of the Paliokastro and Cyprian Broodbank (Cam bridge), Evangelia Kiriatzi (BSA- Fitch), Andrew Bevan (UCL) and Yiannis Petrocheilos (Ioannina) report on intensive Fieldwork, showing (a) a survey team in action in one of the kinder parts of the Paliokastro fieldwalking, geophysics and Unmanned landscape, (b) ‘drone’ survey, (c) ground­penetrating radar, (d) artefact study Aerial Vehicle (‘drone’) survey. The main objectives were to investigate the entirety of the Paliokastro urban zone to refine and collected 2,800 feature sherds and three new examples in 2017. One rock-cut our understanding of the main timelines over 200 other finds. cavity was recorded, probably a Minoan of human activity, to characterise better Preliminary results afford an initial single-chamber tomb, associated with a the changing spatial footprint of these picture of the history of this small, but nearby farmstead-size scatter. activities, and to situate this key area more significant part of Kythera. Diagnostic Paliokastro follows a wider pattern, systematically within wider island and Final Neolithic–Early Bronze 1 material particularly clear on Crete and the regional research agendas set by KIP, the comes mostly from the top of the hill, Cyclades, of very late Late Bronze Age Antikythera Survey Project (ASP) and the but definite Early Bronze 2 (EB2) through refuge sites following abandonment Petrocheilos excavations and others. to Minoan material is strikingly absent or decline of lowland centres and likely Surface survey involved two teams of there, suggesting that it was neither used seaborne raiding. There is probable five surveyors walking 15m apart and as a peak sanctuary similar to nearby con tinuity of slow settlement growth counting all pottery, tile and other finds Agios Georgios, nor as a habitation. This from perhaps 1200–1000 BC through and collecting all ‘feature’ potsherds/tiles, apparent gap of perhaps two millennia on the Geometric–Archaic, expansion and lithics, groundstone, slag/metal, glass the hill top also contrasts with lower areas growth during the Classical–Hellenistic, and architectural items. In this intensive in the valleys on all sides, which produced and stability or decline afterwards until manner 2.0 km2 were surveyed. Surveyors many small EB2–Second Palace scatters as late as 50–100 AD. The earlier pottery counted 26,600 sherds and 21,300 tiles, (probably farmsteads) including at least associated with this scenario continues Left: map of the 1998–2001 KIP survey area, showing the 2017 survey outlined in red (D. Nenova); right: prehistoric sherd and lithic distribution (D. Nenova) 2 www.bsa.ac.uk The British School at Athens 2017 – December Above: gradiometer survey of two adjacent areas on the south side of Paliokastro Above right: Post Palatial–Geometric–Archaic sherd distribution (D. Nenova); right: Hellenistic–Early Roman sherd and distribution and other finds (D. Nenova) the Second and Third Palace potting finds of rosso antico, Parian marble, pebble- capitals. The early 19th-century discovery traditions, but at some point within the mosaic floors, and fine ware pottery nearby of a marble dedication stela of Archaic period a new tradition emerged, mostly of Hellenistic–early Roman date), c. 300 BC showing the twins Castor and marking the abandonment of micaceous and very reduced evidence for settle ment Pollux and the number of spolia, suggest pottery production. Pottery, including on the top ridge running south–east from a possible temple on the same site. pithoi and larger and smaller plain vessels, the acropolis’ Athena temple. Wider comparative opportunities will were made with Neogene clays, most Geophysical data are still being pro- emerge as the Paliokastro evidence is potentially at workshops near Paliokastro.
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