Notes on the Towers and Borders of Classical Boiotia Author(s): John McKesson Camp, II Source: American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 95, No. 2 (Apr., 1991), pp. 193-202 Published by: Archaeological Institute of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/505722 . Accessed: 27/03/2013 20:56 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]. Archaeological Institute of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Journal of Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 138.16.130.60 on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:56:07 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Notes on the Towers and Borders of ClassicalBoiotia JOHN McKESSON CAMP II Abstract seven minutes at a kalyvia of Granitza, on the foot of A drawing by Simone Pomardimade for EdwardDod- the mountain. Here stands a single Hellenic tower, well has permittedthe rediscoveryof a freestandingClas- about half of which remains."2 W. Gell's account is sical tower between Livadiaand Koroneiaat Rhakes.The even more succinct: "The of Rachi, where is new find leads to observationson the and Kalybea style placement an ancient Hellenic tower r."3 of Boiotian military towers, which in turn leads to the reexamination of the towers and forts along the Attic/ The tower as such has disappeared since the early Boiotian frontier. The conclusion is drawn that several 19th century and has been ignored or forgotten by towers with the fort at hitherto together Eleutherai, rec- the numerous scholars who in recent years have made as Attic, are better understood as Boiotian.* ognized Boiotia one of the more intensively studied areas of Greece.4 A hitherto unpublished drawing of Dod- DODWELL AND THE RESURRECTION OF THE well's now helps put the Rhakes tower back on the RHAKES TOWER map of Classical Boiotia (fig. 1). The drawing is in pencil and wash, measuring 0.44 On 20 March 1805, as he made his way along the x 0.78 m. It shows a square or rectangular tower set south side of the basin, Edward Dodwell de- Copaic on a natural rock The view is taken from scribed an ancient tower: outcrop. above the tower, looking northeast over the Copaic We quitted our hospitable landlord at Libadeaand in basin. The location of the scene is set with certainty an hour reached a small village called Rhakes; where by a series of notations along the top, identifying are the remains of an ancient of square tower, regular features in the drawing: "Orcomenos, Skripu, Caly- of stones. The middle construction, composed large bia, ancient tower between Lividia and Thebes, distant space of the wall is three feet and a half in thickness, mountains of Eubea, Lake Copais, Village Kamares consisting of a hard mass of small stones and cement, or Kalamata, modern lined on each side with large blocks; the whole wall aqueduct." The tower as shown is built of forming a thicknessof eight feet and a half. No other large squared ashlar traces of antiquity are visible at this place; and as its blocks and stands some six courses high on its south, situationcorresponds with no ancient town mentioned east, and north sides. Much of the west side has col- Straboor it by Pausanias, was probablyone of the Mov- lapsed, except for the southwest corner, which stands or forts, built to the vcv@Qytc single-towered guard pass: up to 10 courses, though the top two blocks have for on one side rises a steep mountain,and on the other shifted somewhat out of place. The southwest corner the plain of Kopaisappears in its full extent.' is shown with drafted edges. Where shown, the walls Col. W.M. Leake, traveling with W. Gell in early seem a single block in thickness. The drawing there- December of 1805, also refers to this same tower: fore does not conform to Dodwell's description of the "Following the road from Livadhia to Thebes, along tower as having a wall "eight feet and a half thick." the foot of the Granitza mountain, we arrive in forty- We shall return to this point later. * This article, which has several parts, owes much to Greeceduring the Years1801, 1805, 1806 (London 1819) I, friends and colleagues. Hector Catling, former Directorof 245. the British School at Athens, made me reexamine old as- 2 W.M. Leake, Travels in Northern Greece (London 1835) sumptions by asking me to lecture on the borders and de- II, 133. fense of Attica. MarkMunn and Josiah Ober, both of whom W. Gell, The Itinerary of Greece; Containing One have done excellent work on the defenses of Attica, were