Korfari ton Amygdalion

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Coordinates: 36 ° 57 ′ 40.6 ″  N , 25 ° 32 ′ 4.9 ″  E

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Korfari ton Amygdalion​
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Korfari ton Amygdalion ( Greek Κορφάρι των Αμυγδαλιών , 'hill of almond trees', also transcribed as Korphari ton Amygdalion ) is a fortified system of the Early Bronze Age Cycladic culture in the southeast of the Cycladic island of Naxos . It becomes part of the Kastri phase (late phase II or IIIA) between 2500 and 2200 BC. Dated. Although Korfari ton Amygdalion is often interpreted as a fortified settlement, the complex probably served as a refuge for a nearby unfortified settlement. It was destroyed by fire after an attack and no longer repopulated. In the literature, the site is also referred to as Panormos . Some finds are on display in the Naxos Archaeological Museum in display case 8.

location

The facility is located at a height of 70 m, around 300 m north of Panormos Bay in the southeast of Naxos. It extends over an area of ​​about 500 m² in the summit area of ​​the hill Korfari ton Amygdalion . The location made it possible to control the natural harbor with the adjacent, fertile valley.

Location

Panormos natural harbor with adjoining valley

In contrast to the exposed locations of Kastri and Kynthos , the Korfari ton Amygdalion site is located on the flat summit area of ​​a hill with gentle slopes. Its natural fortified position results from its location, which is barely visible from the sea, and the higher neighboring hills and mountains. The longitudinal axis of the fortification in north-south direction measures 26, the width almost 23 m. Its densely built-up interior extends to 24 m × 20.50 m. The site was almost completely exposed in 1963 under the direction of Christos Doumas . Nearby is a former burial ground of the Keros Syros culture with five graves.

investment

Attachment

Bastion C (right) and D (left) with gate lane
Northern fortification wall with bastion Β

The flat hill has no natural fortifications or rock breaks. Korfari ton Amygdalion shows typical features of a small early Cycladic fortification site. Pending boulders were integrated into the fortification wall made of large stone blocks. Its course is irregular, it follows the height contours in the summit area. The stable, mortar-free wall made of roughly worked stones of the local white-gray to gray marble has been preserved up to heights between 0.50 m and a little over 1 m. The stable construction made of a regularly vertical wall bond is built directly onto the ground and is up to 2 m thick. Buildings directly attached from the inside also stabilized the fortification wall. A total of five smaller, tower-like bastions in a horseshoe shape were laid out on all sides. Structurally, the gate on the east side, which is also the most endangered area, is comparable to the settlement of Kynthos on Dilos . The two symmetrical bastions C and D protected a rising, about 80 cm narrow stairway.

Settlement and buildings

View from room 19 to the south

The interior is subdivided by several alleys and consists of 16 buildings, some of which are very small, close together, with a maximum of two rooms. Two alleys ( corridors 16 and 18 ) branch off from the small open space directly behind the entrance . Corridor 18 carries a short piece of straight westward to space 19 and the adjacent Bastion B . The second lane ( Corridor 16 ) turns to Bastion E at the southern end. This alley divides the settlement into two parts, two further smaller alleys ( corridor 13 and 18 ) branch off to the west. East of the Corridor 16 are the three spaces 20, 21 and 22 West of the corridor 16 branches corridor 13 from, in a winding course he goes further via corridors and ends in the west of the fastening at Bastion A . Since the construction and width of the eastern wall of room 14 resemble a fortress wall, a one-time expansion of the fortification to the east is assumed.

In contrast to the fortification wall, the building walls were erected on a layer of gravel, which was incurred during the processing of the blocks for the outer walls. This achieved the necessary stability of the fastening and leveled the floors of the living areas. The buildings could be reached via narrow entrances rarely more than 0.60 m. With 5 m² to 6 m², they offered just enough space for everyday life. The very small rooms from 2 m² to 2.50 m² possibly served as storage rooms. Only building 7 is relatively large at 7 m². Of the sixteen buildings in the settlement, eight have a rectilinear ground plan, the rest an irregular one. In terms of floor plan, size and quality of the construction, the buildings show great similarities with the settlements of Agia Irini and Markiani; the rooms attached directly to the outer wall have different characteristics.

Finds

With the exception of a few stone slabs that served as vessel lids, the small rooms were without any further finds. On the other hand, intact vessels and groups of matching shards were discovered amid extensive traces of fire in the entrance area and in the alleys. The large number of sea pebbles and a single lance tip at the entrance suggest that the settlement was destroyed by an enemy attack.

