Aidonia (burial ground)
The burial ground of Aidonia ( Greek Αηδόνια ), also called Gournospilia ( Greek Γουρνοσπηλιά = pig cave ), near the place Aidonia in the Greek municipality of Nemea ( Korinthia prefecture ) in the Peloponnese is an extensive cemetery from Mycenaean times .
The place near Petri (about 17 km northwest of Nemea) is identified with the Homeric Araithyrea ( Greek Αραιθυρέη ). A grave field from the 15th – 13th centuries found there Century BC BC comprises 24 chamber graves so far, most of them with monumental access ( dromos ). Another shaft grave , in which the skeleton of a horse without a head was found, is reminiscent of burial customs in Minoan Crete . The finds show that those buried here were of high social standing and had close ties with Mycenae and the rest of the Argolis . Numerous ceramic finds (270 vessels, shards and figures) provide valuable information on dating.
exploration
In 1971 a farmer on a donkey fell into a hole in his field. It had formed when the ceiling of a chamber tomb under the floor of the field collapsed. Instead of reporting the find, the farmer began to rob the grave. Other grave robbers became aware of the cemetery and they systematically plundered graves. Apparently, the authorities initially did not follow up on evidence of the looting. It was not until November 1977 that the authorities reacted and deployed a security guard to prevent further robbery and the following June excavations began under the direction of archaeologist Kalliopi Krystalli-Votsi. A total of 20 graves had been discovered by 1980: 17 chamber graves, one shaft grave and two unfinished graves, which consisted of only one dromos. It was found that 15 of the chamber graves had been looted. Not only had treasures been stolen, but the location of the finds, from which archaeologists can draw conclusions about the chronological order in which the grave was used, was also disturbed for objects left behind. Fortunately, a grave shaft in a grave with rich finds remained undiscovered. From 1984 the finds were exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea . Since 2016, further excavations have been carried out under Konstantinos Kissas. In 1999, during a surface survey, the settlement belonging to the cemetery was discovered on a hill opposite. In 2002 emergency excavations were carried out and in 2007 and 2011 there were further robbery excavations . In 2014 and 2015 preliminary investigations were carried out and from 2016 further graves were excavated within the TAPHOS project ( Tombs of Aidonia Preservation Heritage and explOration Synergasia ). The discovery of another chamber tomb was announced in October 2018 and two more in August of the following year. Since 2016, seven new graves have been discovered, which are numbered 100 to 106.
Return of the stolen property
In 1993, the American gallery owner Michael Ward from Manhattan planned to auction a Mycenaean treasure with a minimum bid of $ 1.5 million. Michael Ward is said to have sent a request to the Greek government to find out whether the treasure was considered stolen. This is said to have been answered in the negative. Ward has now commissioned the creation of a catalog to accompany which John H. Betts, a British professor of archeology and an expert on Mycenaean art, wrote the introduction. He wrote that it was a homogeneous collection that would presumably have to come from a grave or cemetery like those of Dendra , Mycenae or Asine . When the treasure became known, the experts quickly realized that it could be stolen treasures from Aidonia and turned the Greek authorities on. The fact that Betts, as an expert, had not yet pointed this out was met with incomprehension.
A Greek committee of archaeologists was formed to investigate the matter. The finds from Aidonia, which were in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea, played a key role here. It could be shown that the finds from the treasure and from the museum were very similar and had to come in part from the same workshop. Now a lawsuit has been filed for the surrender of the treasure. However, Michael Ward was a member of the US Cultural Property Advisory Committee , which deals with the return of stolen cultural property, under the administration of President George HW Bush . For this reason, an out-of-court settlement with the Greek state was important to him. Ward agreed in December 1993 to give the treasure to the Society for the Preservation of the Greek Heritage, which in turn returned it to Greece on January 26, 1996. Through this agreement, however, it was never investigated how Ward came into possession of the stolen property. According to its own information, it received it from a European collector.
The treasure was exhibited in the Washington Capitol from January 10th to February 2nd before it was brought to Athens on February 4th and presented and exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum . From November 9, 1998 to February 28, 1999, he was shown in an exhibition at the newly established Hellenic Antiquities Museum in Melbourne . Since 2000 all finds from Aidonia have been in the Archaeological Museum of Nemea.
