70 7 70 70 70 70 7 70 7 70 7 70 70 70 70 70 70 7 70 − −−− − − − −−− −−− − − − − −−− − − −−−−−−− − − − − −−− −−−− −−− − − − −−− − −−− −−−− − − − −−−−−−−−−−−−−−7−−−−−−−− − − − −−− − − −−−−−−−− − − − − −−−−−−−−−−−− −−−−−−−− − − − − − − −−−−−−−−−− − − − − − −−− − − − −−−−−−−−−−−− − − − − − − − −−−−−−−−−−−− − − − − −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−7 −−−−−−−−−−−−−−− −−−−−−−−−−−−−−− −−−−−−−−−−−−−−− − − −− − − − − −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−− − − − −−−−−−−−−−−−−−−3−−−−−−−−−−− −−− − −−−−−−−−−−− −−− − −−−−−−−− − − − − − − − − − −− − − − − − −−7 − −−−−− − − − − − −−−−−−−− −−−−−−−−−−−− − − − − −−−−−−− − − − − − − −−−−−−−− Kοινωφελές Ίδρυµα Ιωάννη Σ Λάτση ΚΕRΑΜΕΙΚΟS COPYRIGHT NOTICE © COPYRIGHT of antiquities and photographs: Τhis book includes photographs of monuments and exhibits from the ar- chaeological site and the museum of Kerameikos, which are under the authority of the 3rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, as well as the National Archaeological Museum. The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports has the copyright of the photographs of antiquities and of the actual antiquities that comprise the visual content of the photographs. The Archaeological Receipts Fund of Greece receives all fees for the publication of photographs bearing the Ministry’s copyright (Law 3028/2002). The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports remains exclusively competent to grant to any third party permission to use the photographs. © COPYRIGHT of texts: Eleni S. Banou, Leonidas K. Bournias. © COPYRIGHT of publication: John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, 2014. Any reprint, republication or reproduction, in whole or in part, of the texts and photographs of this edition is prohibited (Law 2121/1993). ISBN 978-960-98364-8-7 ELENI S. BANOU - LEONIDAS K. BOURNIAS CONTENTS Foreword by the Minister of Culture and Sports ❧ 11 Foreword by Marianna J. Latsis ❧ 13 Authors’ Foreword ❧ 15 “THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SUBURB” ❧ Terrain, 17˙ The Eridanos – a marshlands habitat, 18 ExCAvATION HISTORY ❧ The Archaeological Society, 20˙ The German Archaeological Institute, 24˙ History of the Museum, 25˙ Ministry of Culture and Sports – Third Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, 25 THE KERAMEIKOS DOWN TO THE PERSIAN WARS ❧ Facing West, 29˙ Mycenaean period, 29˙ The synoe- cism, 30˙ The beginnings of a demos, 36˙ The creation of a unique tectonic style, 48˙ Renaissance, 58 TOWARDS THE GREEK MIRACLE ❧ Archaic graves, 116˙ Tritopatreion, 165 THE PERIOD OF DEMOCRACY ❧ The Kerameikos section of the wall and its history, 174˙ Construction phases of the gates, 182˙ The Dipylon, 182˙ The Sacred Gate - Eridanos, 184 THE ExTRAMURAL AREA [OUTER KERAMEIKOS] ❧ The cemetery, 188˙ The most important funeral monuments of the 5th and 4th centuries BC, 199 (Sacred Way, 199˙ Street of Tombs, 200˙ South Road, 240˙ Dromos, 243)˙ Demosion Sema, 247˙ Sanctuaries, 248˙ Workshops, 266 THE AREA INSIDE THE WALLS (INNER KERAMEIKOS) ❧ Pompeion, 272˙ Fountain house, 276˙ Altar, 276˙ Building Ζ, 277˙ Buildings Y and x, 279 KERAMEIKOS: THE OFFICIAL CEMETERY ❧ Ostracism, 287˙ Celebrations for the living (Great Pana- thenaea, 287)˙ Celebrations for the dead (Anthesteria, 294˙ Skirophoria, 295)˙ “Undying fame”, 315 BIBLIOGRAPHY 325 ARCHIvAL PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS 328 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 329 ODAY THE KERAMEIKOS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE is marked off by Ermou, Piraeus, and Aso- Tmaton Streets. Thanks to new research, its current area will be expanded and its loamy soil will give rise to new testimony regarding both its elaborate necropolis and the notable art of pottery which once flourished in this area of the Asty situated along the banks of the Eridanos. But Kerameikos, this once-great Attic deme on the northwest outskirts of Athens, was not only the location of the most important historical cemetery between Prehistoric and Byzantine times and the major production site for Attica’s renowned vases. It is also the place that confirms and conveys what- ever is loftiest and whatever basest, the apogee and simultaneously the waning of Athens’ golden age. Pericles delivered his Funeral Oration, which encapsulates in unparalleled fashion the preem- inence of the Athenian democracy, in the Kerameikos, on “an elevated platform in order to be heard by as many of the crowd as possible” along the road leading from the Dipylon to the Academy. There in the Kerameikos, in “the city’s most beautiful suburb” as acknowledged by Thucy- dides himself—who it may be noted makes reference at no other point to the natural beauty of a place—near the Dipylon in front of the Pompeion was the starting-point for the festival of the Great Panathenaea, in which the goddess Athena’s new peplos was transported to the Acropolis. This pro- cession