Island Of Thasos Research Articles

Комплексный анализ тканей амфор и клейм Фасоса по данным фазового и элементного состава

The paper presents the results of studying of the Thasian amphorae fabrics of the second quarter of the 5th — end of the 4th century BC, whose belonging to the island’s products was established on the basis of morphological features of vessels and, in some cases, due to the presence of stamps. A complex approach was used to study amphorae fragments, including the methods of integral (X-ray phase analysis, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and local (electron microscopy) characterization of the structure and composition. The proven set of methods made it possible to obtain reliable data on the mineral (phase), basic and trace chemical composition of the samples, as well as to study the composition of the fabric base of the samples ceramic body, excluding the influence of mineral impurities and leaners. The analysis of the experimental results allowed to group the objects into separate groups in accordance with the features of the mineralogical and elemental composition. Based on the comparison of the characteristics of these groups with geological and archaeological information about the island of Thasos, the authors advance a hypothesis with a clarification of the origin of Thasos amphorae, namely, their manufacturing in workshops on the eastern and southern coasts of the island.

Toward a Plausible Methodology to Assess Rock Slope Instabilities at a Regional Scale

Slope failures along road cuts and highways, occurring due to heavy rainfalls or earthquakes, pose significant threats to people, vehicles, and emergency plans. In the present study, a methodology to assess the stability of rock slopes at a regional scale is proposed using a kinematic analysis and a probabilistic limit equilibrium analysis for plane sliding and wedge failure modes. The workflow adopted is described through its implementation along the main road network of the island of Thasos, located in northern Greece. On-site investigations and measurements along the island’s road network formed the basis of the present study. The results of the kinematic analysis showed that the joint sets, which were identified during the on-site investigations, formed critical intersections that could lead to wedge and plane sliding failures. The on-site measurements and the results of the kinematic analysis were utilized to perform limit equilibrium back-analyses at sites of identified failures due to the water pressure effects to probabilistically estimate the material strength properties of the joints. Subsequently, numerous limit equilibrium analyses were executed within a Monte Carlo simulation framework to produce representative fragility curves of rock slopes against plane sliding and wedge failures along the main road network, due to earthquake loading and water pressures.

13C, 25Mg, and 43Ca Solid-State NMR for the Purpose of Dolomitic Marbles Provenance Elucidation.

The study of the provenance of dolomitic marble artefacts has become relevant since it was discovered that quarries of this marble other than that of Cape-Vathy located on the island of Thasos have been exploited since Antiquity. To improve our knowledge about the provenance of materials and the extent of their dispersion, multiple archaeometric studies were performed in the past including isotope analyses, petrography, cathodoluminescence, and elemental analyses. In the present work, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been added to this panel of techniques. NMR allows the characterization of the material at a molecular level by looking at different nuclei: carbon, magnesium, and calcium. Statistical analysis of the data collected on both quarry samples and archaeologic items was also implemented and clearly demonstrates the efficiency of a holistic approach for provenance elucidation. Finally, the first 25Mg NMR tests have shown the potential of this technique to discriminate between dolomitic marbles of different provenance. The results are discussed in terms of their historical meaning and illustrate the exploitation of sources of dolomitic marbles other than the Greek Thasos source.

Evaluation of Optical Remote Sensing Data in Burned Areas Mapping of Thasos Island, Greece

Forest fires are a common feature in the Mediterranean forests through the years, as a wide tract of forest fortune is lost because of the incendiary fires in the forests. The enormous damages caused by forest fires enhanced the efforts of scientists towards the attenuation of the negative effects of forest fire and consequently the minimization of biodiversity losses by searching more for the adequate distribution of attempts on forest fire prevention and, suppression. The multi-temporal Principal Components Analysis is applied to a pair of images of consecutive years obtained from Landsat-8 satellite to unconventional map and assess the spatial extent of the burned areas on the island of Thasos, Greece. First, the PCA was applied on the before fire image, and then a multi-temporal image is created from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th band of before and after images including Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to enhance the results. The results from the different steps of this analysis robustly mapped the burned areas by 82.28 ha confirmed by almost 85%. Are compared with data provided by the local forest service in order to assess their accuracy. The multi-temporal PCA outputs including NDVI (PC 4, PC %, and PC 6) give better accuracy due to its ability to distinguish the burned areas of older years and to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index that gives better variance to the image.

