2013 - What a year!
Our season of excavation at Eleon ended on Saturday, July 13th
this year. Throughout 2013 our team of about 30 volunteers, graduate students
and undergraduates worked in three different locations: ceramic analysis,
drawing, and flotation (to uncover plant remains) were done in our apotheke in
Arma. At Dilesi, object conservation,
faunal analysis, and pot washing were done. On-site at ancient Eleon in Arma,
where Bryan Burns and I, as co-directors, coordinated fieldwork every day. Five
trench supervisors worked with student volunteers for six weeks of excavation
to further uncover the Bronze Age (Mycenaean) and Archaic/Classical phases to
the settlement.
A more detailed report will follow very soon and will be
posted on our excavation website: www.uvic.ca/~bburke/EBAP.
What follows here is a short summary of our 2013 results. We had three primary
areas of excavation in 2013: the Northwest, where we uncovered several whole
vessels in their primary context and a very clear destruction level; the
Southwest, where we have well-preserved stratigraphic levels from the LH IIIB
to LH IIIC middle phases; and the Southeast, an area we refer to as the ‘ramp’.
The earliest architecture in the area of
the ramp was first built with elaborate Cyclopean style masonry during the
Mycenaean age, ca 1200 BC. At some point
later Greeks returned to Eleon and renovated the remains of the prehistoric architecture
in their own style. From at least the Archaic period (6th c. BC) onwards
this area served as a monumental ramped approach to the upper settlement, as
evidenced by multiple pebbly white surfaces and at least two in situ threshold
blocks. It seems that the gate area was
reworked multiple times attesting to a long period of use. There were
indications for heavy traffic on this ramp: crushed miniature cups, known as skyphoi and kotyliskoi. Several, located closer to the walls, were found intact.
We also found a large number of Archaic/Classical female figurines, suggesting
some cult activity in the area. In the
Northwest and Southwest we uncovered more of the Mycenaean settlement and have
been able to isolate specific destruction levels which are significant for
understanding the changing fortunes of Eleon before and after the great palace
at Thebes was destroyed. The ceramic sequence continues to indicate a robust
and long-lived LH IIIC (post-palatial) occupation at Eleon. This period of
Greek history is relatively poorly understood and is traditionally associated
with decline, what was formerly known as a ‘dark age’. At Eleon, however, our
architecture, ceramics, and other finds of the LH IIIC period indicate that the
settlement thrived during this time, after sites like Thebes, Mycenae and Pylos
were destroyed. From 2013 our work shows that Eleon is a particularly rich LH
IIIC site which continued to have significance into the Archaic and Classical
periods.
On July 14th, we had the opportunity to present our results to the people of Arma at what we called an 'Open House. This event with the village was a
perfect conclusion to a great six weeks of work. We were able to present many of our results
this year to the local community. It is, however, also important to us that we
take some time to highlight our ‘home base’, in Dilesi, where our work
continues every afternoon. Since 2007 we have been hosted by this community and
have sincere thanks to many people who have helped us each summer.
Dilesi is located along the eastern Boeotian ‘Riviera’ (as
we like to call it), the small stretch of coast along the southern Euboian Gulf
between Attika and Chalkis. It is about an hour by car from Athens, and we look
across the gulf to the important sites of Lefkandi and Eretria. Dilesi is the modern name of ancient Delion,
or Delium, the location of a famous battle between the Athenians and Boeotians
in 424 BC. The Athenians established a garrison in the town for a short time,
but were ultimately routed by the Boeotians who reclaimed the city and its temple
to Apollo. The precise location of the Greek sanctuary and settlement are not
known, but excavations have revealed remains of the Roman period occupation,
including a ceramic kiln, shops, and a bathing complex.
We have been very fortunate to live right along the sea
every year of the EBAP survey and excavation, in the summer apartments owned by
Mrs. Ino Mamoni and her family. The property’s enclosed patio and garden provide
a vital workspace. This is where we wash and sort daily pottery so that the
next day’s excavation can be directed in some ways by the preliminary reading
of the previous day’s potter. In the garden we have occasional seminars led by
our staff members and we welcome visiting scholars interested in our results.
The garden is where everyone comes to appreciate the material we’ve recovered
each day, and it’s the site of many small discoveries: letters inscribed on a
tile fragment, the joining pieces of a vessel, a bird or shell or human, among
the painted sherds!
Beginning in 2007, Mrs Mamoni was a constant help to us,
always greeting us with a joyful smile and treats upon our arrival each summer.
She would bring us fruit picked from her garden trees or cool drinks at the
perfect time during our working hours. She was also ever watchful of our living
and work space, providing a safe and secure environment. She loved cats,
including a recent adoption she called ‘Xanthi’. In previous years she adopted
local dogs, treating them with rare kindness and providing them with food and
water. One of our favorite dogs she called ‘Kanella’ (cinnamon), to whom she
once memorably said, ‘ela Kanella, exoume douleia!’ as they walked down the
street together on a late-night errand to help her tenants (us!). Most sadly,
Mrs. Mamoni passed away this summer and we are very sorry for this loss to her
family. We miss her greatly. We have grown to know and care a great deal
about the Mamoni family and hope to continue living and working at the family’s
place in Dilesi in the coming years.
In 2013 our team of volunteers and students was the largest
we have ever had and we had to find additional housing in Dilesi, in several
apartments in the town and in one rented summer home in the nearby neighborhood
of Argileza. Our various landlords have been extremely helpful to us, providing
us with a sense of security and ‘home’ while we do our research.
Nearby to our home base in Dilesi are a number of tavernas,
and as everyone who has been on an excavation knows, dinner time is one of the
most important events each workday. It’s the only place the entire team is
together in one place and serves as a meeting point for sharing updates on the
project and making announcements. Our most-favored taverna is Babis’ Taverna.
Young Babis runs the taverna while his parents are in the kitchen. The prepared
meals here are unparalleled in Dilesi – students will often take home left over
moussaka for breakfast! We do enjoy other tavernas in Dilesi as well, including
Delion, which makes excellent seafood. Our students have come to discern the
best souvlakia in town, with and without ‘sos’
(sauce). There are many to choose from so being in-the-know is helpful. We also
enjoy several of the local cafes which provide broadcasts of major sporting
events. I watched several Wimbledon matches with people on the team at Café
Contigo. Others preferred Café Legend
and the unusually named ‘Square: More than Coffee’. We have grown to appreciate
Dilesi since first arriving in 2007. We’ve seen several changes over the years,
and wish it well over the winter. We look forward to coming back again in 2014
to continue our work at ancient Eleon!