Zygouries
Zygouries ( Greek Ζυγουριές ( f. Pl. ) = Stinky bushes ) is an archaeological site on the hill of the same name in Corinthia in Greece . Zygouries is located southeast of the valley of Kleonai about 400 m southwest of the town of Chania Agiou Vasiliou. The prehistoric finds range from the Neolithic to the Mycenaean period . What the place was called in ancient times is unknown. It was located at the strategically important junction where the main route from Corinth to Argos branched off from the main route to Mycenae via the Tretos Pass . This path led south through a gorge to Kastro Agiou Vasiliou Castle and over the Arachneo Mountains to Mycenae.
history
The first settlement on the hill arose in the early Helladic period (FH). Fritz Schachermeyr suspected that the place was founded by carriers of the Keros-Syros culture at the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age . Towards the end of FH the settlement was abandoned. In the late Middle Helladic (MH) Zygouries was repopulated. The settlement grew over the centuries and finally extended in the Late Helladic (SH) in the plain to the west and east of the hill. It was probably a hierarchical Mycenaean outpost . Around 1200 BC At SH III B the settlement was destroyed by fire and abandoned. In Byzantine times there was further construction work on the hill. From 1921 to 1922 the American archaeologist Carl Blegen carried out excavations here .
The finds are in the Museum of Archea Korinthos and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City .
description
The Zygouries hill measures about 165 m from north to south, is about 70 m wide and rises about 10 m above the surrounding plain. On the natural rock made of conglomerate or gravelly sandstone there is a culture layer from 0.3 to 3 m thick. In the Byzantine period in particular, a large part of the prehistoric settlement was destroyed by leveling. In many places, the Early Helladic strata lay directly below the surface and the Middle Helladic and Late Helladic layers were largely destroyed. There was an ancient cemetery about 500 m to the west on Ambelakia Hill.
Early Helladic
Carl Blegen created a total of 13 excavation cuts . In all that he built on the hill he found walls from the Early Helladic. In the largest excavation section VII, he found most of the houses. The walls were between 0.6 and 0.9 m thick, made of unworked stone and originally had a structure made of coarse clay bricks . Streets and paths paved with pebbles and shards of pottery ran between the small houses. As animal bones, mussel shells, snail shells, parts of bronze objects and broken clay vessels show, rubbish was disposed of on the streets. The houses were similar to those in the Cyclades , often with a smaller vestibule and a main room with a hearth in the middle. The walls ran rather straight and did not form an apse .
House D
House D was one of the most magnificent from that time. It had a rectangular floor plan measuring 5.65 m by 2.50 m. The anteroom was in the south and was 1.40 m deep and 2.50 m wide. A 0.65 m wide door led into the north 3.65 m deep main room. A sauce boat , a cylindrical stand for a large bowl, and several pithoi standing in front of the north wall were found here on the clay floor .
House A
To the northeast of house D was house A, also facing north-south. The external dimensions were 6.40 × 4 m. A 0.62 m wide door led from the east into the 1.50 × 2.50 m anteroom. To the north was the almost square main room measuring 2.70 × 2.70 m. Like the vestibule, it had a floor made of tamped clay. Broken pottery, a vessel in the shape of a bird, two spindle whorls , a conical object made of clay and a flat bronze ribbon were found in house A.
In 1995, Steven Harrison examined the architecture of the Early Helladic houses and came to the conclusion that houses A and D were not separate living units, but were part of the Pithoi house.
House of the Pithoi
The Pithoi house is the largest and most magnificent that has been excavated to date and was located to the west of House D. From the north one entered the open vestibule . A 2.10 m wide door, which could presumably be locked by a double door, led to the east into the large main room of 5.60 × 5.55 m. The 0.9 m thick walls were preserved up to a height of 1.50 m. There were probably some posts that supported the flat roof of the great room. A door in the east of the north wall of the main room led into a smaller room measuring 3.90 × 3.70 m. There may be other rooms that were not exposed. The house had been destroyed by fire. Some clay bricks were burned, the size of which could be determined. They were about 0.3 m long, 0.2 m wide and 0.15 m high.
On the east wall of the main room four pithoi and shards of about three more were found. They were used to store oil, flour and other foods. In addition, 16 other complete clay pots were found: flat bowls, a sauceboat with a spout in the shape of a goat and a simple saucepan that still contained large beef bones - this was probably the last meal before the house was destroyed. One was found in the middle of the room Stove and a grinder . Only potsherds were found in the smaller room.
In 1985/86 the archaeologist Daniel J. Pullen examined the records and finds from Blegen's excavation. He came across around 200 roof tiles, some of which had original varnish . These were found under the house of the snail shells and probably came from a previous building of the house of the Pithoi, which was destroyed at FH II. This previous building was a so-called corridor house and had a similar floor plan to the house of bricks in Lerna and also included the area on which the house of snail shells was later built.
