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Archaeological research on Keos : the ancient city of Karthaia

Σύμμεικτα-Miscellanea

• Μενδώνη, Λίνα Γ.

During the summer of 1987 and 1988 the archaeological research on the island of Keos was continued in the southeast basin of the island, starting at the site of the ancient city of Karthaia (now Poles).Keos contains four main hydrogeological basins, which praided the forms of the surface survey. The basin of ancien Karthaia bounded by Psathi, Prof. Ilias, Ellinika, Kato-Meria, Ag. Theodoroi and Liparos.Remains of the ancient city are spread over the top and the slopes at a ridge named Aspri Vigla which rises to about 100 m. The ridge is bounded on the north by the valley of Kalamitsis and on the south by the valley of Vathypotamos.Scattered everywhere are piles of stones that have come from the ruins of the ancient buildings. Traces of the buildings themselves are clearer along the northern part of the hill. Sections of the ancient walls and foundations still preserved have enabled us to discern the line of the outer fortifications system. Most of the walls are constructed of big schist stones. In the southern slope of the hill of Aspri Vigla such as along the southern side of the fortifications near the main entrance to the acropolis, the walls are constructed of big stones of cipolini. Small fragments of schist slabs, laid horizontically are used for chinking the larger stones. The only direct evidence for the date of the construction of these fortifications is an inscription, written on the biggest stone of the whole system and dated about the middle of the 5th century B. C. This inscription suggests a terminus ante q u e m for the building of the fortifications. The gateways to the acropolis are preserved in at least six places in the circuit wall. As might be expected, the hill is full of pottery sherds which cover a wide chronological span from the late geometric period to the first centuries after Christ.In the intra m u r o s area of the Karthaia the ruins of a done temple dedica ted to A thena are still visible. Although, this monument is known by some recent publications a lot of new elements could be added on these works because of the great number of new architectural remains and some new fragments of sculptures found during the survey work.Among the great number of the architectural remains found near the temple of Athena or down to the slopes of the hill of Aspri Vigla architectural members from two or three doric buildings could be recognized.Not very far from the temple of Athena there is a big rock of cipolini. On the plateau forming the top of this rock there are remains of some structures and sherds of pottery dated to classical, to hellenistic and roman period. On the lowest part of this rock same paederastic inscriptions were written.In the easternmost site of the city the ruins of a big temple are visible. This temple was uncovered by P.O. Bröndsted in 1811 and was identified with the temple of Apollo mentioned by the ancient writers. Although, the monument is known by the publications of Bröndsted, Lauter and Schuller, a lot of great problems have to be found their solution. It might be possible that the new finds could give an answer. Sherds of good quality found in a great amount all over the site and dated from the early archaic or a little bit earlier, to the late hellenistic period.Bröndsted has already put on his topographical map of Karthaia the theater of the city in the south slope of the hill of Aspri Vigla. Only three stones of the koilon were visible of this monument. Twenty-two steps of the stairs, 0.64 m. wide were recovered in a trench. The orchestra’s floor is preserved in a good condition. Every two steps correspond to one row of seats. What is interesting is that the individual steps on the stair-case show the wear and tear from the people’s feet. Though the construction of the theater is not impressive, it is important that such a building occurs in a provincial town.Nor very far from the theater, almost on the top of the hill of Aspri Vigla there is a rocky mass with some small natural caves. In some of them pottery sherds datable in the 5th or 6th centuries A.D. were found. There are also frescoes with protochristianic symbols, as trees and fish. A second trace of a Christian presence in Karthaia is some gra ves exactly on the sites of the temples of Apollo and Athena; two graves have been excavated. The only finds are some parts of the sceletons and sherds dated almost in the same period of the 5th or 6th centuries A.D.The exploration of the valleys of Vathypotamos and Kalamitsis and of the hills of Kaukasos, Pasa-Limani, Kallissia and the sites of Havouna and Pygadaki gave architectural remains of buildings, towers, farmhouses.In the north part of Kalamitsis valley and on the down slopes of Kaukasos some traces of graves and a thick spread of sherds of good quality, black and red figured, black glazed sherds, datable in archaic and classical period might indicate the site of the cemetery of ancient Karthaia.The exploration on the promontory of Petrussa, of the site of Orkos and the hill of Agios Symeon gave elements for the metals in Keos. In Petroussa, between the schist and the gneiss, there are veins of silver-bearing lead and deposits of galena. Deposits of miltos, or rubrica or ruddle, a kind of iron or lead ocide have been located at the site of Orkos. On the hill of Agios Symeon the site is indicated as a temple site by two inscriptions dedicated to Aphrodite a considerable amount of slag were found among a great number of sherds datable from classical to hellenistic period. It is very interesting that it proved to be copper slag.Finally an underwater research in the bay of Mikres and Megales Poles gave main proofs for the harbour of the ancient city.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία

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