Amphipolis
Amphipolis ( ancient Greek Ἀμφίπολις ) was an ancient Greek polis that existed as an urban settlement until late antiquity. It extends within several kilometers around the acropolis of the ancient city. The excavations took place mainly in the period from 1956 to 1984 under the direction of the archaeologist Dimitris Lazaridis, who has since died. After his death (1985) his daughter, Calliope Lazaridis, continued the work until 1989. In 2012, under the direction of the archaeologist Katerina Peristeri, excavations began on the Kasta hill, during which the largest grave complex discovered in Greece to date (as of December 2017) was uncovered. The finds from the region are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in Amfipoli .
location
The ancient Amphipolis is located about 80 kilometers east of Thessaloniki on the European route 90 (E 90). The Acropolis borders directly on the modern Amfipoli in the south, the individual archaeological sites are spread around the Acropolis.
history
Prehistoric time
The area around Amphipolis has been populated since the late Neolithic (4000 to 3000 BC). Finds from this period come from the so-called hill 133. Traces of inhabitants from the Bronze Age (3000 to 1600 BC) were found in the valley of the Strymon and in caves of the Pangaion Mountains . Artifacts from the late Bronze Age (1600 to 1100 BC) indicate the contact between the inhabitants and the inhabitants of Mycenae in the Peloponnese . During the Iron Age , the development of the region was influenced by travelers from Central Europe and the area of the southeastern Balkans. During the classical period (700 to 500 BC) settlement by Thracian tribes has been proven. The grave goods from this period are of mixed origin. While jewelry and weapons were made locally, the pottery was made in Athens or Corinth .
Attic time
Amphipolis was founded in 437 BC. Founded on the site of the settlement Ennea Hodoi (Greek Ἐννέα ὁδο Ne "nine ways") by the Athenian general Hagnon and was in the following time an important base for Athens in Thrace to take over the gold and silver mines in the Thasitian Peraia and to control. Their port at the mouth of the Strymon (originally Aioneios ) was called Eion after an old Thracian settlement .
As early as 464 BC Athens tried unsuccessfully to gain a foothold in this area, but was repulsed by the Edonian tribe in the battle of Drabeskos.
Amphipolis gained importance during the Peloponnesian War , among other things because of the procurement of wood for shipbuilding, income from the mines in the area, customs duties and the strategic position. The city surrendered in 424 BC. Without a fight to the Spartan Brasidas , whereby the Athenian strategos Thucydides , the later historian , arrived too late to save the city for Athens; he then had to go into exile. In 422 BC The Athenian general Kleon Brasidas attacked at Amphipolis. Both generals were killed in the battle in which Sparta was victorious. Shortly afterwards the Peace of Nicias was concluded. The residents buried the Spartan within the walls. They regarded him as the second founder of their city and worshiped him as a hero with games and cultic celebrations .
According to Nicias in 421 BC After the negotiated peace, Amphipolis should be brought back under control of Athens; the city's population refused. Athens tried to enforce its rights by force through several military campaigns. General Euetion, allied with Thracians and Macedonians, failed in 414 BC. When his siege of Amphipolis was unsuccessful. Generals Simmichos undertook further unsuccessful military actions in 364 BC. BC, Protomachus 370 BC And Timothy 363 and 360/59 BC The Macedonian king Perdiccas succeeded in the year 362 BC. Ultimately, to establish Macedonia as the protective power of the city.
Macedonian time
In 356 BC Amphipolis was conquered by Philip II of Macedonia . Since the Athenians stuck to their claims to the city, the conflict over Amphipolis played an important role in the development of Macedonian-Athenian relations in the following years (until 338 BC).
During the Diadoch Wars , Kassander took 316 BC. Chr. Alexander IV. Aigos , the minor son and legitimate heir of Alexander the Great , with his mother Roxane , the first wife of Alexander the Great, in Amphipolis under house arrest and had them both there, 310/309 v. Assassinated by the commander Glaukias, which ended the Macedonian rulers of the Argeadians .
In the Third Macedonian-Roman War , the Roman general Lucius Aemilius Paullus and the Macedonian king Perseus faced each other in the battle of Pydna . After this lost battle, Perseus fled to Amphipolis with his gold, Aemilius Paullus took the city and imprisoned him, which ended the Macedonian kingdom. In 167 BC The Senate Commission in Amphipolis negotiated the division of the territories and the city was declared a protectorate of Rome.