House of the snail shells
To the south of the main room of the house of the Pithoi is the small house of the snail shells with west-east orientation. A 0.85 m wide door led into the east anteroom of 2 × 2 m. The main room was 2.20 × 3.30 m in size. On the floor of the house were found snail shells, which probably came from the last meal, and pottery shards of a total of 37 vessels such as large jugs and smaller sauce boats.
House W
House W extended south of House D and the house of the snail shells. It had a large central courtyard measuring 4.25 x 3.25 m and a 3.07 m wide entrance from the south. In the west there was a larger area of 3.45 × 2.45 m and in the east a larger southern area of about 3 × 3 m and a small northern area of 1.57 × 1.80 m. In the western room there was a pithos and pottery shards, some of which came from sauce boats.
House S.
House S was south of House W. It consisted of an eastern anteroom, a main room and a small back room. The anteroom measured 2.10 × 4 m, the main room 3.90 × 3.90 m and the back room 2 × 3.45 m. In the main room, which served as the living area, there was a stone platform 0.25 m high and 1.05 m in diameter as a fireplace. Small vases and tiny dishes and spoons were found in the house.
Steven Harrison also doubted the independence of houses W and S. He suspected that the two houses were grouped around a courtyard and belonged to one residential unit.
House E.
To the east of house W was house E. It was largely destroyed in Mycenaean times, only the western part was preserved. It had a floor plan similar to that of House D.
House L
House L was in the north of the Zygouries hill in excavation section I. Three rooms were grouped to the west and south around a courtyard. To the west of the courtyard was a small room 3.25 × 2.25 m, which was connected to the courtyard by a door. In it one found an askos , a tiny patera , part of a spoon and many pottery shards. The south-eastern room of 2.50 × 3.50 m was probably used as a kitchen, as two head pots and remains of the stove were discovered here. Other finds were a blade, a whetstone , twelve obsidian blades , parts of two sauce boats and a jug with an oval spout.
The south-western room measured 2.60 × 3.55 m, served as a storage room and could probably be reached via the south-eastern one. Here, six pithoi were found embedded in the ground, two spindle whorls or buttons, two grinding stones, a pounder, two whetstones, two oyster shells , six obsidian blades, a blade made of gray flint , a large askos, two complete flat shells and a pearl made of chalcedony . There was probably a stone bench in the courtyard on the south wall. The courtyard was not paved, but had a floor made of tamped clay. Three pithoi and five other obsidian blades were found here. Since a total of 23 obsidian blades were found in house L, the assumption was made that it could be the house of a knife or blade dealer. There was probably a pile of rubble to the west of the house, as the shards of two sauce boats, a jug and other smaller vases were discovered here.
House Y
House Y was found in excavation section XI on the southern slope of Zygouries. As it was only 20–30 cm below the surface, it was severely damaged by building activity in the Byzantine period and the construction of an early Christian grave. It had a small vestibule and a main room about 4.20 x 4.25 m. In addition to the usual number of pottery shards, a button-shaped seal made of terracotta was found here . This was the first of its kind to appear on the mainland to date, so it was very significant.
House of the Dagger (House U)
House U was found just west of House Y. It consists of two rooms, of which probably only the rear one was covered. Since the walls of the vestibule were very thin, Blegen suspected that they were not very high and therefore had no roof. In the 1.50 × 4 m main room there was a well-preserved clay floor with small stones and pottery shards. A bronze awl , a terracotta plug and obsidian flakes were found on the floor . In the southeast corner of the 3.75 × 4.50 m anteroom there was a stove and in the northwest corner a Bothros 0.8 m in diameter and 1 m deep. There was also a pit from the Byzantine era nearby.
On the east side, bones from a children's funeral from the Middle Helladic period were found, which were laid out after the house had been abandoned. A flint saw, three spindle whorls, a flat bowl and a small spoon were discovered in the anteroom. A flint, a grinding stone, boar teeth , a spindle whorl, a stopper and an animal head made of terracotta were discovered in the ground . In a hollow lay an askos, two jugs, seven flat bowls, a ladle, sauce boats and flat plates. There was a layer of fire about 10 cm thick under the floor, but no associated walls were found.
South of house U ran a small path, the paving of which consisted of small stones, broken glass and rubble. On the way they found flat bone implements, a bobbin made of bones and a bronze dagger, after which the house U is also called the house of the dagger.
More finds
As further excavation sections show, there are other houses from the Early Helladic period on the hill of Zygouries, which, however, have not yet been explored. In the west in excavation section III, two Early Helladic Bothroi were found, which were rediscovered in Byzantine times and converted into cisterns.