Exploring Resident–Tourist Interaction and its Impact on Tourists’ Destination Image

Although previous research has widely acknowledged the critical role residents play in tourism, limited evidence exists on the impact their interactions with tourists have on tourists’ own image formulation and intention to return/recommend the destination to others. Grounded in the mere exposure and contact theories, this research offers insights into tourists’ destination image formation in light of their interactions with local residents and tourism employees at a destination. Two independent studies were conducted in 2019 to establish the soundness of the model; a preliminary one in the city of Kavala (n = 353) and a follow-up study on the island of Thasos (n = 397), both located in Greece. Findings suggest that interaction between the two parties positively affect cognitive, affective, and conative image, predicting 64% (study 1) and 54% (study 2) of the latter’s variance. Implications to theory and practice along with recommendations for future research are provided.

Archaeometric approach to identifying the provenance of white marbles from the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Italy)

This paper presents the results of an archaeometric study performed on white marbles from the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Italy). The stone materials, especially the white marbles, are an excellent tool for reconstructing the trade routes of the past and studying the relationships between ancient populations. The purposes of this study were to establish the provenance of the white marbles of the shipwreck of Cala Cicala (Crotone, Calabria, Southern Italy) and to use analysis of their composition to acquire more knowledge about trade routes in the Roman imperial age. The 35 samples of white marble were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRPD), optical microscopy (OM), and isotopic analysis (δ13C and δ18O). All of the archaeometric data collected indicate that the marble blocks in the cargos are from the Greek island of Thasos, in the northern Aegean Sea.

Range expansion in the land snail species Carinigera buresi (Clausiliidae): long-distance dispersal by ancient marble transport?

The clausiliid Carinigera buresi has a distribution that, considering its low vagility, is enigmatically disjunct. Carinigera buresi pharsalica occurs in Thessaly in central Greece, over 200 km outside the main range of C. buresi in NE Greece – SW Bulgaria. This range disjunction has led to the hypothesis that in antiquity the ancestors of C. buresi pharsalica were transported by the marble trade from NE Greece to Thessaly. To explore this hypothesis, we included samples from the NE Greek island of Thasos (the only area within the range of C. buresi from which marble was widely transported in antiquity) in a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of C. buresi. Maximum likelihood (GARLI) and time-calibrated Bayesian (BEAST) analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) from samples collected throughout the range of C. buresi indicate that the ancestral C. buresi pharsalica COI lineage reached Thessaly not from Thasos, but from the NE Greek mainland. This happened between 1,740 and 83,000 yr BP according to the BEAST analyses. Although this time interval does not entirely pre-date the earliest phase of marble transport in the region, we consider this mode of dispersal unlikely for two reasons: (1) our data show that C. buresi pharsalica must be older than estimated on the basis of geological calibration points; (2) our findings indicate that the dispersal event that brought C. buresi pharsalica to Thessaly did not follow ancient marble transport routes. We suggest dispersal via floating objects or aerial dispersal by birds as alternative hypotheses to dispersal by the historic marble trade. Unexpectedly, our phylogenetic analyses also showed the COI haplotype of C. buresi from the city of Kavala to be nested among COI haplotypes from northern Thasos. This suggests possible human-aided dispersal of C. buresi from Thasos to Kavala.

First record of wormlion Vermileo vermileo (Diptera: Vermileonidae) from Greece

In this work, we present the first record of the species Vermileo vermileo from Greece. The larvae and pupae of Vermileo vermileo (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera, Vermileonidae) and Myrmeleon inconspicuus Rambur, 1842 (Neuroptera, Myrmeleontidae) species were collected from pits on a dry soil surface, in well-protected from rain places, from the Greek island of Thasos during the summer of 2017, in close proximity to Potos and Skala Potamias resort areas. The individuals were further kept under laboratory conditions for definite identification. According to available literature, the dipteran species V. vermileo is new for the Greek fauna.

Harbour porpoises in the Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean: the species’ presence is confirmed

Results are presented from the first systematic visual and acoustic line-transect survey for harbour porpoises in the Thracian Sea, northern Aegean Sea. During the vessel survey, undertaken in summer 2013, porpoises were observed on nine occasions and detected acoustically 16 times, with a total of 21 distinct encounters recorded. Harbour porpoises were encountered in three discrete blocks: north of the Island of Thasos, Greece; south and west of the city of Alexandroupolis, Greece; and in Saros Bay, Turkey. Saros Bay exhibited the highest relative acoustic encounter rate of harbour porpoises, and porpoises were observed visually there on two occasions 14 days apart, in small groups, one of which included a mother-calf pair. A comprehensive review of stranding records is also presented. The three areas identified as harbour porpoise habitat in this study coincide with the highest number of recorded stranded animals. This paper is the first to report free-swimming harbour porpoises in the Aegean Sea since 1993, and the first time ever in Turkish Aegean waters. Now that the presence of harbour porpoises has been documented, international cooperation towards long term monitoring and management measures are urgently required in order to conserve this vulnerable population.