The returned treasure
The treasure offered by Michael Ward consisted of 312 individual objects and dated mainly from the 15th to the 13th century BC. These were two gold signet rings , three finger rings, three seal stones , 13 gold ornaments, 25 gold beads, a gold button, 234 beads, two necklaces made of amethyst and white and light blue glass, two beads made of amber , two beads made of amethyst, four beads made of carnelian , six beads made of faience , six beads made of glass, nine so-called conules made of steatite , a pestle made of conglomerate and an awl made of bronze .
The golden signet ring MN 1005 with an oval plate 3.3 cm wide and 2.1 cm high is one of the largest Mycenaean rings known to date and was made around 1500 BC. Created. It weighs 24.3 g. A chariot pulled by two horses is depicted on it. The charioteer holds the reins in his right hand and a whip in his left . The illustration is reminiscent of the golden signet ring NAMA 240 from grave IV of grave circle A in Mycenae.
The golden signet ring MN 1006 weighs about 10 g and was also made around 1500 BC. Manufactured. The oval plate measures 1.75 × 2.9 cm. The ring was decorated with three rows of granulations . The plate depicts a religious scene with two women in Mycenaean costume. The left hand carries a papyrus plant in her right hand, while the left hand carries a ritual gesture to her neck. The right one holds a lily in her left hand and leads the right to her neck. The scene is reminiscent of the two signet rings from grave shaft 1 in grave 7 of Aidonia.
Description of the burial ground
So far, 21 chamber graves, one shaft grave and two graves consisting of only one dromos have been discovered. The graves were carved into the surrounding rock. Since the terrain slopes down to the south, the Dromoi run roughly from south to north. Most of the chamber graves had a rectangular burial chamber with a gable ceiling. Occasionally, a ridge beam was also shown, so that it is assumed that a gable roof of a house was imitated here. The graves were used for a longer period of time, with the bones and the grave goods from older burials simply being pushed aside or being placed in grave shafts. The grave shafts were usually closed with stone slabs. In some chambers there were benches carved into the rock on which grave goods were placed. Sometimes there were niches that were used for burials. Just like the entrances, they were walled up with uncut stones.
Access to the Aidonia cemetery is from the west. It is divided into three parts: the upper, middle and lower cemetery. Only grave 14 is outside this area about 50 m north of the upper cemetery.
Grave 13
First you reach grave 13. It consists only of an approximately 8 m long drom with a false door .
Grave 6
About 25 m southeast of grave 13 is grave 6. His drom is about 7.25 m long and has only slightly inwardly sloping walls. His stomion is about 1.60 m high, 0.60 m wide and 1.15 m long. The burial chamber has a rectangular floor plan of 3.40 × 3.20 m with a gable ceiling and a large floor-to-ceiling niche in the north, west and east. Inside the burial chamber there were three grave shafts only about 0.30 m deep, each with a burial, and an empty grave shaft in the western niche. Although the grave was looted in the 1970s, numerous ceramics were still found based on the usage phase in the 15th to 13th centuries BC. BC could be dated. There were also tweezers and a needle made of bronze. There were also the lowest layers of the wall with which the entrance was once closed.
Grave 15
The dromos of grave 15 begins only about 5 m south of grave 6. It is about 8 m long and its walls are sloping inwards more steeply upwards. The stomion is about 1 m long and the chamber measured about 4 × 5 m and has a gable ceiling. There is a small niche in the north wall and two very small niches in the west wall. The craftsman who covered a crack in the stone with clay in antiquity left his fingerprints. Four shallow grave shafts were found in the burial chamber. Numerous grave goods were found in the robbed grave: a jug with a cut-off spout, a flip-top jug , a flat, one-handled cup, two phi figures, three psi figures, each with a pyxis made of alabaster and ivory , an ivory spindle, a scarab seal with linear decoration , a cylinder seal made of faience, a necklace made of glass beads, a crescent-shaped counterpart made of steatite, carnelian beads, a biconical faience bead, an almond-shaped carnelian bead, a gold ring, steatite beads in the form of papyrus and so-called conules made of steatite.
