Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. Life and death in ancient Hermione. Excavations in the necropolis By Angeliki Kossyva (Ephorate of Antiquities of the Argolid, Greece) Abstract The wealth of ancient Hermione is no longer visible: continuous habitation from c. 3000 BC down to the present day has obliterated most traces. Important information on the social organization and economy of Hermione can however be drawn from the tombs that have been unearthed. A large cemetery was discovered in the early 20th century just outside the city gate, stretching along the road leading to ancient Mases and in continuous use for a period of 1,500 years. It covers an area of 1.5 km east–west along the modern Hermione–Kranidi rural road, taking in the terrain to either side to a width of 160 m and extending south to Pron Hill and north to a patch of level ground some 60 m wide. In this article we focus on cemetery finds unearthed in the area south of the present-day Gymnasium-Lykeion school of Hermione, as they typically reflect the urban organization and economic development of…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. The cisterns of the Bisti promontory at Hermione. With a preliminary description of the Roman aqueduct By Patrik Klingborg (Swedish Institute at Athens, Greece) Abstract This article reports the findings of the fieldwork exploring the cisterns at the Bisti promontory of Hermione, executed as part of a collaboration between the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Argolid and the Swedish Institute at Athens. In order to better understand the function of the cisterns within the water supply system, the article begins by presenting an overview of existing water resources in the area, primarily the naturally occurring sources and the city’s 2nd-century AD Roman aqueduct. Following this the study describes the remains of the 14 potential cisterns on the Bisti. Based on the empirical material the similarities and contrasts between these are explored, as well as what they can tell us about the history and life in ancient Hermione. In particular, the article suggests that the presence of the cisterns contributes to our understanding of the urban fabric of the city, and reveals important information about when…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. The Temple of Demeter Chthonia at Hermione By Jesper Blid (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria), with an appendix by Baukje van den Berg (Central European University, Austria) Abstract This paper presents the results of an architectural survey of the foundations of a Classical temple, presumably that of Demeter Chthonia, located inside the chief sanctuary of the ancient city of Hermione. It also studies ancient architectural members built into the walls of the Taxiarches Church situated on top of the temple foundations. By analysing these material remains and connecting them to the observations of 19th-century travellers to Kastri (Hermione), the paper draws conclusions about the original size and appearance of the Temple of Demeter Chthonia. Bibliographical information Jesper Blid, with an appendix by Baukje van den Berg, ’The Temple of Demeter Chthonia at Hermione’, Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome (OpAthRom) 14, Stockholm 2021, 101-134. ISSN: 2000-0898. ISBN: 978-91-977799-3-7. Softcover, 478 pages. https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-14-07 Hermione. A Greek cityscape and its people The section on Hermione, published in OpAthRom 14, comprises six articles: Alcestis Papadimitriou | An…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. The topography of Hermione—A preliminary outline By Henrik Gerding (Lund University, Sweden) Abstract The preliminary results of a survey of ancient Hermione (epichoric Hermion) are presented in this paper. The survey was conducted during three short campaigns over the period 2015–2017, and focused on the urban layout and development of the ancient city. Because the ancient city area more or less coincides with modern Ermioni, the investigation was mainly restricted to the documentation and analysis of architectural remains that were both still visible above ground and accessible. However, the report also includes a thorough re-evaluation of previous scholarship, taking into consideration remains that are no longer visible. The author identifies three questions of particular interest, relating to the exact location, extent, and potential relocation of the ancient city, and points to the lack of a coherent interpretation. On the basis of present data, the author proposes that Hermione was indeed relocated to a new site, less than 1 km away from its original position, in the early 3rd century BC, and highlights the urban, social,…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. An ancient cityscape and its people: A study of ancient Hermione. Introductory remarks on historical sources and visible remains, archaeological research and prospects By Alcestis Papadimitriou (Ephorate of Antiquities of Argolid, Greece) Abstract This article provides a brief introduction to the area of the Hermionid and the research that has been carried out in ancient Hermione. The main textual sources are presented, as are the still-visible archaeological remains and the results of important rescue excavations. The contribution outlines the scientific framework of the project that has generated the five articles that follow, and closes with an agenda for future development for the exploration and preservation of ancient Hermione. Bibliographical information Alcestis Papadimitriou, ’An ancient cityscape and its people: A study of ancient Hermione. Introductory remarks on historical sources and visible remains, archaeological research and prospects’, Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome (OpAthRom) 14, Stockholm 2021, 65-76. ISSN: 2000-0898. ISBN: 978-91-977799-3-7. Softcover, 478 pages. https://doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-14-05 Hermione. A Greek cityscape and its people The section on Hermione, published in OpAthRom 14, comprises six articles: Alcestis Papadimitriou | An…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. Some preliminary notes on the limited 2020 campaign of the Palamas Archaeological Project (PAP) By Maria Vaïopoulou (Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa, Greece), Robin Rönnlund (Wenner-Gren fellow, University of Thessaly, Greece), Fotini Tsiouka (Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa, Greece), Derek Pitman (Bournemouth University, United Kingdom), Sotiria Dandou (Swedish Institute at Athens, Greece), Rich Potter (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) & Johan Klange (Kulturmiljö Halland, Sweden) Abstract This paper presents a short summary of archaeological operations carried out in 2020 in the area of the modern village of Vlochos on the western Thessalian plain, Greece, as part of the Palamas Archaeological Project (PAP). Initially, the project aimed to conduct a significant campaign of fieldwork during the 2020 season, but operations were severely scaled back by limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, only a small-scale campaign, aimed at method testing and exploratory investigation, could be carried out. Fieldwork included an evaluation of complimentary geophysical techniques, cleaning operations, and oral history enquiries. The work—despite its limitations—highlighted the value of using multiple geophysical techniques, as well as proving the…