Scenes and spirals carved into rocks are remarkable . Some seem to represent astrological signs. Comparable plates are known from the FK IIIA settlement areas Daskalio , Korfi t 'Aroniou , Moutsounas and Spedos as well as from sites on Iraklia .

weapons

The most widespread long-range weapon in the Early Bronze Age on the Cyclades and in the East Aegean was the slingshot with stone bullets. Numerous sea pebbles in the entrance area between the two bastions are interpreted as projectiles. Comparable finds are known from a building destroyed by fire in Troy IIa, from Kastri on Syros and from Palamari on Skyros. Also in the entrance area between the fragments of storage vessels was a shanked lance tip. The 26 cm long tip made of copper with a strong central rib has a narrow leaf and a rhombic cross-section. This spearhead type is from the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. Particularly represented in central and southern Anatolia, Cyprus and Syria-Palestine. He is also known from northwest Asia Minor, possibly the weapon was brought by settlers from there to Korfari ton Amygdalion.

Ceramics

Ceramic finds from Korfari ton Amygdalion (middle and lower row) in display case 8, Archaeological Museum Naxos

Various ceramic vessels and groups of pieces that belonged together were found irregularly distributed within the fortifications, most of them in the entrance area to the fortress. In a corridor in the interior were found two single-handled funnel neck beakers, a narrow-necked amphora with horizontal handles, a handle-less crater and a characteristic narrow-necked jug. The examination of the ceramic forms revealed two categories of vessels, open forms for everyday use and food consumption and larger closed forms for the preservation and storage of liquids and food; the proportion of these storage vessels was almost two thirds. Most of the vessels were provided with a thin, matt coating in brown or reddish brown on the inside and outside, exceptions with a shiny reddish brown outer coating are a vessel in the shape of an animal and a jug with a handle. Less than 30 percent of the vessels are decorated with reliefs or incised decorations. Pottery brands are relatively rare.

The potter's wheel is not yet in use. The brown or red-brown clay is interspersed with inclusions of quartz, mica or slate. Imported goods are represented by talc ware made of red clay with gray inclusions and their characteristic soapy surface and probably also by the considerable number of two-handled jugs made of reddish or brown clay with blue slate inclusions. These may come from Amorgos, where they are known from Markiani. The main period of use of the fortification in FK II can be dated from the ceramic forms found. The mug with the handle in the layer of destruction indicates an advanced FK-II stage.

meaning

In addition to Kastri on Syros, Korfari ton Amygdalion is regarded as an important representative of the fortified settlements of the Kastri group. They had an ingenious system of fortifications consisting of extremely narrow buildings with small houses, each consisting of one or two rooms, narrow corridors within the fortifications and tower-like bastions. Possible expansion was very limited and not suitable for the needs of fluctuating numbers of residents. In order to prevent easy access to the settlements, bastions were built in a strategic position. Rooms were built close to the fortifications. Further examples can be found in Markiani and Daskalio. The mortarless construction of fortress walls is known from Markiani and Kastri as well as the outer wall of Saliagos . Opposite Markiani, Kynthos, Agia Irini and Korfi t 'Aroniou, the corridors show a more planned settlement structure. Thin settlement layers, hardly any signs of renovation and a limited variety of ceramic shapes speak for a typical Kastri settlement with only one settlement phase. Apart from ceramic vessels and round stone lids, there are only a very limited number of other finds, and there are no small finds and municipal waste such as rubbing stones, spindle whorls or animal bones. The remains of a house from FK II in the area below room 12 and corridors 16 and 18 show that the site was settled earlier. The fact that it could have been a single farmhouse is doubted because of the distance to the cultivable land. Due to its isolated location and the structure of the building with thin walls, it could have been used seasonally for pasture or agricultural activities.

Surface finds of pottery and stone tools give evidence of a nearby settlement on the slopes of the hill. It is very likely that these people used Korfari ton Amygdalion as a refuge. In times of danger, the fortress on the summit would have been a refuge. Most of the ceramic parts found belonged to large storage vessels. Obviously, the fortification not only protected the residents of the settlement, but also water and food supplies, which were vital for the survival of the community even in the event of a siege. Like Daskalio, Korfari ton Amygdalion probably served as a refuge for the nearby settlement, in contrast to Kastri, Kynthos and Markiani, which were permanently settled fortified villages. As early as 1899, Tsountas had suggested that Kastri on Syros should be a place of refuge for the residents of a nearby settlement, to which he also attributed the graves of the Chalandriani necropolis . The findings from Korfari ton Amygdalion and Kastri suggest that the fortified squares were not architecturally independent units and that their existence was closely linked to neighboring settlements.