Roman times and downfall
Amphipolis is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament as a travel station for the Apostle Paul and his collaborator Silas ( Acts 17.1 EU ). After a heyday in late antiquity , in which there were numerous new church buildings, but also a decline in population, there was a gradual dismantling of the city during the early Middle Ages in the troubled times of the Slavic conquest . First, the lower city was abandoned and the residents withdrew to the area around the Acropolis , later the decline in population led to a complete loss of urban structures. A bishop of Amphipolis is mentioned for the last time in the late 8th century .
Famous residents of the city
A famous Cynical orator and sophist from Amphipolis was Zoilus of Amphipolis . Also originally from Crete originating Nearchos , Admiral Alexander the Great, lived in Amphipolis.
Excavations from the 1950s
In a necropolis ( location ) northeast of Amphipolis, intensive excavations were carried out for the first time in 1956. The excavations of Amphipolis took place mainly in the period from 1956 to 1984, under the direction of the archaeologist Dimitris Lazaridis, who has since died. After his death (1985) his daughter, Calliope Lazaridis, continued the work until 1989.
The acropolis
The building remains come from the early Christian and Byzantine periods. It has been proven that there are remains of buildings from the Roman period. It is likely that it was already built before the Roman era.
The wall surrounding the Acropolis at the time of the early Christian period is 1105 meters long and 1.65 to 2.75 meters wide; its height is between 0.50 and 1.15 meters. It has been repaired and rebuilt many times. The southern part of the wall is the oldest, only the eastern part is built homogeneously from stones - only in this part no spoilage was walled up. The wall had five gates, in addition to three smaller gates, two larger ones were found on the east side. In addition to five basilicas , some houses and a cistern with several basins were uncovered. The floors of the basilicas were mostly decorated with mosaics. In addition to geometric figures, various animals were shown. In two of these mosaics, which were roofed over for their protection, deer are the focus, they are surrounded by birds and fish. The other remaining mosaics, within the foundation walls of the basilicas, were protected with foil and overlying sand or fine gravel. They can only be seen by the visitor in a few places.
The architecturally outstanding church building is the rotunda. The interior of the basilica is shaped as a hexagon, which is surrounded by a round outer wall. This creates a four-meter-wide corridor that surrounds the interior of the building. The bottom of the hexagon was covered with marble slabs in the shape of a cross. The architectural form of the basilicas differs, but what they all have in common is the structure of the nave in the form of a narthex, navis, apse with an altar in front of it. The believers took their places on the left and right along the Navis ( Gospel page , Epistle page ).
The Roman villa
In the southwest, almost immediately adjacent to the Acropolis, there are the remains of a Roman villa. It was built in the 3rd century, its construction and equipment suggest that it was a public building. The previously exposed part of the villa was built around an atrium, which was covered with rectangular marble slabs. The walls of the rooms were plastered and painted with colored geometric patterns. The found mosaics (partly on display in the museum) are of particular interest. One shows the kidnapping of Europa by Zeus in the form of a bull. Two other mosaics show representations from Greek mythology. Near the Roman villa, to the northeast, another Roman complex was brought to light.
The Hellenistic House
The houses uncovered so far in the urban area date from the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Typically the rooms were built around an open atrium. The construction was solid, the size of the houses generous.
The Hellenistic house was built in the 2nd century BC. Its excavation began in 1982. The atrium was covered with pebbles, the roof of the house was covered with clay shingles. The walls of two rooms on the north side are partly still well preserved. The massive masonry was plastered, the plaster was then painted ( fresco ). The painting of the eastern room, which was found in 1983, is the imitation of a stone carving. Depressions in the plaster indicate the individual "cuboids", black and red lines reinforce the optical effect. The room is 7.20 by 5.18 meters. The western room, measuring 4.57 by 5.20 meters, was adorned with a colorful fresco in the Pompeian style.
The Hellenistic House is 200 meters south of the Acropolis.
The high school
The children's schooling began at the age of seven and varied according to gender. The girls were taught reading, writing, music, dance, and household chores. In addition to reading and writing, the boys were also taught arithmetic; physical exercise played an essential role. The boys' education continued in the grammar school. Here physical and mental development were promoted. The institution was managed by the grammar school. The latter supervised the lessons and often contributed to the running of the school through private donations. In return, the students occasionally erected statues in honor of their grammar school teacher. One such statue, dedicated to the Apellas Diogenous, was found on the grounds at Amphipolis. Since the 3rd century BC The education in the Greek grammar schools was formally regulated.