Grave 7
Access to tomb 7 is about 12 meters east of tomb 15. The dromos is about 9.5 meters long and its walls are inclined inward. The roughly rectangular entrance is about 1 m wide, 1.90 m high and 1 m long. The stomion was originally completely filled with coarse stones. However, the grave robbers had removed the upper part to gain access. The rectangular burial chamber was about 5 m long, 3.75 m wide and up to 3 m high, had a gable-shaped ceiling and a large niche in the west. There were three shallow grave shafts in the burial chamber. Grave shaft 1, which is west of the door, escaped looting. Particularly valuable grave goods from a secondary burial from the 14th-13th centuries were found in it. Century BC Chr .: three gold signet rings, one gold ring, silver ring with iron, 16 rosettes made of gold sheet, various gold ornaments and gold pearls, pearls made of glass, steatite and faience, seal stones made of carnelian, agate and lapis lazuli, conuli made of steatite, a jug with a cut-off spout , two phi figures and an animal idol.
Since the returned treasure is very similar to the finds from grave shaft 1, it is assumed that at least a large part of it came from grave 7. This similarity was also the basis of the argument that the treasure had been stolen from Aidonia.
Grave 20
The easternmost grave of the upper cemetery is located about 10 m east of grave 7. The dromos is 7.20 m long and the round chamber was about 3 m in diameter. The ceiling of the chamber had already collapsed in antiquity, and so the grave remained unspoiled. A secondary burial with five iron earrings was found at a depth of three meters, which has not yet been accurately dated. The primary burial from the Late Helladic III A (14th – 13th century BC) was discovered one meter below . As grave goods were found four swing jugs, one painted and one unpainted jug, a painted pithamphor with three handles, a miniature jug and three psi figures.
Grave 1
5 m southwest of the southern end of grave 20 is the entrance to grave 1. It has a short dromos with about 3.50 m. The stomion is also only about 0.5 m and the round burial chamber has a diameter of about 4 m. A bench has been carved into the rock in the western part of the burial chamber. The grave robbers had left behind an unpainted pithamphor and a miniature alabastron and conuli (14th – 13th centuries BC).
Grave 17
5 m southwest of grave 1 is grave 17. This is possibly the grave in which the farmer fell in 1971. It had a short dromos of about 3–4 m. The collapsed burial chamber was rectangular of about 3 × 2 m and had a large, floor-to-ceiling niche of about 2.50 × 2 m in the north. In the west wall there was a burial niche that was just big enough for a corpse to be placed in it.
Grave 8
The approximately 10 m long dromos of grave 8 begins about 5 m west of grave 17. The lintel of the entrance is curved and the stomion is only about 0.50 m long. The rectangular burial chamber is about 3.50 m wide and 5 m long and has a gable ceiling. The few finds from the 15th – 13th centuries Century BC BC, which the grave robbers left behind, suggest that the grave goods were as rich as in grave 7. In addition to some ceramic vessels, a lens-shaped seal made of carnelian, biconical pearls made of faience, an amulet in the form of a pomegranate made of ivory, 10 conules were found made of steatite, beads in the shape of papyrus made of steatite and beads made of amethyst . It is assumed that the pieces that were stolen from this grave and from grave 9 are still in the possession of a collector and will eventually reach the antique market.
Grave 9
About 6 m south of grave 8 is grave 9. It has the longest dromos with about 14 m length. When the burial chamber of grave 10 was built, it probably happened by mistake that it cut the dromos from grave 9 and is thus connected to it. The entrance of grave 9 is lavishly designed and through the approximately 0.50 m long stomion you get into the rectangular, 4 × 5 m large grave chamber. The ceiling is in the form of a gable roof and even the ridge beam was imitated. To the right of the door, a grave shaft has been carefully sunk into the ground. The elaborate design of the grave and the few high-quality finds suggest that grave 9 was the richest in Aidonia. One found an ivory ornament covered with gold in the form of a rosette, a bronze needle, a bronze arrowhead and high-quality ceramics. Based on the finds, the grave can be dated from 15th to 13th centuries Century BC To be dated.