Medium brightadic
Only a few remains of buildings have been found from the Middle Helladic period. This is partly due to the later destruction. A thick layer of MH was found under the Late Helladic layer in the eastern part. On the other hand, the city was smaller and less important to MH than to FH. In excavation section VI, a curved wall was found that may have belonged to an apsidal building. However, the findings are too sparse to confirm this with certainty. Four Middle Helladic graves were found within the settlement.
Grave I.
Grave I was found in excavation section VI in the middle of the hill at a depth of about 1 m. It had an irregular oval shape of 1.75 × 1.10 m and was surrounded by a stone circle made of small stones. The body was buried on its side, crouched on its right side with its head facing north and facing west. 19 pearls made of rock crystal and 15 made of glass paste from a necklace were found as grave goods . On the lower jaw lay a ball and two rings made of bronze wire, which probably served as a headband. There was also a small jug and mug with matte painting , a terracotta spindle whorl, and a bone needle.
Grave IV
Grave IV was 1.10 m below the ground in the eastern part of excavation section V. It was a simple pit in the corner of an early Helladic house. The floor was covered with small stones. A two to three year old child was buried on it lying on its left side with its head facing north and facing east in a stool position. A large pitho that was found here was probably originally placed over the body. Next to the feet was a Scharzminy pottery shard, according to which the grave is dated to the Middle Helladic period. Bones of two goats were found 0.50 m south and in the same layer of the grave. Presumably, these are victims at the funeral service.
Grave v
Another grave was found 2.25 m southeast of grave IV. A very small child found its final resting place in the simple round pit about 0.50 m in diameter. It was also buried in a crouched position on the right side with its head to the east and facing north.
Grave VI
Another grave was discovered in the courtyard of the House of the Dagger. It was an oval pit 0.40 x 0.70 m, which was paved with small stones. The remains of a child were only sparsely preserved. It was probably buried with its head facing south. The burial probably took place after the house was destroyed in the Middle Helladic period.
Late Helladic
About 50 m east of the hill, Late Helladic walls and pottery shards came to light in the embankment of a deeply cut creek bed. For this reason, a grave section was made between the creek bed and the hill, in which one found foundation walls with a rammed earth floor, a terracotta bathtub and other large vessels. There were also many late Helladic pottery shards to the west of the hill (SH III, 1400–1100 BC), which shows that the settlement was not limited to the hill at that time. On the hill there were few unconnected wall sections, severely damaged by later work. The settlement was not fortified by a wall.
House B (pottery, pottery trade or perfume factory)
A larger part of a late Helladic house was found on the eastern slope of Zygouries within excavation section VII. It was built on a platform dug into the slope to the west and raised to the east. Over the millennia, the embankment was removed again through erosion, thus destroying the eastern part of the house. The rest of the house was covered with earth, however, and so was in good condition when it was found. The preserved part of the house is the basement or ground floor of a building. It is about 15 m long and 11.50 m wide. The walls were built from small and large stones placed in clay. The inner partitions were 0.80 m thick and the outer walls up to 1.20 m thick.
The rooms found are in a central corridor that ran from south to north. There were four rooms to the west and one room to the north. There were probably four more rooms to the east. The best preserved was the northwest room, which measured 2.55 x 4.90 m. The west wall was preserved up to 1.40 m high. The walls were plastered with coarse mortar and unpainted, and the floor was made of tamped clay. The room was connected by a 1.05 m wide door with a limestone threshold. In the room one found more than 500 unpainted, deep bowls, 75 small sauce boats, twenty small jugs with three eyelets, three large and ten small jugs , water jugs, basins, ladles, cups and other vessels in small numbers. The vessels broke when the house collapsed. Most of the bowls that Blegen identified as saucepans were stacked one inside the other in the south of the room, with more to the north. By the door were the sauce boats, small jugs and ladles, and in the center of the room were basins and small jugs. In front of the east and west walls were the large jugs and the water jug.
The largest room with 4.95 × 4.95 m was the north room. Its eastern part collapsed due to the erosion. The 1.21 m wide door to the south led to the corridor. Five large unpainted craters , 300 unpainted and 70 high-style painted kylikes were found in the room . The way the kylikes were painted is known as the Zygouries style . To the south of it was a narrow room measuring 4.65 × 1.40 m with a 0.90 m wide door. A terracotta tripod was discovered on the hard, whitish clay floor, which was used to place a saucepan over the fire. In the room there was an open drainage pipe made of U-shaped clay bowls.