Paediatric Virology in the Hippocratic Corpus.

Hippocrates (Island of Kos, 460 B.C.-Larissa, 370 B.C.) is the founder of the most famous Medical School of the classical antiquity. In acknowledgement of his pioneering contribution to the new scientific field of Paediatric Virology, this article provides a systematic analysis of the Hippocratic Corpus, with particular focus on viral infections predominating in neonates and children. A mumps epidemic, affecting the island of Thasos in the 5th century B.C., is described in detail. ‘Herpes’, a medical term derived from the ancient Greek word ‘ἕρπειν’, meaning ‘to creep’ or ‘crawl’, is used to describe the spreading of cutaneous lesions in both childhood and adulthood. Cases of children with exanthema ‘resembling mosquito bites’ are presented in reference to varicella or smallpox infection. A variety of upper and lower respiratory tract viral infections are described with impressive accuracy, including rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, bronchiolitis and bronchitis. The ‘cough of Perinthos’ epidemic, an influenza-like outbreak in the 5th century B.C., is also recorded and several cases complicated with pneumonia or fatal outcomes are discussed. Hippocrates, moreover, describes conjunctivitis, otitis, lymphadenitis, meningoencephalitis, febrile convulsions, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, poliomyelitis and skin warts, along with proposed treatment directions. Almost 2,400 years later, Hippocrates' systematic approach and methodical innovations can inspire paediatric trainees and future Paediatric Virology subspecialists.

An Object-Based Approach for Fire History Reconstruction by Using Three Generations of Landsat Sensors

In this study, the capability of geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) in the reconstruction of the recent fire history of a typical Mediterranean area was investigated. More specifically, a semi-automated GEOBIA procedure was developed and tested on archived and newly acquired Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Operational Land Imager (OLI) images in order to accurately map burned areas in the Mediterranean island of Thasos. The developed GEOBIA ruleset was built with the use of the TM image and then applied to the other two images. This process of transferring the ruleset did not require substantial adjustments or any replacement of the initially selected features used for the classification, thus, displaying reduced complexity in processing the images. As a result, burned area maps of very high accuracy (over 94% overall) were produced. In addition to the standard error matrix, the employment of additional measures of agreement between the produced maps and the reference data revealed that “spatial misplacement” was the main source of classification error. It can be concluded that the proposed approach can be potentially used for reconstructing the recent (40-year) fire history in the Mediterranean, based on extended time series of Landsat or similar data.

New 14C evidence for the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age transition in Southeast Europe

The transition from the Late Neolithic (LN) period (locally also called Final Neolithic or Chalcolithic) to the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in Greece and the Southeast Balkans is an obscure period in human history. Previous radiocarbon evidence showed that in settlements with stratigraphical sequences stretching out on both periods, the absolute dates featured a gap ranging from 700 to 1000 years (roughly between 4000 and 3300/3000 cal. BC). On the other hand, there is only scarce evidence about settlements that would have been founded during the missing period, thus arising questions of paramount importance about the human occupational strategies in this period. Investigation tackling this particular problem is carried out within the framework of a broader research project (Balkans-4000) funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). Here we discuss the latest radiocarbon results from three recently excavated multilayer settlements on the continental Greek Eastern Macedonia: Dikili Tash, Kryoneri and Sidirokastro. In all cases, the existing LN radiocarbon dates do not go beyond about 4000 BC, whereas the earliest EBA layer dates begin at around 3300 BC. A date in the last 1/3rd of the 4th millennium BC is also the date suggested for the one-layer transitional settlement on the neighbouring island of Thasos (Aghios Ioannis). The fact that the gap affects settlements of different types and locations, although there are no signs of major environmental changes, suggests that the reasons of their possible total or partial abandonment are more likely to be social than strictly environmental.