Grave 10
The entrance to the neighboring grave 10 is about 9 m southwest of grave 9. The dromos measures about 9 m in length and the facade is similar to that of grave 9. The 0.5 m long stomion leads to the rectangular chamber with an apsidial rear wall . It measures about 5 × 3.50 m and has a grave shaft in the middle. At the northeast corner it is connected to the dromos of grave 9 and in the west there is a small and a large opening to grave 11. These connections were probably not intended. On the basis of the found pottery, the grave can be traced back to the time from the 14th to the 13th century BC. To date.
Grave 11
About 7 m west of grave 10 is grave 11. The burial chamber is reached via the 8 m long dromos and the 0.75 m long stomion. It has roughly the shape of the chamber of grave 10 but is slightly smaller at 4.50 m in length and 3 m in width. When building grave 10, two openings were made to it. On the back wall there are still traces of processing of the tools used to build the burial chamber. Bones and high-quality ceramics and bones from earlier burials were found on the floor of the chamber.
Grave 12
The shaft grave 12 was found between the dromoi of graves 10 and 11. It is 3.40 m long and 1.55–160 m wide and dug into the rock 5.25 m deep. It was not looted by the grave robbers. A headless horse skeleton was found at a depth of 1.25 m, which was offered as a sacrifice. At a depth of 3 m there was a niche 2.85 m wide, 1.50 m deep and 1.25 m high. A skeleton was found in the niche, which was closed with a wall made of rough field stones. Two other burials were found below the horse's skeleton at different depths. In the floor of the shaft grave, two grave shafts were found in each of which a further corpse was buried. As the rich finds show, grave 12 was a family grave of a rich family. It was used from the 15th to the 13th centuries.
Grave 18
The collapsed grave 18 is located about 7 m north of grave 11. It is in a poor state of preservation and only has a short dromos of about 2 m. The chamber is also only about 2 m long and 1 m wide.
Grave 16
5 m north of grave 18 is grave 16. Only about 2 m of the dromos are preserved. The stomion was about 0.75 m long and the chamber that collapsed today was about 4 × 4 m in size. Benches were carved into the side walls. Conuli, steatite beads in the form of papyrus umbels, a small swing jug, a pressed flat alabastron, a hand-made miniature hydria and a bronze chisel were found as grave goods .
Grave 5
8 m to the west is the entrance to grave 5 from the 15th century BC. It has a 5 m long dromos, the stomion is about 1 m long and the rectangular chamber measures about 4 × 5 m and is partially collapsed. A bench that runs around the burial chamber is carved into the rock in the wall. Five grave shafts were sunk into the ground. Conuli, steatite pearls in the form of papyrus umbels, spherical pearls made of carnelian and a golden pearl with a combination of a lily , an ivy leaf and spherical shapes were found as additions .
Grave 4
The unlooted grave 4 from the 15th-13th centuries Century BC Located 6 m west of grave 5, it has a short dromos 4 m long and 1.10 m wide. The 1 m long, 0.95 m wide and 1.50 m high stomion was closed with a wall made of unprocessed field stones. The rectangular chamber is 3 m wide, 4 m long and 2 m high. The remains of 8 bodies were found on the chamber floor. Conuli, steatite beads in the form of papyrus umbels, three Tau figures, a small and a large single-handled cup, two jugs, two kilikes, a short bronze sword and a bronze awl were found as grave goods .
Grave 19
Access to grave 19, which is located in the lower cemetery, is about 15 m south of shaft grave 12. It dates from the 14th – 13th centuries. Century BC BC, the dromos is 7 m and the stomion 1 m long. The rectangular chamber has an apsidal closure in the north and measures 3 × 4 m. Three small jugs, a hydria rhyton and conuli were found here.
Grave 2
The dromos of grave 2 begins only two meters to the east. The dromos is 8 m long and the stomion is 1.50 m. The grave chamber has the same shape as that of grave 19 but is slightly smaller at 3 × 3.25 m. The grave goods were conuli, steatite beads in the form of papyrus umbels, a lenticular seal made of hematite on which a bull is being attacked by a lion is depicted, a lenticular seal made of steatite, a biconic steatite pendant, an arrowhead made of obsidian, a painted one and a unpainted jug and a pressed-flat alabastron. The additions show a period of use from the 14th to the 13th century BC. Chr.
