Bays of East Attica Regional Survey, Attica - 2022

Sarah Murray (University of Toronto) and Catherine Pratt (University of Texas at Austin) reports on the results of the  2022 season of the The Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS) which operates under the auspices of CIG and with the permission of the Ephorate of Antiquities of East Attica in the Raftis Island, Raftopoula Island, Porto Raftis as well as the architectural study of the Koroni acropolis. 

The work involved a pedestrian survey of Raftis Island (fig. 1). The dominant element of the pottery scatter is datable to the LH IIIC period, while a smaller component represents the Late Roman period, with most finds dating to the 6th–7th centuries CE, confirming the hypothesis that Roman activity was concentrated in lower elevations around the western apron of the island, while LH IIIC material was distributed densely across the entire habitable surface of the island. There was an extraordinary assemblage of groundstone objects (171 in total) including 9 pieces of tripod mortars (fig. 2), a type that is relatively rare in the LH IIIC period, dozens of other querns and mortars in various shapes and sizes, and dozens of hand tools for polishing, grinding, and pounding, including some high quality pestles, likely intended to accompany the tripod mortars. 189 chipped stone lithics were collected, mostly of obsidian and a few of quartz. A variety of other finds were also collected, including figurines, both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic and including an unusual quantity of miniature figurines (fig. 3), loom weights and textile tools (include a spool-shaped loom weight), bronze fragments, stoppers, whetstones, technical ceramics, steatite beads or buttons, lamps, worked shell, lead lumps and one lead weight, a few overfired LH IIIC White Ware pottery wasters, a worked piece of rock crystal, and a polished green stone axe.

At Raftopoula Island, the surface assemblage yielded a modest collection of diagnostic pottery (dating to the Mycenaean and Late Roman periods), tiles, lithics, and other artefacts. The remains of three structures potentially representing remnants of larger structures below the surface were also found. Their preservation varied: one had a solid foundation wall running parallel to the coast, while others showed degraded features or were poorly preserved, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about their original design.

Survey was also conducted around the town at Porto Rafti. Nearly 3,000 sherds of pottery, 674 tile fragments, and close to 2,000 lithics were observed. The distribution of lithics was concentrated in the western and northern parts of the bay, particularly in fields and slopes connecting the coastal site of Pounta with inland communities in the Early Bronze Age. Findings and the the chronological distribution of both tiles and pottery suggest that activity around the bay may have been especially extensive in the Bronze Age, the Archaic to Hellenistic periods, and the Venetian to Early Modern periods, especially the Archaic to Hellenistic periods, as the concentration of sherds (particularly notable in the centre of Porto Rafti) suggests. The survey also revealed evidence of possible industrial activity, such as the presence of metal and stone artefacts, along with pottery and lithic finds. A small site was documented in the valley south of Porto Rafti, potentially serving as a route between the Koroni area and the Attic deme of Merenda, with findings from the Bronze Age to modern periods.

An architectural documentation of the Hellenistic acropolis on the Koroni peninsula (Fig. 4) was also conducted, aiming to accurately record the existing structures using modern instruments. The team measured, sketched, photographed, and described 408 architectural features, mainly from the Hellenistic period, including 35 designated structures with multiple walls using dGPS with Hellenic Positioning System (HEPOS) corrections. Remains include structures of varied sizes and arrangements, rows of small rooms suitable for storage, more complex agglomerative structures suggestive of habitation or work, and clearly defensive structures such as fortified gates in a substantial fortification wall. One structure even resembles an apsidal building typical of the Bronze Age or Geometric periods, which, if actually dating to the Classical or Hellenistic period, could be representative of a ritual space. The findings indicate the presence of pre-existing structures on the acropolis before the Hellenistic construction phase, with evidence of expansion and adaptation over time.