MOUNT PELION - 2007

Mount Pelion. N.H. Andreasen (Danish Institute) and A. Darlas (EPSVE) report on the 2nd season of the Pelion Cave Project.

Work in 2007 was focused S and E of Volos (municipalities of Milies, Artemida, Agria, Portaria, Makrinitsa and Volos), and on the Pelion foothills around Lake Karla (municipality of Karla). The main objective was to conclude the survey on the W part of the mountain. Seventy five localities were surveyed (54 rock shelters, 20 caves and one artificial cave, and some localities surveyed in 2006 revisited.

The dense vegetation covering most of Mt Pelion (except the foothills around Lake Karla) leaves many caves and shelters unknown except to some local residents. Thus mod. rubbish and casual visitors do not impact noticeably on the material record left by the original users. There was a general low-level scatter of archaeological material on the surface of one third of the localities examined. Two hundred and eighty artefacts were collected from 24 caves and rockshelters, 5 of which had been visited and searched in 2006. This underlines how visibility can change from one season to another due to alterations in vegetation cover or disturbance of surface sediments. Pottery formed the numerically largest artefact group and was also the most frequently encountered artefact type. Half of the localities have an associated built structure, often a stone wall which confines an area in front of the cave. Some of these walls were very well constructed and reflect significant expenditure of effort. Direct evidence of repair or modification is rare.

Two archaeologists were employed to gather ethnographic and ethno-historical data related to husbandry practices and other cave uses with regard to their cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Semi-structured interviews with local informants as well as informal conversations in the field generated a wealth of information. Varying degrees of ethnographic information were obtained for about one third of the caves and rock shelters located; indeed, some of these features were located exclusively by using the accounts and guidance of informants.

The rock outcrops in most of the research area are mainly schists with marble intercalations. Although areas of karstic limestone/marble are likely to hold more caves, we have numerous examples of shelters and caves in areas dominated by schists. Caves from different altitudes up to about 1,000masl (and particularly below 600masl) are well represented. There were not equally detailed site-specific ethnographic data for caves or shelters on the upper part of the mountain from 1,000masl to its highest point at 1,624masl. This arises to some extent from the fact that the environmental carrying capacity drops at altitudes above 1,000masl. Consequently, human activity is more limited than on the lower slopes and there are fewer roads or paths.

Our results show that in the vicinity of regularly used areas, localities and travel routes in the landscape nearly all rock shelters and caves have been used. One such example is a small cave on an important, regional trading route into the village of Makrinitsa. Various engravings on the cave wall have religious connotations, but there are also sketches of horses/mules and people dragging or riding these animals. Merchants may have made the carvings during overnight stays before entering or leaving Makrinitsa.