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. The Kalaureia Excavation Project. A preliminary report of the work carried out in Area L between 2015 and 2018 By Anton Bonnier (Uppsala University, Sweden), Therese Emanuelsson-Paulson (Stockholm University, Sweden), Dimitra Mylona (INSTAP Study Center for East Crete, Greece) & Arto Penttinen (Swedish Institute at Athens, Greece) Abstract The report presents a summary and preliminary discussion on the work carried out by the Swedish Institute at ancient Kalaureia between 2015 and 2018 in Area L. The excavations were focused on this area with the hopes of gaining a better understanding of the settlement which was situated south of the Sanctuary of Poseidon in antiquity. The excavations show that a large building was constructed probably around the middle of the 4th century BC in the western part of Area L. The full outline and functional use of the building has not yet been fully established but the building seems to have been in use in several subsequent phases. The excavated remains further suggest that dining activities were carried out in the southern part of the building….

Opuscula 14 is published with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. Gourimadi Archaeological Project. The results from the first excavation season (2018) of a prehistoric site in the Karystia, southern Euboea By Žarko Tankosić (University of Bergen, Norway), Fanis Mavridis (Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, Greece), Paschalis Zafeiriadis (Norwegian Institute at Athens, Greece) & Aikaterini Psoma (University of Illinois at Chicago, United States of America) Abstract The Norwegian Institute at Athens received a permit from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports in 2018 to conduct a five-year excavation project at the site of Gourimadi in southern Euboea. The first field season, conducted in June 2018, lasted for four weeks during which two trenches were opened at the site and partially excavated by a Norwegian-Greek team of researchers and students. The aim of the project is to understand the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age in this part of the Aegean in the light of emerging regional maritime interaction networks and lasting settlement of the Cycladic islands. In addition, data collected from both the surface and excavation indicate that Gourimadi can contribute potentially…

All content of Opuscula 13 is available with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. Erik Wetter and the genesis of the San Giovenale excavations By Fredrik Tobin-Dodd (Swedish Institute of Classical Studies in Rome, Italy) Abstract The Swedish excavations at San Giovenale (1956–1965) had a major impact in the field of pre-Roman archaeology in Italy, primarily through the discovery of remains of both Etruscan and earlier domestic architecture. This article examines the genesis of the project, and suggests that the early history of the project has sometimes been misrepresented. While the excavations came to serve as a training-ground for young Swedish archaeologists and made very important contributions to the study of ancient domestic architecture, these were not explicit goals at the conception of the project. The article also studies the peculiar role of Admiral Erik Wetter in the San Giovenale excavations. Despite not being an archaeologist himself, Wetter was both the instigator and, in many ways, the driving force behind the project. The result was an unusual and unclear leadership situation, something that in the long run created problems for the project. Bibliographical information Fredrik Tobin-Dodd,…

All content of Opuscula 13 is available with open access. Printed edition distributed by Eddy.se AB. Also available at Amazon.com, Adlibris, and Bokus. View volume at ERIH PLUS. The Old Cemetery for Foreigners in Rome with a new Inventory of its burials By Nicholas Stanley-Price (Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners, Rome, Italy) Abstract From at least 1716 until formal closure of the Cemetery in 1822, non-Catholic foreigners dying in Rome were usually buried adjacent to the Pyramid of Gaius Cestius in Testaccio. Some 80 stone monuments in the Old Cemetery were systematically recorded in the 1980s. To these can now be added a similar number of burials known from travel accounts and archival sources. This new, combined Inventory of 157 entries provides notes on the life and death in Rome for each individual. Its information modifies current perceptions that the Old Cemetery burials reflect mainly an élite, male population of Grand Tourists and aristocrats. Women are better represented, as are a wide range of professions, crafts, and domestic roles. A reassessment of the Cemetery’s layout leads to conclusions about its original extent, the first appearance of stone memorials in the 1760s, and the deliberate planning of graves in a burial-ground usually…