Methone (Pieria)
Coordinates: 40 ° 27 ′ 36.6 ″ N , 22 ° 34 ′ 56.3 ″ E
Methone ( ancient Greek Μεθώνη , also called Thracian or Macedonian Methone) was a polis in ancient Greece on the coast of the Thermaic Gulf near the city of Pydna , near Nea Agathoupolis north of Methoni in today's Greek landscape of Pieria . According to Plutarch, the Greek colony of Methone was founded in 733/732 BC. Founded. Methone gained special importance through the discovery of labeled pottery and pottery shards. It is one of the oldest evidence of Greek writing, Methone is an important representative of the history and archeology of Pieria .
location
The ancient (archea) city of Methone was located on the northeastern bank of the Thermaic Gulf , in the northern Aegean Sea in Greece. It was right by the sea, north of the modern town of Methoni. Due to the deposition of sediments, especially from the Aliakmonas river, the ancient site is now approx. 500 m from the coast. The (previously known) city consists of buildings on the west and east hill and had a port. Around 700 BC The city had an area of around 20 hectares.
morphology
In ancient sources, the figure of Methone is mentioned as one of the daughters of Alkyoneus . She is also known as the sister of Pierios, the founder of Pieria. According to Plutarch , the city was named after its founder, Methon, an ancestor of Orpheus. Another interpretation relates to the production and excessive consumption of wine.
history
Methone was discovered in the second half of the 8th century BC. Founded by Eretrian settlers who were previously expelled from the island of Corfu by Corinthian colonists . Originally, the settlers wanted to return to their hometown of Eretria on Evia after being expelled from Corfu , but were prevented from going ashore there by force of arms. That is why the Methonians were called οἱ ἀποσφενδόνητοι (about the thrown away) by their neighbors . In contrast to the rest of Pieria, Methone was not ruled by Macedonia , but was an ally of Athens and since 434 BC. BC member of both Attic sea leagues . 355/354 BC The city was besieged by the Macedonian King Philip II , who lost an eye with an arrow. After their surrender, Philip II allowed the residents to leave freely. However, they were not allowed to take their belongings with them; only the clothes they wore were left to them. He razed the city and distributed the land to Macedonians. Methone has not been mentioned in history since then.
From there, the apostle Paul probably continued his second missionary journey in the direction of Athens, after he had left Berea (today: Veria). (Bible: Acts 17:14:15)
Importance in ancient times
The area around Methone has been inhabited since the late Neolithic (5000 BC to 3000 BC). From the late Bronze Age (1450 BC to 1100 BC) contacts between the inhabitants and the southern Aegean are documented; during the early Iron Age (11th to 8th centuries BC) the city was expanded.
The city is considered to be the oldest Greek colony in the northern Aegean. Due to its favorable location, it became a trading center for trade with the Balkans. Since the founding of the colony by the Eretrians in the late 8th century BC There were production facilities for various goods and a trading port in Methone. In addition to the colonists from Evia, local residents, Phoenicians and merchants from the eastern Aegean also took part in the trade. The ports of Methone and Pydna gained between 600 and 500 BC. Chr. Significance, especially in the shipping of goods, timber and tar (shipbuilding).
Excavation history
Since 1972 the place where the ancient Methone was located has been localized. In 2003, excavation began on the eastern hill, and in 2006 on the western hill. They were carried out under the direction of the archaeologist Mattheos Besios from the 27th Ephoria for Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities .
One problem that hinders excavation is that most of the land belonging to the ancient city is privately owned. It is farmed, so most of the artifacts from the 4th and 5th centuries BC are preserved. Were destroyed. In order to carry out further excavations, this land must be acquired by the state. The exact location of the port is not known. At that time, the Thermean Gulf stretched to Pella, the capital of the Macedonian Empire, until the beginning of the Byzantine era. Then the silting up by the rivers Axios and Aliakmonas began.
One of the most important discoveries was the uncovering of the agora and the surrounding buildings on the west side of the eastern hill. The finds from the excavations of Methone, especially in Ypogeio, contributed significantly to research on the origin and distribution of the Greek alphabet and its early use.
From 2013 to 2017, a team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) led by Sarah Morris and John Papadopoulos participated in the excavations.
The results of the excavations were published in 2012, and the European Union provided funding in the Education and Lifelong Learning program . In 2013, a Greek and English language book was published to inform the public.
Excavations
The east hill
In the Neolithic the east hill was wider, it was eroded by the sea over time. After the owner of the property had agreed, parts of the city were first exposed. The building remains found date from the time between 550 and 400 BC. It is an area measuring around 100 by 80 meters and dug about four meters deep. A smaller agora came to light , which is surrounded by public buildings. Parts of a second place were found, so that the assumption is that instead of a central agora, several smaller ones existed.