Grave 3
Another 3 m to the east is grave 3, Century BC Is dated. It has an 8 m and very wide drom with about 1.50 m. The approximately 1 m long stomion leads to the rectangular 4 × 6 m chamber. It has a gable ceiling with ridge beams and a floor-to-ceiling side chamber in the west. In the grave chamber is three small bracket cans, a pear-shaped stirrup vase, an unpainted Krug, three alabastra, four Phi figures, two found cleaver bronze, a bronze sword, an arrowhead made of obsidian, Konuli, Steatitperlen in the form of papyrus umbels and a biconical Fayenceperle.
Grave 104
In 2017, an unspoiled chamber grave was discovered west of grave 3 under a rock ledge that the excavators called Feature 57 . It was located under a 3 m thick deposit that had accumulated there from the Iron Age to the present day and so it escaped being robbed by grave robbers. It has a short, wide dromos and the burial chamber was elliptical in shape with a maximum diameter of 6 m. Four grave shafts were dug in the floor of the chamber, which were covered with monolithic slabs. At least six burials were found in the grave shafts. They date to the early Mycenaean period (1650–1400 BC) and are therefore the oldest in the entire cemetery. Grave 104 is more reminiscent of a Mycenaean Tholos grave . Between 1400 and 1200 BC The grave continued to be used, with the dead being deposited on the chamber floor and the grave goods being very simple. Sometime after 1200 BC The ceiling of the chamber collapsed.
In the western grave shaft a warrior burial was found with various weapons such as bronze knives, daggers, swords and tools - two of them with gold handles. Other grave goods were arrowheads made of bronze, obsidian and flint , jewelry, pearls made of various materials, bronze needles and sealing stones. In the eastern grave shaft a plaster-covered sacrificial table was found that showed traces of fire, four small vase, also with traces of fire, an ivory vessel and a lenticular seal that shows a cow suckling its calf. About 50 vessels were found in the burial chamber. These included three large palace-style storage vessels (around 1500 BC). Two of the storage jars had been repaired with lead staples after they were broken.
Grave 102
To the east of grave 104 is a chamber grave that has been opened and robbed by grave robbers several times since 2007. For this only the upper part of the stones with which the stomion was closed had to be removed. It has a small square burial chamber in which only one dead person was found. It is possible that the small grave, which dates from the late Mycenaean period (1350–1200 BC), was only intended for a burial and contained hardly any grave goods. However, the factual situation will never be clarified through illegal entry.
Grave 103
Grave 103 was also discovered in the lower cemetery. It was partially disturbed, but undisturbed funerals were also found. The grave dates from the transition period when there was a transition from shaft to chamber graves. It was in use for a long time (SH II to SH III B; around 1500–1200 BC) and activities in the grave can be proven even in the geometric and archaic period .
The dromos is about 10 m long and a short stomion led to a 4.74 m wide, 4 m deep and 2.30 m high burial chamber. In the middle a large grave shaft was found 1.05 m wide and 2.50 m long. The earliest burials came from LH I – II A (around 1600–1450 BC). Two dead were laid on their backs on their backs at the bottom of the shaft. One faced south and the other faced north. A man and a woman were buried in the shaft directly above it. The woman wore a necklace made of yellow and blue glass beads. The man, who obviously died by blunt force, as shown by a fracture on his forehead, had a bronze sword and a seal made of carnelian as grave goods. Weapons, a scale, a very large mirror, and ceramic vessels lay at her feet. This type of burial does not yet correspond to the later practice in which the dead were placed on the chamber floor, but rather to burial in shaft graves such as in Grave Round A in Mycenae . According to LH II B, the shaft was cleared until just above the couple and the contents were distributed in the chamber and in shafts in the dromos.
As a result, the dead seem to have been deposited on the chamber floor. After the dead had completely disintegrated, the bones were brought into the grave shaft along with the additions. Other burials were piled on top of each other in front of the back wall to make room for further burials. A small grave shaft measuring 0.50 × 1 m was also found in the west of the grave. The remains of two women were placed in these. The older of the two had apparently died from a blow to the back of the head. The only addition found was a trowel made of clay from LH III A1 (1400–1375 BC), which was intentionally broken. It may have been used to mask the smell of decay with perfume . Then the grave shaft was covered with stone slabs.
