Kotroni - Kotroni Archaeological Survey Project (KASP) - 2021
Informations Générales
Numéro de la notice
18035
Année de l'opération
2021
Chronologie
Âge du Bronze - Bronze Moyen - Bronze Récent
Antiquité - Classique - Romaine
Mots-clés
Nature de l'opération
Institution(s)
Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Ανατολικής Αττικής (Éphorie des antiquités d'Attique orientale)
University College Dublin (UCD) (University College Dublin (UCD))
Localisation
Toponyme
Kotroni
Kotroni
Notices et opérations liées
Description
Kotroni - Kotroni Archaeological Survey Project (KASP). Eleni Andrikou et al. (Ephorate of Antiquities of East Attica), Anastasia Dakouri-Hild (University of Virginia) and Stephen Davis (University College Dublin) report on the second season of fieldwork for the Kotroni Archaeological Survey Project.
Intensive pedestrian survey
During the intensive pedestrian survey in the summer of 2021, several new archaeological sites in the extended area of the citadel were identified, including a potentially significant prehistoric site outside the citadel itself and several Iron Age sites.
All together 7,111 sherds were recovered, of which 1,467 (20.6%) are form-diagnostic and 385 (5.4%) are useful for initial spot dating (i.e. highly diagnostic). Other finds included 7,148 roof tiles, both of the Laconian and Corinthian types, stone tools or implements or by-products thereof (black and grey obsidian and brown/red chert flakes, larger obsidian pieces, an obsidian finished arrowhead, and an obsidian blade, and ground tools). Terracotta artefacts include loom weights, decorated Roman lamps, biconical spindle-whorls, and rounded unperforated sherds (pessoi or stoppers) and possible terracotta kiln stands. The metal finds are mostly pieces of iron slag with vesicles or ore pieces, suggesting expansive local activity involving the processing of iron ore, similarly to the 2019 finds. A bronze coin, which probably depicts a faint head on the obverse (the reverse is blank or eroded), was a chance find (T612.M1).
Based on a preliminary spot dating of all classes of era-diagnostic artefacts, the presently known era diagnostics are (unlike the 2019 assemblage) strongly concentrated in the prehistoric eras, especially the Middle Helladic period (238, 61.8% of highly diagnostic finds), but also include decorated early Late Helladic, and decorated and plain Late Helladic pieces. The Classical period is also well-attested (148, 38.4%), followed by Roman/Roman-Byzantine (26, 6.7%), Geometric (17, 4.4%), Ottoman/Early Modern (13, 3.3%), and Byzantine/Byzantine-Frankish (13, 3.3%). Hellenistic is barely attested.
Based on the preliminary spot dating of finds, Bronze Age occupation is attested on several parts of the 2021 survey, but especially in the southern part of sector W and to some extent near the top of Gaitaná (by obsidian pieces only). Geometric and Archaic is more narrowly found in a small area of sector W and Gaitaná. Classical (with the single Hellenistic fragment) is attested more widely, in the east and, south and southwest parts of the survey mostly. Hellenistic-Roman, Roman, and Roman Byzantine show a similar pattern to Classical. Occupation dating to the Byzantine, Frankish and Ottoman eras seems to be mostly concentrated in the east and south parts of the 2021 footprint.
Geology and geomorphology
In 2019 the KASP collected samples from the most promising sampling positions for quantitative dating in the lab. On the southern slope, two of the investigated features were earthworks; the remaining three were associated with terrace stonewalls. In 2021 lab-based characterization of the collected samples produced absolute dates for the features in question. The range in depositional ages obtained from the OSL analysis is fairly wide, ranging from the Bronze Age to the Early Ottoman era (2130 ± 400 BC, and AD1520 ± 40). It therefore showed a diachronic engagement with landscape modifications. The Middle and Late Bronze Age activity is especially interesting, as it implies intensification practices and a rootedness in the landscape despite the relative rarity of prehistoric finds, consistently with population expanse in other parts of mainland Greece in these periods.
