MIDEA - 2008

Midea. The Gr-Swedish excavations on the Myc acropolis of Midea continued in 2008 under the direction of K. Demakopoulou (Director Emerita, National Museum) with the collaboration of A.-L. Schallin (Director, Swedish Institute) and N. Divari-Valakou (Γ' ΕΠΚΑ). The Gr team excavated in the SW part of the lower acropolis and the Swedish team in the area E of the east gate.
The Gr team worked on the lower W terrace of the acropolis, continuing the investigation of the gallery discovered in 2007 through the thickness of the W section of the fortification wall. The entrance of the gallery in the inner face of the wall, as well as the area in front of it, were further cleared. The entrance is flanked by wall 3 and a megalithic construction. Bedrock was revealed in a large part of this area, sloping down towards the entrance to the gallery, which was accessed via steps. The interior of the gallery was investigated to a l. of ca. 3.5m with the removal of a deposit about 0.9m d, which almost reached the roof. The gallery is an underground passageway or syrinx through the fortification wall, which at this point is 5.7m thick. Its side walls are built of boulders and curve slightly inward towards the top, while the ceiling is mostly made of horizontal stone slabs (Fig. 1). The floor, of levelled bedrock, has a slight inclination with low steps at several points. The syrinx, which is 1.4m h. and 0.6m w., runs straight through the wall to the investigated length of 3.5m. At this point it seems to turn to the N and consequently to run obliquely to emerge at an exit. In order to find the exit of the syrinx, the excavation was extended outside the fortification wall.
A large part of the outer face of the wall was exposed for a l. of 10m and a h. of 2.8m maximum. The wall, founded directly on bedrock, is very well preserved, built of boulders and large and medium-sized stones. The exit of the syrinx was located about 3.5m N of the axis of the entrance in the other side of the wall. It was found blocked with medium-sized and small stones, apparently by the Mycenaeans themselves. Although the exit is blocked, its corbel-vault construction is clear. The side walls of the opening curve to form a corbel arch. The dimensions of the exit, 0.6-0.8m w. and 1m h., are consistent with a secret sally port, rather than a tunnel leading down to an underground cistern.
The excavated part of the syrinx contained a fill of dark stony soil. Abundant LHIIIB2 sherds were recovered. A few LHIIIC E sherds indicate that the entrance remained open in the first half of the 12th Ct BC, although the syrinx was no longer in use. Four sherds joined the LHIIIC E krater reconstructed from fragments found in the upper layers of trench C during the 2006 and 2007 excavations (Fig. 2). Part of the lower body of a Group A deep bowl decorated with antithetic spirals may be dated to LHIIIB2 L or LHIIIC E. The LHIIIB2 pottery includes mainly deep bowls of Groups A and B, stemmed bowls, cups and bowls, as well as jugs and stirrup jars. There are 2 sherds with pictorial motifs, one with a bull protome. The commonest fine plainware shapes are kylikes and dippers. There are many fragments of coarse storage and cooking vessels, such as pithoi, vats and a bowl. Fragments of large bowls of Handmade Burnished Ware and some small EMyc (LHIIA-B) sherds were recovered. Also found were some fragmentary clay human and animal figurines, notably the body of a bovid decorated with rock pattern. The other small finds from the interior of the syrinx include fragments of stone tools, such as millstones and pounders, bronze scraps including a small rivet from a knife or dagger, pieces of fluorite, mother-of-pearl and ochre, sea shells, as well as a small fragment of painted plaster.
The deposits removed from the area adjacent to the outer face of the fortification wall contained a large quantity of mixed and worn sherds. These mostly date to LHIIIB2 with a few LHIIIC E and PGeo sherds. There are also many MH and EMyc sherds, as well as pottery of the LRom and Byz periods. The LHIIIB2 pottery recovered from this area includes a small stirrup jar now partly restored. Also noteworthy is a large part of a stone tripod mortar.
The deposit below the floor of room I was also examined: according to the pottery found in 2007, this dates to LHIIIC E. A trench adjacent to the inner face of the fortification wall was excavated to a d. of 0.8m. The deposit removed was clearly a debris layer containing many stones fallen from the fortification wall. The fragmentary pottery from this layer is dated to LHIIIB2 L. This supports the conclusion that room I was constructed above the destruction debris caused by the earthquake that struck Midea at the end of the 13th Ct BC. The pottery from the debris layer contained many fragments of deep bowls of Groups A and B, of a small bowl with an internal pattern in added white paint, of jugs and of a miniature handmade vase. Other finds include a fragmentary clay human figurine, 2 steatite spindle-whorls and pieces of mother-of-pearl.
Work continued on the conservation of ceramics from previous seasons. Huge pithoi, restored from fragments, provide evidence for the storage of agricultural products inside the acropolis. In furtherance of the project to conserve the acropolis, with the maintenance and arrangement of the N and SW part of the site, a photographic survey was made of the section of the fortification wall in this area.

The work of the Swedish team concentrated on the upper plateau, SE of the east gate. Two areas E of the east gate were investigated: trench 12 and the baulk between trenches 3 and 9 (see the 2007 report for work in these trenches from 2004 onwards).
Trench 12 is situated next to trench 3, along the inner face of the citadel wall, where a row of buildings was previously unearthed. The outline of the structure within the citadel wall was revealed. The first wall encountered, along the S scarp, is the continuation of that found in trench 3; it stretches towards the E and forms a right-angled corner with the other wall. The latter wall, running towards the citadel wall, is preserved to a lower level. The complete perimeter of the room partly excavated in trench 3 is now exposed. Finds comprise a majority of LH finewares and coarsewares, Myc figurine fragments, a bronze pin and 3 obsidian arrowheads. Green-glazed sherds found in a pit provide evidence of Med activity.
Work was resumed between trenches 9 and 3 to clarify the architectural layout of rooms encircling the citadel wall. Most of the NW part of this baulk had been excavated down to bedrock in 2007. Work in 2008 provided evidence for a wall running E-W, which rested on bedrock and was preserved to a h. of 3 courses. The whole E part of the baulk was excavated down to bedrock. The dark brown soil (layer 2) contained pottery, bones and an obsidian arrowhead. Close to the bedrock in the SE corner of this part of the baulk, a cylinder seal of black stone was found, depicting quadrupeds and chevron filling motifs (Fig. 3). The seal most probably belongs to the LMyc Mainland Popular Group.