acquired eternal youth on the Parthenon frieze, part of an unsurpassed age of artistic creativity and an era in which man succeeded in giving the most faithful possible substantive form to his soul’s beauty. However, the soil of the Kerameikos once concealed—though no longer—the underside of Athens political and religious greatness, the main cause of its decline, the tool of slander and defama- tion: thousands of ostraka bearing the name of Themistocles, whom his political opponents, the Aeacids and the Alcmaeonids, ostracized in 471 BC. German archaeologists found around 9500 os- traka in the Kerameikos; many bore the name of Themistocles, fewer that of Cimon… 10 According to the great Swiss philosopher of history Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), it was calumny, infamous slander, that all-powerful weapon in the hands of demagogues which inter alia brought about Athens’ decline: “The degeneration of Athens stemmed from the attempt by a dem- ocratic state to establish an imperium, and from the exploitation of this attempt by demagogues. This was the source of all ills and all misfortunes”. Even Themistocles, a ruler who demonstrably knew how to measure the resistance of the human material he was called upon to govern—he evolved like a virtuoso when he had first to con- quer the misapprehensions within the minds of the Athenians before defeating the Persians at sea— was defeated by the bottomless pit of abuse. The Kerameikos thus sums up all that was important about Athens: “the praises of the Demos and the Sophists, the difficult, invaluable ‘well done’” as well as “the mean observances, littlenesses, and indifference” that brought men like Cleon to power. This is the Kerameikos revealed in this high-quality edition, the fruitful partnership of two distinguished public servants-archaeologists and the John S. Latsis Foundation, which in continuing its valuable series “The Museums Cycle” is now offering Greece a valuable legacy of history and knowledge. I extend my warm thanks and congratulations to the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation for this continuous and excellent offering, as well as to the volume’s authors, archaeologists Eleni Banou, Director of the 3rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, and Leonidas Bournias of the same ephorate. KONSTANTINOS AN. TASOULAS Minister of Culture and Sports 11 ΗΕ JOURNEY of "The Museums Cycle" within historic spaces that showcase the civilization of ΤAncient Greece has continued steadfastly for fourteen years. This year, our sojourn will be in Ke- rameikos. A perennial, vibrant nexus, Kerameikos, in addition to containing the cemetery of ancient Athens, was the starting point for the Panathenaiac procession, the glorious celebration of Athens in antiquity, while the place name was to become synonymous with an entire art form, that of ceramics. The museum and the archaeological site of Kerameikos are not particularly well known to the ge- neral public. The John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation is endeavoring through this publication to illuminate its history and encourage numerous visits, both physical and digital, to a place that ra- diates the grandeur and timelessness of ancient Greek civilization. Cemeteries have always been a precious source of knowledge for scholars concerning the cul- ture and daily life in times past. But Kerameikos is not just this: it is an alfresco art gallery, a veri- table garden in the alcoves and bowers of which, amidst flourishing olive, laurel, and cypress trees, carved masterpieces stand. Here beneath the Attic sky, mourning and grief gave way to high art, while the souls of eminent men and women, heroes and famed athletes, gave rise to marble sculptures recounting their exploits, feats, and dramas. Each monument and stone echo unique moments in the city’s past and the prominent denizens who passed through it. Strolling through the center of Athens, it is truly worthwhile to spend some time in Keramei- kos, treating it not simply as an archaeological site, but as a living and venerable part of the city. It is an unexpected cultural and historical interlude amidst the rush of our daily lives where one can stand beside the tombstones, themselves works of art, feel the breeze and fragrances of each passing season, walk amongst the traces of ancient roads and discover one’s own corner that will provide peace and tranquility. On behalf of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, I would like to thank both estima- ble writers, the archaeologists Eleni Banou and Leonidas Bournias, whose impeccable text conveys profound knowledge and love for these historic places and their past. I also extend my thanks to all the Kerameikos employees, who made every effort towards creating this publication. Our thanks also go to the Ministry of Culture and Sports for the constant support and trust that pervades each new tome of "The Museums Cycle",