Amphipolis grammar school was built at the end of the 4th century BC. Built in BC. It consists of common rooms, classrooms and training facilities for the athletes both indoors and outdoors. The display at the Museum Stele (Ephebisches Act) governed the relationship between into law ephebes and teaching Ephebarchen. In 16 paragraphs (139 lines) the subjects of education, moral values of the society of Amphipolis and its topography are dealt with. The grammar school was run from the classical period, with its peak during the Hellenistic period, until the 1st century AD. It was destroyed by fire.
After the first archaeological investigations in 1960, excavation work began in 1982 and led to the uncovering of the palaestra. To date (as of November 2017) it is the only ancient grammar school that has been found in northern Greece so far. The main entrance is on the east side of the facility. The building was reached via an 8.70 meter wide staircase of which 12 steps are still preserved. The staircase leads to the 36.10 by 46.80 meter inner area of the complex. During the Roman period, the main entrance was moved from the east to the north. Near this entrance, on the edge of the northern stoa, the 2.65 meter high stele with the Ephebic Law was found.
Palaestra
The central facility of the grammar school consisted of a courtyard (stoa), which was bordered by a colonnade with Doric columns. The palaestra was surrounded by various buildings. In the western part, archaeologists found the place where the students practiced wrestling and fistfighting. The floor was paved with bricks. In the two rooms on the north side, the baths were housed on an area of 12 by 7 meters. The bases on which the marble bathtubs stood can still be seen. A system of clay pipes supplied the bathroom with water from a cistern. In a small temple texts were found in which Hermes and Heracles were worshiped as gods of the palaestra. The cistern was excavated northwest of the palaestra. The floor was decorated with colored pebbles. It supplied the high school with water and was probably used as a bath itself.
Xystos and Paradromos
To the northeast of the palaestra, a covered runway, the Xystos , was exposed. It had a length of 80 meters and was used for the training of the athletes and for their competitions in bad weather conditions. It was seven meters wide, six athletes could compete against each other at the same time. When the weather was good, the Paradromos was used by the athletes. Wooden pegs were stuck into the numerous holes in the starting line, which had the task of determining the distance between starting runners. Between Xystos and Palaestra there were rooms in which religious sacrifices were made and symposia were held. Finds include an altar, fire pits, and shallow pits containing bones from sacrificed animals. At the base of the altar there are four metal rings to which the sacrificial animals were tied.
Roman aqueduct, eastern burial site, Macedonian grave A.
Some graves were uncovered directly at the remains of a water pipe (aqueduct) built by the Romans. In addition to a Macedonian two-chamber grave (grave A), a much smaller grave with only one chamber was discovered. The graves are not accessible. In the immediate vicinity there are some simple graves, which are bordered with stone slabs.
The north wall
This part of the wall is located about 900 meters from the Acropolis to the north. The protective wall surrounding Amphipolis was 7.5 kilometers long. Most of the northern wall has been preserved, while only fragments of the eastern, southern and western parts can be seen. The best preserved part of the wall is near the buildings of the old railway station. It is sometimes up to 7.62 meters high. Near the wall is the Nymphaion sanctuary. When it was excavated, a large number of female clay figures and vases were discovered. 800 m to the south from here the wooden bridge crossed the river. About 70 meters west of the city gate B are the remains of a round tower, which was surrounded by a rectangular tower when the wall was repaired in the Hellenistic period. Drainage channels run between gate B and the tower, which should divert rainwater from the wall. The entire section of this wall was built on sandy soil. It only served the purpose of integrating the existing defenses of the bridge into the city wall. Approx. 61 meters west of the round tower are the remains of Gate Γ (Gamma). It measured 13.40 by 9 meters, the wall here was two meters thick. The gate was protected from flooding by additional pillars, which were embedded in the foundations of the wall for reinforcement. The gate itself was relieved of the pressure of the water by a Π-shaped porch.
The southern wall
Only 150 meters southeast of the museum are well-preserved remains of the southern city wall and the foundation walls of a defensive tower.