Dolomitic marble from Thasos at the Louvre

Many Greek and Roman sculptures in the Louvre appear to be made of coarse-grained, very white dolomitic marble from the north Aegean island of Thasos, and permission was given to test twelve of them in a non-destructive way using a mobile X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. Coarse-grained, white dolomitic marble sources were rare in antiquity, and if these Thasian-looking sculptures proved to be dolomitic rather than calcitic, it is highly likely that they were in fact made of Thasian marble. Ten of the twelve sculptures did prove to be dolomitic marble and therefore very probably Thasian in origin. This new information makes it possible to expand and enrich our knowledge of the exportation of marble from Thasos in both geographic and chronological terms. The tests furthermore confirm that dolomitic marble from Thasos was preferred for colossal replicas of Athena of the Velletri type and also reveal that a group of imperial portraits in Algeria were carved from marble blocks from Thasos. One test offered confirmation that a fragment in the Louvre was part of a relief in Izmir.

Monitoring post-fire vegetation recovery in the Mediterranean using SPOT and ERS imagery

This study examined the effect of two different forest fires 19 and 23 years ago on the Mediterranean island of Thasos. An object-based classification scheme was developed to map the major land-cover types using multi-temporal Système Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT) and European Remote-Sensing (ERS) (C-band VV) images covering the time period from 1993 to 2007. The developed scheme mapped the post-fire land-cover types accurately: 0.84 Kappa coefficient and 90.5% overall accuracy. The use of the ERS backscatter coefficient contributed to decreasing the commission errors related to the mapping of forested areas and to overcoming misclassifications that occurred between forested areas and shrublands located in shadowed areas. Results indicated that the forest regeneration rate is rather slow, especially in areas where the degree of burn severity was high while the largest part of the burned area is, to date, covered by low vegetation and shrubs. Nevertheless, a gradual shift from low vegetation to shrubland was observed. A preliminary investigation on the use of the ERS backscatter coefficient and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index to monitor forest regeneration revealed that the backscatter coefficient could provide information related to changes in dense regenerating pine forests for the first 18 years after the fire event, whereas the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index was found to be sensitive to the regenerating forest understorey vegetation. However, further investigation is needed to confirm these findings.

Mapping post-fire forest regeneration and vegetation recovery using a combination of very high spatial resolution and hyperspectral satellite imagery

Careful evaluation of forest regeneration and vegetation recovery after a fire event provides vital information useful in land management. The use of remotely sensed data is considered to be especially suitable for monitoring ecosystem dynamics after fire. The aim of this work was to map post-fire forest regeneration and vegetation recovery on the Mediterranean island of Thasos by using a combination of very high spatial (VHS) resolution (QuickBird) and hyperspectral (EO-1 Hyperion) imagery and by employing object-based image analysis. More specifically, the work focused on (1) the separation and mapping of three major post-fire classes (forest regeneration, other vegetation recovery, unburned vegetation) existing within the fire perimeter, and (2) the differentiation and mapping of the two main forest regeneration classes, namely, Pinus brutia regeneration, and Pinus nigra regeneration. The data used in this study consisted of satellite images and field observations of homogeneous regenerated and revegetated areas. The methodology followed two main steps: a three-level image segmentation, and, a classification of the segmented images. The process resulted in the separation of classes related to the aforementioned objectives. The overall accuracy assessment revealed very promising results (approximately 83.7% overall accuracy, with a Kappa Index of Agreement of 0.79). The achieved accuracy was 8% higher when compared to the results reported in a previous work in which only the EO-1 Hyperion image was employed in order to map the same classes. Some classification confusions involving the classes of P. brutia regeneration and P. nigra regeneration were observed. This could be attributed to the absence of large and dense homogeneous areas of regenerated pine trees in the study area.

Mapping Postfire Vegetation Recovery Using EO-1 Hyperion Imagery

The aim of this paper is to investigate whether it is possible to accurately map postfire vegetation recovery on the Mediterranean island of Thasos by employing Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion imagery and object-based classification. Specific objectives include the following: 1) locating and mapping areas of forest regeneration and other vegetation recovery and distinguishing among them; 2) distinguishing between <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Pinus brutia</i> regeneration and <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Pinus nigra</i> regeneration within the area of forest regeneration; and 3) examining whether it is possible to distinguish between areas of forest regeneration ( <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Pinus brutia, Pinus nigra</i> ) and mature forest. The data used in this study consist of satellite images, field-spectroradiometry measurements, and field observations of the homogenous revegetated areas. The methodology comprised four consecutive steps. The first step involved preprocessing of the Hyperion image and field data. Subsequently, an object-oriented model was developed, which involved three steps, namely, image segmentation, object training, and object classification. The process resulted in the separation of five classes (¿ <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">brutia</i> mature,¿ ¿ <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">nigra</i> mature,¿ ¿ <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">brutia</i> regeneration,¿ ¿ <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">nigra</i> regeneration,¿ and ¿other vegetation¿). The accuracy assessment revealed very promising results (approximately 75.81% overall accuracy, with a Kappa Index of Agreement of 0.689). Some classification confusion involving the classes of <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Pinus brutia</i> regeneration and <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Pinus nigra</i> regeneration was recorded. This could be attributed to the absence of large homogenous areas of regenerated pine trees. The main conclusion drawn in this paper was that object-based classification can be used to accurately map postfire vegetation recovery using EO-1 Hyperion imagery.

