SARONIC HARBOURS ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH PROJECT Korphos Kalamianos - 2007

Saronic Harbours Archaeological Research Project (SHARP). D. Pullen (ASCSA/Florida) and T. Tartaron (ASCSA/ Pennsylvania) report on the first of 3 planned field seasons (Fig. 1).

Research focused on the recently discovered Myc settlement at Korphos-Kalamianos, a harbour settlement with a large, planned urban centre, where the foundations and lower walls of the entire town are exposed due to extensive soil loss. An architectural inventory of construction over an area of ca. 9ha was completed: significant progress was made in high-precision mapping of the area, and 2 smaller sectors were selected for detailed architectural drawing and description. The Myc walls, including extensive segments of fortification wall, were shown to cover ca. 7.2ha (Fig. 2). At least 50 separate structures and complexes were identified, nearly all on a similar N−S grid. A large number of complexes, with 5−8 or more rooms, were built as single units.

Surface survey on the Kalamianos site and in the surrounding area used 25 x 25m grid squares as ‘discovery units’ (following the methodology of the Eastern Korinthia Archaeological Survey). Myc buildings located within these units were examined (via artefact collections and counts) before the remaining area was walked (Fig. 3): pottery from wall fills helped to date their construction, and collections from interior spaces aimed to establish date and function. A number of discovery units were walked in the surrounding area at Kalamianos, Aramada and Stiri. Significant Myc activity was located in a saddle between 2 small hills N of Kalamianos, and at Stiri, SE of the Panagia church. In both cases, canonical cyclopean masonry of Myc type was used in complexes and buildings similar to those at Kalamianos. Ceramic finds also included FNeo, EH and LRom to EMed. Geological and geomorphological research (R. Dunn) focused on problems of erosion and sediment movement, hydrology, and coastline change over time.

The 2007 season demonstrated the importance of the Korphos region as a centre in LH IIIB and probably also LH IIIA, centred on the harbour at Kalamianos. By LH IIIB Mycenae had established a strong presence in the region, using Kalamianos as an important stop in maritime routes to Attica and the Corinthia, and directly challenging the former regional power, Aigina.