The wooden bridge
The wooden bridge connected the city with its port. The River Strymon was probably navigable at this time. It was built outside the city walls and was inundated during floods.
The excavations began in 1977 and ended a year later. The construction found shows how bridges were designed and built in ancient times. The earliest finds date from around 500 BC. The bridge was 275 meters long and is connected to the gate Γ (Gamma) of the north wall. It was supported by pillars made of oak, the ends of which were partially reinforced with iron. 101 of these pillars have been preserved. 24 of them are inside gate Γ, 77 pillars are outside. The pillars at the lowest point of the bank were placed during the classical period, the highest pillars during the Roman or even first during the Byzantine period. Only the construction on the east side of the Strymon still exists; the pillars on the west side were destroyed during construction work between 1929 and 1932.
Thucydides mentioned the bridge in his description of the Battle of Amphipolis in 422 BC. As mentioned as follows: "At that time they received Brasidas in their city and revolted against the Athenians that same night. Before daybreak he (Brasidas) brought his army over the bridge which was some distance from the city and not with theirs Walls, as it is today. Brasidas overcame the watch on the bridge with ease. Partly it was betrayal, partly the stormy weather and the fact that the attack came unexpectedly ".
Marmarion
On the northwest side of the hill of Amphipolis are the remains of a small settlement that dates back to the Byzantine period. Sources show that the place was named Marmarion. It stretched from the wooden bridge to the tower and was expanded into a small fort. In 1367 the brothers Alexis and Johannis built the tower in Marmarion, which gave them control of the Strymon River and its fertile plains. Remains of the tower are preserved and have been partially repaired with the help of European Union funds. Marmarion existed until 1547, later the village Neochori (the new village, literally Neudorf, Greek Νεοχώριον) was founded in the same place, which is first mentioned in the 18th century.
Amphipolis lion
The Lion of Amphipolis is a grave monument from the 4th century BC. BC, which was built in honor of the Admiral Laomedon from the island of Lesbos (Mytilene) . Laomedon began his career as captain of a trireme, became friends with Alexander the Great , was promoted by him to admiral and appointed satrap of Syria. The first parts of the monument and its foundation were discovered by Greek soldiers during earthworks in 1912 or 1913. The excavations, led by archaeologists Georgios Oikonomos and Anastasios Orlandos , began soon after, but were interrupted by the First World War. Other parts of the lion's body were discovered by English soldiers in 1916. During work in the river bed, further parts of the monument came to light between 1920 and 1931. The archaeologists Pierre Devambez and Paul Collart began the research in the summer of 1930. The excavations were not finished until 1936. Donations from Greek, American and French citizens financed the restoration of the lion, which was carried out by A. Pangiotakis, sculptor from the National Archaeological Museum. As the transport of the individual parts of the statue seemed too complicated, it was decided to carry out the restoration on site. An exact reconstruction of the former structure turned out to be impracticable. That is why they limited themselves to the construction of a stone base that was found during the excavations. The reconstruction of the former building was the task of the French Jacques Roger and the American Oscar Broneer . The basic structure was 10 by 10 meters and consisted of limestone blocks. A mausoleum was built on it, which was surrounded by Doric columns that supported a Doric entablature. The Doric entablature, in turn, carried a pyramid, on the upper end of which the lion was placed.
The Kasta tomb
The Kasta Hill is 2.5 kilometers northeast of the Acropolis. The existence of a grave on Kasta Hill has been known since the 1960s, and excavation work began in 2012. In the summer of 2014, an elaborately designed entrance area was uncovered, it consists of the sequence: sealing wall, a passage protected by two sphinxes , an earth-filled vestibule, a second sealing wall and then a gate with two caryatids . It is the largest tomb that has been found in Greece so far. The facility is surrounded by a 497 meter long and three meter high wall made of marble from the island of Thassos. The burial mound is about 30 meters high, 250,000 m³ of sand were needed to fill it up. The grave is said to be in the late 4th century BC. BC (325-300).
Who was buried in the tomb is unknown. Initial speculations that Alexander the Great found his final resting place here have not yet been confirmed. Parts of the wall surrounding the tomb were removed during the Roman period; individual stones may have been used in the base of the statue of the Lion of Amphipolis.
The entrance to the second antechamber is guarded by two sphinxes , some of whose heads and wings were found in the third burial chamber. The two caryatids stand to the left and right of the entrance to the antechamber; including the platforms on which they stand, they are 3.67 meters high.