Hundred Routes in Attica, Boeotia, Phocis, Locris, and Thessaly generous with their time and constructivecriticism, as were (London 1819) 140. W.T. Loomis, Kathryn Morgan, James Sickinger, and an 4 See, for instance, the immense bibliographyof some anonymous AJA referee. Alison Adams accompanied me 434 items compiled by P. Roesch in La Beotieantique (Paris several times and I am indebted also to the schoolmasterof 1985) 22-32, covering just the last 30 years. Two more Laphystio,Athanasios Papaliakos,for considerablehelp in internationalconferences on Boiotia have been held since the village.The maps were prepared by Diane Fortenberry. then, in Munich in June 1986 (H. Beister and J. Buckler, My greatest debt is to the late Eugene Vanderpool, with Boiotika,Munich 1989) and in Thebes in September 1986 whom I first began visiting the forts and towers of the ('En.Erlwt;Srg; 'EratlEagI I, 1, Ath- northwestfrontier in BotLwrtxt(v MEAErtv the 1960s. ens 1988). See also J. Fossey, The Topographyand Population E. Dodwell, A Classical and Topographical Tour through of Ancient Boiotia (Chicago 1988). 193 AmericanJournal of Archaeology95 (1991) This content downloaded from 138.16.130.60 on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:56:07 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 194 JOHN McKESSON CAMP II [AJA 95 IIIr 6r-% Owl wwwwl??NO "l,71,,?W,.llmm*-I?k All nq Fig. 1. Pen and ink drawing of the Classicaltower at Rhakes,done 20 March 1805 by Simone Pomardi for EdwardDodwell. View looking northeast.Private collection. A "P" inscribed in the upper right corner indicates had been dismantled and the blocks used to build the that the drawing is actually the work of Simone Po- bell tower of the Church of the Taxiarchs, which lies mardi, the Italian artist engaged by Dodwell to accom- just below the house, today heavily plastered and pany him on his travels.5 Both men had a good eye painted. A few leftover pieces, however, had been for landscape and, in addition, they usually made use built into his stable. Figure 3 shows some of the sur- of a camera obscura, which allowed exact-almost pho- viving blocks of the Rhakes tower in their present tographic-drawings in that they were traced from position in the Skorliakos stable. They are large an image projected through a lens. squared blocks of gray limestone, measuring 0.90- x x The precision of this drawing became clear in 1986, 1.00 m long 0.60 m thick 0.45 m high, with when I visited the village of Rhakes, now called La- hammer-dressed quarry faces. A few have pry holes phystio, in the company of several members of the and anathyrosis; in all, some 27 blocks or fragments American School of Classical Studies at Athens. It of blocks survive. In general the blocks closely match proved possible to match the topographical features those used in several other freestanding Boiotian tow- of the Copaic basin with the landscape shown in the ers such as those at Linopyrgos (Evangelistria), Askra, background of the drawing. The original site of the and Mavrovouni.6 tower is now occupied by a private house owned by There is no independent evidence for the date of Athanasios Skorliakos (fig. 2). When questioned, he the Rhakes tower other than the masonry itself. This informed us that in his grandfather's day the tower is true for all the parallel towers as well, which are 5 Pomardihimself also wrote an account of their travels worked up later, thereby permittinga bit of artisticlicense. in together: Viaggio nella Grecia negli anni 1804/6 (Rome The preliminarysketch and the drawing are a private 1820), though he makes no specificreference to the Rhakes collection. tower. 6 For Linopyrgos/Evangelistria:R. Kallet-Marx,"The The shading of the drawing is peculiar, showing what EvangelistriaWatchtower and the Defence of the Zagora should be the southern face as shaded, with light on the Pass,"Boiotika (Munich 1989) 301-11. I am grateful to Prof. western face, whereas the drawing was actually done in Kallet-Marxfor showing me the manuscriptof his article morning light. There is a preliminarypencil sketch for this prior to publication.For Askra and Mavrovouni,see infra 11 drawing and it may well be that the finished version was ns. and 12. This content downloaded from 138.16.130.60 on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:56:07 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1991] NOTES ON THE TOWERS AND BORDERS OF CLASSICAL BOIOTIA 195 Fig. 2. Modern Laphystio(formerly Rhakes).