Protected position

The site was classified as a historical monument in 1965 under the name Korfari ton Amygdalion. The designation of the Panormos archaeological site followed in 1997; it was mainly based on natural boundaries. Land use is restricted within the designated area, traditional land use activities such as grazing and beekeeping are permitted, but deep tillage is prohibited. Repair and maintenance work may be carried out on existing traditional mitata as they are viewed as part of the landscape.

literature

  • Anastasia Angelopoulou: The "Kastri Group": Evidence from Korfari ton Amygdalion (Panormos) Naxos, Daskalio Keros and Akrotiri Thera . In: NJ Brodie, J. Doole, G. Gavalas, C. Renfrew (Eds.): Horizon - a colloquium on the prehistory of the Cyclades . Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, 2008, ISBN 978-1-902937-36-6 , pp. 149-164 .
  • Vaia Economidou: Cycladic Settlements in the Early Bronze Age and their Aegean Context . 1993, p. 109-111 (Ph.D. Dissertation, University College London ).
  • Mariya Ivanova: Fortified settlements in the Balkans, in the Aegean Sea and in Western Anatolia, approx. 5000–2000 BC Chr. Waxmann Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-8309-1937-7 , pp. 480 .
  • Lila Marangou (Ed.): Cycladic Culture-Naxos in the 3rd Millenium BC. Nicholas P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens 1990, ISBN 960-7064-002-X , p. 179.
  • Anastasia Angelopoulou (Αναστασία Αγγελοπούλου): Το Κορφάρι των Αμυγδαλιών (Πάνορμος) Νάξου και η σημασία του για την εξέλιξη του κυκλαδικού πολιτισμού . Lecture at the Association of Greek Archaeologists (Σύλλογος Ελλήνων Αρχαιολόγων), November 19, 2013 , Lecture Online (Greek), Lecture Text PDF (Greek)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 109.
  2. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 149; Total area 600 m², interior area 492 m² in Economidou 1993, p. 130; a different surface area of ​​285 m² in the lecture Angelopoulou 2013, p. 5.
  3. ↑ Lecture Angelopoulou 2013, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 130.
  5. ↑ Ivanova 2008, pp. 194, 305.
  6. ↑ Ivanova 2008, p. 193.
  7. ↑ Ivanova 2008, pp. 194, 306; Economidou 1993, p. 250.
  8. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 250.
  9. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 110; Christos Doumas : Weapons and Fortifications . In: Lila Marangou (ed.): Cycladic Culture-Naxos in the 3rd Millenium BC. Nicholas P. Goulandris Foundation - Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens 1990, p. 90-92 . ; Angelopoulou 2008, p. 150 f.
  10. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 131.
  11. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 135.
  12. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 150 f; Ivanova 2008, p. 193.
  13. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 140.
  14. ↑ Eva Alram-Stern (ed.): The Aegean Early Period. 2nd series. Research report 1975–2002 . The Early Bronze Age in Greece with the exception of Crete. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2004, ISBN 978-3-7001-3268-4 , p. 878 . ; Ivanova 2008, pp. 62, 184.
  15. ↑ Ivanova 2008, p. 77; Alram-Stern 2004, p. 878.
  16. ↑ Alram-Stern 2004, p. 878.
  17. ↑ Figure in Marangou: Cycladic Culture-Naxos in the 3rd Millenium BC. P. 178, fig. 188; Naxos Archaeological Museum, NM 5027
  18. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 151.
  19. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 135.
  20. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 250.
  21. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 137.
  22. ↑ Ivanova 2008, p. 193.
  23. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 151.
  24. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 203.
  25. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 251 f.
  26. ↑ Economidou 1993, p. 49 f.
  27. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 151; Ivanova 2008, p. 193.
  28. ↑ Ivanova 2008, p. 195.
  29. ↑ Christos Tsountas: Kykladika II. In: Hē En Athēnais Archaiologikē Hetaireia (ed.): Ephēmeris archaiologikē. 1899, pp. 73–134 (Greek), (digitized: pp. 127–129. )
  30. ↑ Angelopoulou 2008, p. 151.
  31. ↑ Greek Law Gazette (ΦΕΚ 38 / Β / 19.1.1965) of January 19, 1965, p. 265 (Greek)
  32. ↑ Greek Law Gazette (ΦΕΚ 1032 / Β / 24.9.1997) of November 24, 1997, p. 13432 f (Greek)

Web links

Commons : Korfari ton Amygdalion  - Collection of images, videos and audio files