Αιανή : σωστικές ανασκαφές προϊστορικών χρόνων
Part of : Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στη Μακεδονία και στη Θράκη ; Vol.11, No.1, 1997, pages 67-80
Issue:
Pages:
67-80
Parallel Title:
Aiani : prehistoric rescue excavations
Abstract:
A. The site of LivadiaTraces of prehistoric settlement were located during the digging season of 1990in the area of the Necropolis with the royal built chamber tombs of the 6th, 5th andbeginning of the 4th c. B.C., at Livadia. It was a small settlement dating to theFinal Neolithic - Early Bronze Age. As the material evidence is limited to somemasonry traces, a few post-holes and part of a floor made of soil and pebbles, it isinsufficient to us to draw any conclusions about the organization of this smallsettlement, which in an earlier stage would have been larger. Two hearths and twopits give us evidence about the food-production of the settlement. The area wasdisturbed by later human activities, dating from the Late Bronze Age to the end ofthe Hellenistic Period.Most of the pottery was of coarse-ware and unpainted. It came from open,quite big vessels, with knobs and handles of various shapes. The thinner potterybelonged to hemispherical bowls with black-top or three-color decoration, while afew sherds have a pink slip.Two clay spindle whorls were collected, together with a few stone tools, anumber of blades made of local firestone and a blade and a core of obsidian(probably of northern origin). Finally, with the water floatation technique, charred seeds were collected.B. The site of Palla RachiA prehistoric settlement was located in 1987, on a hillock called Palla Rachi, 3km southeast of the modern town of Aiani.Due to the course of the National Road Kozani-Rymnio passing over this hill, itwas necessary to conduct a rescue excavation. After trial sections in an area of18.000 m2, with surface sherds from various periods due to the deep ploughing andleveling of the area, we located the area of interest on the top of the hill (322 maltitude), in 26 trenches, 4x4 m each. The depth of the archaeological layerincreases from the periphery to the centre of the excavation area reaching amaximum depth of 2,20 m. According to the stratigraphic coherence there was acontinuous occupation of the site from the Middle Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age.The houses of this small settlement were built with stones, clay and beams. Atthe northeastern end of the excavation, at a small depth, we revealed an open-airhearth and a pit covered by stones and containing pottery and stones.The Middle Neolithic is represented by characteristic painted pottery, brown/reddish on whitish with triangular flame-shaped motifs. The red on whitish triangularmotifs with indefinite outlines, the so-called «Servia type», are also present. Thereare also sherds with «scraped» decoration (Middle Neolithic I and II, Α3ε categoryof Wace/Thompson).The largest quantity of painted pottery dates to the Late Neolithic. This site hasentered the group of western Macedonian settlements (Servia, Kitrini Limni —especiallyMikro Nisi Galanis— Dispilio) with pre-Diminian categories of paintedpottery, with decorations such as brown on yellowish, polychrome (Tsangli andArapi phases) and white on black varnished surface. Characteristic is also the grey ingrey pottery, similar to examples from Servia and northern Thessaly. Some sherdsbelong to angular bowls with black, red or white topped decoration.The quantity of Dimini sherds found reaches about 1/3 of the painted pottery(painted pottery makes up about 7% of the assemblage). This type of pottery hasbeen found in several western Macedonian sites (i.e. Kitrini Limni, river side-lakeside settlements of Aliakmon) and moreover at Giannitsa and Makrygialos. At PallaRachi we have two subcategories: a) Classical Dimini (Dimini IV): dark brownon yellowish, covering the whole surface of the pot. The shapes are bowls with perforatedlugs under the rim. b) Diminian decorative motifs of black on red.The incised pottery, which makes up 3% of the assemblage, includes decorationsof zigzags, check patterns and triangles. Some incisions have white inlaid pigmenton black surface, and others bear the so-called «later incised» decoration, withsuccessive triangles filled with dots.From the figurines found worthmentioning are two intact clay ones: one has acylindrical hollow torso; the other is reminiscent of Cycladic works in that it has abig flat head. Other finds collected include: parts of three seals, weight looms andspindle whorls, stone tools and an obsidian blade.From the aforementioned study of the Palla Rachi settlement, we come to theconclusion that it had both commercial relations and cultural interactions withnearby and more distant areas: Servia, Kitrini Limni, Thessaly, rest of Macedonia,Albania and Yugoslavia). The mixed economy of the settlement was based on theagriculture of the small fertile plains located around it, and the practice of animal breeding.
Subject:
Subject (LC):
Keywords:
προϊστορία, συνέδρια
Notes:
Περιέχει εικόνες