Intensive pedestrian survey
During the intensive pedestrian survey in the summer of 2021, several new archaeological sites in the extended area of the citadel were identified, including a potentially significant prehistoric site outside the citadel itself and several Iron Age sites.
All together 7,111 sherds were recovered, of which 1,467 (20.6%) are form-diagnostic and 385 (5.4%) are useful for initial spot dating (i.e. highly diagnostic). Other finds included 7,148 roof tiles, both of the Laconian and Corinthian types, stone tools or implements or by-products thereof (black and grey obsidian and brown/red chert flakes, larger obsidian pieces, an obsidian finished arrowhead, and an obsidian blade, and ground tools). Terracotta artefacts include loom weights, decorated Roman lamps, biconical spindle-whorls, and rounded unperforated sherds (pessoi or stoppers) and possible terracotta kiln stands. The metal finds are mostly pieces of iron slag with vesicles or ore pieces, suggesting expansive local activity involving the processing of iron ore, similarly to the 2019 finds. A bronze coin, which probably depicts a faint head on the obverse (the reverse is blank or eroded), was a chance find (T612.M1).
Based on a preliminary spot dating of all classes of era-diagnostic artefacts, the presently known era diagnostics are (unlike the 2019 assemblage) strongly concentrated in the prehistoric eras, especially the Middle Helladic period (238, 61.8% of highly diagnostic finds), but also include decorated early Late Helladic, and decorated and plain Late Helladic pieces. The Classical period is also well-attested (148, 38.4%), followed by Roman/Roman-Byzantine (26, 6.7%), Geometric (17, 4.4%), Ottoman/Early Modern (13, 3.3%), and Byzantine/Byzantine-Frankish (13, 3.3%). Hellenistic is barely attested.
Based on the preliminary spot dating of finds, Bronze Age occupation is attested on several parts of the 2021 survey, but especially in the southern part of sector W and to some extent near the top of Gaitaná (by obsidian pieces only). Geometric and Archaic is more narrowly found in a small area of sector W and Gaitaná. Classical (with the single Hellenistic fragment) is attested more widely, in the east and, south and southwest parts of the survey mostly. Hellenistic-Roman, Roman, and Roman Byzantine show a similar pattern to Classical. Occupation dating to the Byzantine, Frankish and Ottoman eras seems to be mostly concentrated in the east and south parts of the 2021 footprint.
Geology and geomorphology
In 2019 the KASP collected samples from the most promising sampling positions for quantitative dating in the lab. On the southern slope, two of the investigated features were earthworks; the remaining three were associated with terrace stonewalls. In 2021 lab-based characterization of the collected samples produced absolute dates for the features in question. The range in depositional ages obtained from the OSL analysis is fairly wide, ranging from the Bronze Age to the Early Ottoman era (2130 ± 400 BC, and AD1520 ± 40). It therefore showed a diachronic engagement with landscape modifications. The Middle and Late Bronze Age activity is especially interesting, as it implies intensification practices and a rootedness in the landscape despite the relative rarity of prehistoric finds, consistently with population expanse in other parts of mainland Greece in these periods.
Auteur de la notice
Michael Loy
Références bibliographiques
Unpublished field report
Légende graphique :
localisation de la fouille/de l'opération
localisation du toponyme
polygone du toponyme Chronique
Fonctionnalités de la carte :
sélectionner un autre fond de plan
se rapprocher ou s'éloigner de la zone
afficher la carte en plein écran
Date de création
2022-03-09 15:34:32
Dernière modification
2024-02-26 07:37:25
Figure(s)
Fig. 1/ Aphidnian landscape surrounding the citadel of Kotroni, near Kapandriti and Lake Marathon
Fig. 2/ Distribution of sherds found in 2021, by tract
Fig. 3/ Decorated and plain sherds of the Late Helladic period
Fig. 4/ Sherds of the Byzantine, Frankish and Ottoman periods found in 2021, by tract