66-74

An early helladic settlement at Ayia Triada in Boiotia

Αρχαιολογικά χρονικά

• Suto, Yoshiyuki

The remote village of Ayia Triada lies on a small rocky spur at the innermost corner of the SW bay of Copais plain, c. 6 km SW of the ancient site of Koroneia. In December 1989 some Early Helladic sherds were collected on the north slope of the village. Among them there is a fragment of the pottery called Depas Amphikypellon, whose Anatolian origin has long been established. This piece is of great interest since it has pattern- painted ornament with matt white lines on dark-slipped surface, i.e. Ayia Marina style of EH III Boiotia. So this is the first example of Depas Amphikypellon with such feature which clearly indicates thelocal production of this characteristic pottery on the Greek mainland. The presence of the local imitation of Depas Amphikypellon in Boiotia is also a strong testimony not only to the importation of material culture from Asia Minor but also to the introduction of the ideology which is inherently connected with the use of this distinct pottery.In the Aegean, Depas Amphikypellon has been considered to be one of the most diagnostic pottery forms of the Ka- stri group whose chronological position in Cycladic culture sequence is still on dispute. The present piece from Ayia Triada may pose further problem about the nature of this important culture group, since, as has been argued elsewhere, one-handled cups of Kastri group type have not yet been found from any distinct EH III contexts in Boiotia but almost exclusively from EH II strata (cf. the stratigraphy observed at one site in Thebes, AAA VIII (1975), σ. 194-195).The site must have been a small settlementsince Depas Amphikypellon never occur in cemetery sites in the Aegean. Finally, it should be noted that the highly strategic position of this site, on the route from Copais plain to the Corinthian gulf through Mt. Helicon, is a common feature of the sites which yield Kastri group related materials.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Archaeological site location

κεραμική

Περιέχει εικόνες και σχέδια