The floor behind the caryatids and in front of the marble gate that forms the entrance to the next chamber is decorated with an ornate mosaic. The picture shows the robbery of Persephone . The chariot of Hades , drawn by two white horses , is led by Hermes as the bride's groom. The head of one of the two sphinxes and parts of the wings were found in the burial chamber with parts of the broken marble gate. The box-shaped grave, lined with stone slabs, is sunk into the stone-paved floor. According to the report of the Greek Ministry of Culture, nails from a wooden coffin and decorative elements made of bone and glass remained from the burial in the otherwise robbed grave. The remains of five people, four adults and one child lay in the grave.
In November 2017, the Greek Minister of Culture, Lydia Koniordou, announced that the grave should be open to the public in around three years. The financing for the building project required for this should amount to around 2.8 million euros. The Central Macedonia region is to spend 1.5 million euros, while 1.3 million euros are to be taken from the European Union's INTERREG fund. In the course of this measure, building materials of the tomb, which were later used elsewhere by the Romans, are to be rebuilt in their original location. The work is scheduled to begin in 2018 or 2019 and will last around a year.
literature
- Gustav Hirschfeld : Amphipolis 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Sp. 1949-1952.
- Johannes Papastavru: Amphipolis. History and prosopography. With contributions by Carl Friedrich Lehmann-Haupt and Arthur Stein (= Klio. Supplement XXXVII). Dieterich'sche Verlagbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1936.
- Nikolaos Zikos: Amphipolis: the early Christian and Byzantine Amphipolis. Tameio Archaiologikōn Porōn kai Apallotriōseōn, Athens 1989.
- Demetrios Lazarides: Amphipolis. Tameio Archaiologikōn Porōn kai Apallotriōseōn, Athens 1993.
- Christoph Höcker, Lambert Schneider: Greek mainland . Antiquity and Byzantium, Islam and Classicism between the Corinthian Gulf and northern Greek mountains (= DuMont Art Travel Guide ). 5th edition. Dumont Reise Verlag, Ostfildern 2010, ISBN 3-7701-2936-9 .
- Daniel Kah and Peter Scholz (eds.): The Hellenistic Gymnasion Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 978-3-05-004370-8 .
- Henner von Hesberg : The Greek gymnasium in the 2nd century BC. In: Michael Wörrle, Paul Zanker (eds.): Cityscape and citizenship in Hellenism. CH Beck, Munich 1995, pp. 13-27.
Web links
- Jona Lendering: Amphipolis (Ennea Hodoi) . In: Livius.org (English)
- Archaeological Museum Amphipolis (English). Retrieved December 1, 2017.
- Pictures of the single grave excavation , accessed on December 1, 2017
- Video of the tomb and grave , accessed December 1, 2017
- Amphipolis history website , accessed December 1, 2017
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dimitris Lazaridis, Amphipolis, Ministry of Culture, 1997, ISBN 960-214-126-3
- ↑ Donald Kagan : The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War . Cornell University Press, Ithaca / New York 1969, ISBN 0-8014-9556-3 , pp. 186 f .
- ^ Thucydides , The Peloponnesian War 4,106.
- ^ Johann Gustav Droysen : History of Hellenism. Part Two: History of the Diadochi. Reprint, Wissenschaftliche Buchgemeinschaft Tübingen, Enßlin Druck Reutlingen, 1952, p. 257 f.
- ^ Cassius Dio , Fragment from Book 20 ( English translation ).
- ↑ C. Koukouli-Chrysanthaki: Excavating Classical Amphipolis. In: M. Stamatopoulou, M. Yeroulanou: Excavating Classical Culture (= BAR International Series. 1031). 2002 ( PDF; 1.9 MB ), accessed on September 9, 2014.
- ↑ Thucydides, IV, 103, 4-5
- ↑ The Lion of Amphipolis by Oscar Broneer. Retrieved November 18, 2017 .
- ↑ THE MYSTERY OF AMPHIPOLIS .
- ↑ THE KASTA TOMB . (in Greek and English)
- ↑ Greece newspaper , issue 605 from November 29, 2017, p. 7.
Coordinates: 40 ° 49 ′ 12 ″ N , 23 ° 51 ′ 0 ″ E