The last burial was found around the middle of the burial chamber. It had been placed on the floor of the chamber in the supine position with its head to the north. In the Geometric Period, a small stove was built in the area of the upper body, so that only the lower body was found in place. An amphoriskus from LH III B2 (1250–1200 BC) was found on the body and provides a terminus ante quem for use as a burial chamber. Around the body were conules made of different types of rock. Because of this arrangement, it was assumed that the conuli were used as weights for clothing or a shroud and thus the dead person was hidden. Three jugs had been placed in a semicircle around the dead man and a small alabastron stood between his legs. These were perhaps filled with fragrant essences and were supposed to cover up the smell of decay. According to the interpretation of Lynne A. Kvapil and Kim Shelton, the time of the decay of the body was considered to be the transition from life to death. Once the body had disintegrated, this process was complete and the bones could be eliminated.
Grave 100
In 2015, a collapsed chamber grave was discovered south of grave 17 in the middle cemetery. The excavations were completed in 2016. The grave had already been looted by grave robbers. In the chamber floor, however, three unlooted grave shafts with seven burials were found. The dead have been buried here since SH II (around 1500 BC).
Grave 101
From 2016, 100 graves adjacent to the grave were excavated and the Dromos and Stomion were first exposed.
Grave 105
In 2019, the discovery of unplundered grave 105 was reported. It was discovered about 6 m south of grave 17. The dromos is about 4.50 m long and the stomion was still completely closed with a wall. In the intact burial chamber, two primary burials and bones of 14 other individuals were discovered. In the grave were found four jugs, a precho, conuli and clay figures. Based on the additions, the grave can be dated to the Mycenaean palace period (SH III; around 1400–1200 BC).
Grave 106
Another grave was uncovered about 6 m east of grave 105 in 2019. His dromos is about 5.50 m long. The collapsed burial chamber has an ellipsoidal shape and a maximum diameter of 6.20 m. As it was hidden under Iron Age and Byzantine deposits, it was not discovered by grave robbers. Nine primary burials were found in the grave and further secondary burials on the chamber floor and in grave shafts. It was used from the 15th to the 13th centuries BC. Used for burials. Clay figures and conuli were found as grave goods in addition to ceramic vessels.
Grave 14
Grave 14 consists only of a drom with a false door. It is located a little further north of grave 13, 60 m. A horse skeleton and the lower jaws of 14 other horses were found in the dromos. This sacrificial rite is reminiscent of the practice as it has been proven in the cupola tomb A of the Fourni cemetery on Crete .
literature
- Kate Demakopoulpou: The Aidonia Treasure. Seals and Jewelery of the Aegean Late Bronze Age . 2nd Edition. Archaeological Receipts Fund, Athens 2006, ISBN 960-214-917-5 .
Web links
- Los Angeles Times report on Ward (anti-Greek bias) ( June 20, 2009 memento on Internet Archive )
- Presentation of the case from a Greek perspective ( Memento of April 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Aidonia pictures
- A land strewn with antiquities
- TAPHOS. Tombs of Aidonia Preservation, Heritage, and explOration Synergasia (2017)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reconstruction of an ancient landscape, archaeological surface prospection in the basin of Phlious
- ↑ John H. Betts, Stark Ward: Gold of the Mycenaeans: Important Finger Rings, Sealstones and Ornaments of the 15th Centurt BC , 1993
- ^ Michael Anton: Illegaler Kulturgüterverkehr , Berlin 2010, pp. 33–55
- ↑ ΝΕΜΕΑ: ΤΟ ΜΥΚΗΝΑΙΚΟ ΝΕΚΡΟΤΑΦΕΙΟ ΤΩΝ ΑΗΔΟΝΙΩΝ
- ↑ Gilles Touchais: Chronique des fouilles et découvertes archéologiques en Grèce en 1986 in Bulletin de correspondance hellénique , Volume 111, 1987, p. 530 ( online )
- ↑ Lynne A. Kvapil, Kim Shelton: Among the Ancestors at Aidonia in Elisabetta Borgna, Ilaria Caloi, Filippo Carinci, Robert Laffineur: MNHMH / MNEME. Past and Memory in the Aegean Bronze Age. , Pp. 293–299 ( online )
Coordinates: 37 ° 50 ′ 25 ″ N , 22 ° 34 ′ 59 ″ E