The Ypogeio
The Ypogeio (cellar, Greek Υπόγειο, also known as a rectangular underground basement) is a pit over 11 meters deep on the ridge of the east hill. At the bottom it measures 3.60 m by 4.20 m. Presumably it was a storage room, but was not completed because of the instability of the hill. Around 700 BC Then the pit was filled with wooden beams, stone molds for metalworking, slag and pottery shards. The ceramic remains come from different types of vessels. In addition to cooking utensils, large amphorae and eating utensils, the remains of drinking vessels were found. The ceramics came from different places of origin. In addition to local products, there were others from Phenicia , Attica , Euboea, the Cyclades and Ionia . The nature and time of production confirm Plutarch's claim that methone was found around 733 BC. Was founded. The abundant finds show that Macedonia was not to be seen as a peripheral area of the Greek world.
The artefacts included 191 remains of clay pots that were painted and / or had markings or characters. Among them are 25 vessels, which are labeled and some are provided with symbols.
They are among the oldest Greek and Macedonian scripts that have been discovered to date and provide evidence of the change in spelling to the Greek alphabet. The lettering consists of engravings or brushstrokes and was usually applied before the ceramic was fired. Archaeologists infer from the various types of inscription, carefully or rather negligently, that writing was not only the privilege of professional writers, but was also widespread among the population. In addition to the name of the owner, sentences or small poems were written on the ceramics.
The Greeks used the Phoenician alphabet for writing and modified it according to their needs. The most common spelling was from right to left (left-handed, sinistrograde ). But also from left to right (clockwise, dextrograde ) or line by line changing direction ( bustrophedone ) spellings were common.
The west hill
This hill is a little higher than the one to the east. The land that was excavated belongs to the local school. Originally, the city's necropolis had been on the summit since the late Bronze Age . Around 900 BC BC began to be built over the necropolis with houses. It was proceeded without taking the graves into consideration; the stone foundations of some houses even divide the skeletons of the buried. The buildings were made of bricks. The settlement was protected by a city wall. In order to improve its effectiveness as a defense against enemies, a trench was dug outside the wall in order to actually raise the wall. So far, three tunnels have been discovered that have allowed residents to exit the city. Presumably they were used to bring supplies into the city during times of siege. Kilns and the remains of other craft workshops were also found.
Philip II's army camp was around 500 meters south of the city.
literature
- Robert Malcolm Errington : Methone, city in the Macedonian Pieria . In: The New Pauly . tape VIII , p. 98-99 .
- Ernle Bradford : The Travels of Paul p . 201 .
- Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos (Ed.): Letters from the 'Underground'. Writing in Methone, Pieria. late 8th – early 7th century BC. Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 2013, ISBN 978-960-9621-12-0 , p. 54. Online PDF (English), (Greek)
- Υπουργείο Παιδείας, Δια Βίου Μάθησης και Θρησκευμάτων (eds.), Mattheos Bessios, Yannis Tzifopoulos, Antonis Kotsonas [Ματθαίος Μπέσιος, Γιάννης Τζιφόπουλος, Αντώνης Κοτσώνας]: Μεθωνη Πιεριας ι: Επιγραφές, χαράγματα και εμπορικά σύμβολα στη γεωμετρική και αρχαϊκή κεραμική από το ' Υπόγειο 'της Μεθώνης Πιερίας στη Μακεδονία. Center for the Greek Language [Κέντρο Ελληνικής Γλώσσας], Thessaloniki 2012, ISBN 978-960-7779-51-9 , p. 560. Online (Greek)
- Jenny Strauss Clay, Irad Malkin, Yannis Z. Tzifopoulos: Panhellenes at Methone: graphê in Late Geometric and Protoarchaic Methone (= Trends in classics - supplementary volumes, 44). Berlin, Boston 2017
Individual evidence
- ^ Plutarch, Greek Aetia, 293 ab
- ^ Letters from the Underground, Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki - 27th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, page 12
- ↑ Plutarch Quaestiones Graecae XI.
- ↑ Konstantinos Noulas, archaeologist (Greek) on Methone (minute 13:55). Retrieved November 10, 2018 .
- ^ European Union, Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning .
- ^ Letters from the Underground, Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki - 27th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
- ↑ John K. Papadopoulos, The early history of the Greek alphabet: new evidence from Eretria and Methone, page 1242, Online PDF (English)
- ↑ Letters from the Underground, Ministry of Culture - Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki - 27th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, pages 20 to 23