MARATHON - Olympic Rowing Facility - 2004
Informations Générales
Numéro de la notice
2123
Année de l'opération
2004
Chronologie
Âge du Bronze - Bronze Ancien - Bronze Moyen - Bronze Récent
Antiquité - Archaïque - Classique - Hellénistique - Romaine
Mots-clés
Ferme - Four - Inscription - Monnaie - Outillage/armement - Parure/toilette - Pierre - Habitat - Nécropole - Production/extraction
Nature de l'opération
Institution(s)
Localisation
Toponyme
Marathon, Marathonas
Marathon, Marathonas
Notices et opérations liées
2004
Description
Marathon, Kato Souli – Schinias. Olympic rowing facility. †M. Oikonomakou (Β’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on works for the construction of the Olympic rowing facility between 2001-2004.
The deepest levels are in a layer of red earth where the bottom of the marsh was in its initial dry phase. Remains of activity here included wooden structures and pits which predate the third millennium.
To the Early Helladic period date two pits and two houses (B1 and B2) along the east side of the trench, and another (ΣΤ1) at the west side.
At several points around the marsh were small stone soroi and animal bones with remains of burning, probably small outdoor hearths of various periods.
Three buildings were founded in a layer of peat which in this period was dry and stable enough to accommodate fixed installations. Large quantities of Geometric pottery were found at three points inside the peat, with EH in the lower levels. At the end of the EH period the area was flooded, but it must have dried again to support Geometric habitation, although no building remains were found.
The foundation of the two-roomed house B2 was preserved to two-three courses (Fig. 1). Close by was a pit with EH II sherds in the bottom. North of house B2 was a large pit containing EH and MH sherds above a layer with much EH (mostly EH II) pottery and some EH III sherds in a cavity at the bottom.
The rectangular House B1 (internally 5 x 2.6m), just south of B2, produced EH and Geometric sherds from the fill. Ceramics collected, including saucers and plates, large phialae or lekanes and some sauceboat fragments, date the use of the house to EH II.
Other finds include stone tools, shells, and a large number of cores, blades and chips of obsidian, as well as a greenstone pendant in the shape of a foot.
House ΣΤ was a rectangular two-room EH dwelling (2.9 wide, 4m maximum length), along the west side of the lake (Fig. 2). The upper courses of the walls were of mudbrick, in one wall in a herringbone pattern. Geometric-Late Classical sherds were recovered around the area.
Along the length of the road to Kato Souli, to the north of the marsh, was a cemetery of the Archaic period to the third century BC. Sixty one tombs were found along an ancient road (3.5m wide) which ran southwest-northeast parallel to the modern road (Fig. 3). The majority were immediately below the surface.
200m south of the first cemetery were a further 26 tombs, mostly enchytrismoi and cremations of the Late Geometric period to the fifth century. The majority were enchytrismoi in amphorae, pithoi, lekanes and hydriae. Primary cremations took place mostly in pyres in the form of shallow pits with clay borders (Fig. 4): offerings consisted largely of ceramic vessels (lekythoi, kotyles and lekanes, Figs 5-7).
Potter’s kilns: 240m south of the north edge of the lake lay the bases of two kilns probably used for the firing of tiles and perhaps pithoi. Fill around them contained pottery of various periods from the Geometric to the Byzantine.
Near Kato Souliou Street, 80m from the cemetery and the ancient road, part of a large Classical farm complex was excavated (Fig. 8). Sixteen rooms were revealed, and to the north side the strong foundations of a square tower-like structure, which appears to belong to an earlier phase. Terracotta plates from olive presses were found, plus stone grinders, loomweights, lead weights, lead clamps, bronze arrow heads, iron and bronze nails, 90 coins (56 in a hoard), and two inscribed limestone slabs.
Pottery consisted of household wares, most undecorated, and many black-glazed sherds, also pithoi, amphorae, kantharoi, olpes, skyphoi, phialae, and plates.
The complex was in use from the first half of the fourth until the beginning of the third century BC.
Auteur de la notice
Robert PITT
Références bibliographiques
AD 56-59 (2001-2004) Chr., 374-376; 379-381; 385-386; † M. Oikonomakou, AE 143 (2004) [2007], 81-177.
Légende graphique :
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localisation du toponyme
polygone du toponyme Chronique
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Date de création
2011-06-20 00:00:00
Dernière modification
2023-10-09 10:55:03
Figure(s)
Fig. 1/ Kato Souli - Schinias: EH house B2.
Fig. 2/ Kato Souli - Schinias: EH house Στ.
Fig. 3/ Kato Souli - Schinias: enchytrismos.
Fig. 4/ Kato Souli - Schinias: funerary pyres in the south cemetery (from the northeast).
Fig. 5/ Kato Souli - Schinias: grave offering.
Fig. 6/ Kato Souli - Schinias: grave offering.
Fig. 7/ Kato Souli - Schinias: grave offering.
Fig. 8/ Kato Souli - Schinias: part of Classical farm complex.