The next room to the south was 4.65 x 2.45 m and had a 1 m wide door. The west wall was shifted 0.65 m to the west, so that the western house facade protruded, as is often found in Mycenaean houses. The western wall was 1.65 m high and had a rough plaster. On the floor of the room, many cylindrical jugs, basins, and craters were stacked upside down. Deep bowls and small vessels were also stored here. The southernmost room was only 1.75 m wide. A cylindrical water pipe covered with stones was passed through it. Presumably the room served as a staircase and led to the upper floor.
Calcined stones and burnt clay bricks were discovered in all rooms . These show that the house was built around 1200 BC. Was destroyed by fire. A brick was preserved and could be measured. It was 35 cm long, 22 cm wide and 8.5 cm high. A few fragments of frescoed plaster were also found that had fallen from the upper floor. Blegen could distinguish between two different decorative styles. The upper floor may have expanded a little to the west. There was a gully 0.80 × 0.80 m and 0.60 m deep. It had a stone floor and the sides were lined with waterproof plaster. This gully probably drained over the narrow room. Six terracotta figures, a steatite gem, clam shells and a bronze knife with remains of an ivory handle were found in the gully.
Blegen suspected that House B, in which such a large amount of unused pottery was found, was a pottery and that the kiln was in the eastern part of the building. It was later doubted that the kiln was inside the house, so it was believed that this was only the potter's workshop or a pottery shop that marketed the products of a nearby potter. Patrick Thomas finally saw a warehouse for vessels for perfume production in House B.
Perfume making
Since there are no installations in house B, such as a kiln and water supply, which were necessary for the ceramic production and no other finds point to them, one follows Patrick Thomas's argument today. For example, fragrances could be extracted in the basins by means of cold extraction , for example by soaking petals in olive oil. For extraction with the addition of heat ( digestion ), the semicircular saucepans, covered with a conical lid, were placed on a tripod made of terracotta and heated over a fire. The shovel-like charcoal pans were used to transport and arrange the charcoal. To clarify the oil, the mixture was strained through a set of pans with perforated bottoms . Now the oil was filled into a crater and other ingredients such as honey could be added. In addition, other suspended matter could settle here. The ladles could be used for stirring and decanting. The finished perfume was poured into swing jugs for storage and transport. The small jugs with three eyelets were probably used as measuring vessels. Perfume production was presumably under the control of Mycenae and the product was reserved for the ruling class.
middle Ages
From the Byzantine period, numerous wall sections were uncovered in Zygouries. During these construction measures, the ground was often leveled and the middle and late Helladic layers in particular were removed. A total of three graves from the Middle Ages were found, two Byzantine in excavation section VI (graves II and III) and an early Christian one in excavation section XI (grave VII). The dead were buried stretched out on their backs with their heads to the west and arms crossed on their chests. As is customary for Christian burials, there were no grave goods. Only in one grave were heel fittings found, which indicate that the dead man was wearing heavy boots.
literature
- Carl William Blegen: Zygouries; a prehistoric settlement in the valley of Cleonae , Cambridge 1928 ( online )
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Fritz Schachermeyr: The oldest cultures of Greece , Kohlhammer Verlag , Stuttgart 1955, pp. 146-147
- ↑ Catherine Morgan : The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary: The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary , Princeton 1999, ISBN 978-0876619384 , pp. 349, 352
- ↑ Konstantinos Kissas: Antike Korinthia , Athens 2013, ISBN 978-960-6849-37-4 , pp. 89-91
- ^ Gisela MA Richter : The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Handbook of the classical collection. New York 1930, p. 345 ( online )
- ↑ Steven Harrison: Domestic architecture in Early Helladic II: some observations on the form of non-monumental houses in Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 90, November 1995, pp. 23-40
- ^ Eva Alram-Stern: The Aegean Early Period: 2nd Series, Research Report 1975-2002, The Early Bronze Age in Greece, with the exception of Crete. Volume 2, Part 2, Verlag der Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften 2004, ISBN 978-3-7001-3268-4 , pp. 580-581 ( online )
- ↑ Steven Harrison: Domestic architecture in Early Helladic II: some observations on the form of non-monumental houses in Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 90, November 1995, pp. 23-40
- ^ Robert Drews: The End of the Bronze Age: Changes in Warfare and the Catastrophe ca 1200 BC , 1995, p. 23
- ↑ Konstantinos Kissas: Antike Korinthia , Athens 2013, ISBN 978-960-6849-37-4 , p. 89
- ^ Catherine Morgan: The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary: The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary , Princeton 1999, ISBN 978-0876619384 , p. 233
- ↑ Thomas F. Tartaron: Maritime Networks in the Mycenaean World , Cambridge 2017, ISBN 978-1-108-43136-1 , p. 235
Coordinates: 37 ° 47 '51.8 " N , 22 ° 47' 17.3" E