102-130

A Protogeometric cemetery in Aitolia

• Σταυροπούλου-Γάτση, Μαρία

The presentation of the material found in the Protogeometric cemetery at Gabalou (which is identified with the ancient Aitolian town Trichonion) is intended as a contribution to the advancement of the many-sided problems connected with the local Protogeometric style of Northwestern Greece.An important factor in this particular instance is the availability of excavation data, which have been so far practically absent from other presentations of Protogeometric material from the region of Aitoloakarnania.Three cist-graves, two of which were children’s graves (P 1 s. 32 ß, 33 ß), and five pithos- burials have been investigated. The cist- graves, of trapezoidal plan, had been constructed of roughly worked sandstone slabs set vertically, one at each side. None of the pithos-burials was a regular jar-inhumation, for instead of whole pithoi, only large fragments had been used both for depositing and covering the body (P 1 s. 35 α-β, 36 a). All the dead had been placed in a contracted position.The few examples discovered so far of the use of cist-graves in the Mycenaean period are considered to be a survival of the old Middle Helladic burial practice. It is not difficult, therefore, to explain the appearance and use of cist-graves in post-Mycenaean times as well. On the other hand, the question of the appearance and use of pithoi in burials of Protogeometric times remains open (in spite of the recently advanced suggestion that these appeared for the first time in Aitolia). Of the finds from cist-graves, those from child’s grave 3 are quite interesting — notably, three hand-made vases (PI. 37 β, δ-ε) and a wheel-made amphoriskos (P1. 37 γ). The three handmade vases represent the survival of the tradition of the local pottery of prehistoric origin into the Protogeometric period. These vases, together with the Protogeometric wheel-made amphoriskos, form a closed grave entity and provide useful information on matters related to the ceramic styles of the «Dark Ages» and the carriers of these styles in this region. It is believed that a continuation of the excavation in the Protogeometric cemetery at Gabalou will lead to the discovery of a number of such closed grave entities, which will assist further investigations in the direction.The rest of the graves yielded only wheel-made pottery and a few bronze and iron objects. The vases are of the shapes already known in the local Protogeometric style of Northwestern Greece: a kantharos with angular handles running from the lip of the vessel, an amphoriskos with handles also running from the lip, another amphoriskos with handles set vertically to the shoulder of the vase, a one-handled cup, a trefoil-mouthed oinochoe, a kyathos. These are comparable to a group of pottery from Agrinio, and also to ceramic finds from graves at Plevrona and Stamna.The Mycenaean origin of the shapes and their similarities with the shapes of other local Protogeometric styles have been pointed out in an earlier study.The rectilinear motifs characteristic of Protogeometric pottery from Northwestern Greece are dominant among the decorative designs: horizontal zig-zag lines, patterns of cross-hatched triangles, linked cross-hatched lozenges. Lozenges are absent from the pottery groups of Agrinio and Plevrona, but are encountered on a Protogeometric krater from Pylene, on sherds from Aetos, on pottery from Lakonia and Messenia. Horizontal zig-zag lines occur in Messenia and Ithaka, triangles in Messenia, Lakonia and Thessaly.The bronze grave offerings included: a string of beads in bronze and glass-paste of a perfection rarely encountered so far in that age, sphekoteres (hair ornaments) with flattened terminals, finger-rings. Two fragmentary fibulae of iron are the only known examples of that particular period from the region of Western Greece.On the basis of earlier and, mainly, of more recent attempts for the dating of the phases of both the Protogeometric and Geometric styles in Western Greece, the finds from the cemetery at Gabalou are datable from the middle (for the earlier graves) to the end (for the later ones) of the 10th century B.C.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Excavations (Archaeology)
• Decorative arts

Περιέχει 16 σχέδια και συντομογραφίες. Πίνακες 31-40 βλέπε τέλος τεύχους, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες, Η αρθρογράφος ευχαριστεί θερμά τον Έφορο Αρχαιοτήτων I. Α. Παπαποστόλου για την παραχώρηση του δικαιώματος δημοσίευσης του υλικού καθώς και τον καθηγητή Φ. Πέτσα για την παραχώρηση άδειας δημοσίευσης φωτογραφίας του αριθ. ευρ. 1197 αδημοσίευτου αγγείου του Μουσείου Πατρών. Επίσης ευχαριστεί τη συνάδελφο Κορνηλία Αξιώτη για την παραχώρηση του υλικού της πέμπτης ταφής σε πίθο και τη σχεδιάστρια της ΣΤ' Εφορείας Μαρία Φιλιπποπούλου για την εκτέλεση όλων των σχεδίων που παρουσιάζονται. Οι αριθ. ευρετηρίου όλων των αντικειμένων αναφέρονται στον κατάλογο του Μουσείου Αγρίνιου.Στο κείμενο χρησιμοποιείται για τη Βορειοδυτική μεταβατική κεραμική η συντομογραφία ΒΔ μτβτ