Assessment of the visual impact of marble quarry expansion (1984–2000) on the landscape of Thasos island, NE Greece

Marble extraction is an economically important and widespread activity in Greece that exists since historical times. The extraction takes place by open-pit quarries in hill slopes. The original landform is permanently altered and the original vegetation cover is destroyed. The visual impact of the quarries extends over larger areas as noticeable scars of high colour contrast, reducing the aesthetic appeal of the landscape and deteriorating the scenic quality of areas where tourism often is a major constituent of income. The aim of this work was to assess the ecological, landscape and visual impacts of marble quarries on the island of Thasos, NE Greece by employing remote sensing, geographical analysis and landscape metrics. Change detection and object-based classification were used to monitor the landscape dynamics (1984–2000) of marble quarries. A new index was defined to estimate the ‘cumulative visibility load’ on the landscape. An expansion trend of marble quarries was identified by the creation of new and the enlargement of existing quarries in the NE part of the island on areas previously covered by semi-natural pine forest. The visual impact increased by a factor of 2.52 and although the area of quarries was less than 1% of the landscape in 2000, it affected 13.5% of the island, including areas such as the island's capital and nearby coasts.

Energy budget in organic and conventional olive groves

An energy analysis, combined with an economic one, in conventional and organic olive groves is useful in evaluating present situation and deciding best management strategies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in the energy budget between organic and conventional olive groves in three locations in the island of Thasos and to calculate CO 2-emissions based on the used fossil energy. The data were collected through personal interviews with farmers during 2000–2003. Twenty-four farmers, who owned olive groves about 1 ha each, were randomly selected to participate in this study [(4 conventional and 4 organic) × 3 locations]. The means averaged over all locations for fertilizer application energy was significantly higher in conventional than in organic olive groves, while the opposite occurs for insect trapping energy. Means averaged over the two farming systems for weed control energy were significantly higher in the northeastern part of the island, followed by the northwestern and southern part. The means averaged over all locations for labor and fertilizers energy were significantly higher in conventional than in organic olive groves, while the opposite was observed for tools energy. Means averaged over the two farming systems for labor and tools energy were significantly higher in the northwestern part of the island. Means averaged over the two farming systems for electric and pesticides energy were significantly higher in the northwestern part of the island. Total energy inputs were not affected by any of the studied parameters, while outputs were affected by the location, by the farming system and their interaction. Outputs in the northeastern part of the island and production in all parts of the island were significantly lower in organic than in conventional olive groves. Outputs and production were lower in the southern part of the island than in the other parts, since olive groves in southern Thasos are located in slopes with less productive soils. The results show a clear response of energy inputs to energy outputs that resulted from the farming system and location. Global warming potential and CO 2-emissions were not affected by the farming system and location. Organic olive groves tended to have lower CO 2-emissions caused by the different uses of fossil energy.

The role of topographic correction in mapping recently burned Mediterranean forest areas from LANDSAT TM images

Operational use of remote sensing as a tool for post‐fire, Mediterranean forest management has been limited by problems of classification accuracy arising from confusion of burned and non‐burned areas. Frequently, this occurs as a result of slope illumination and shadowing effects caused by the complex topography encountered in many forested areas. Cloud shadows can also be a problem. The aim of this work was to investigate how image classification results could be improved by removing the illumination effects of topography from satellite images. This was achieved by applying supervised classification to both uncorrected and topographically corrected LANDSAT TM data for a site on the Greek island of Thasos. The classification methodology included atmospheric and geometric correction, field‐based training, seperability/contingency analysis and maximum likelihood processing. The classification scheme was determined on the basis of consultation with the Greek Forest Service. Overlay of the resulting class maps enabled comparison of the total burned area and its spatial extent using the two different approaches to processing. The results of each approach were compared with the forest perimeter map generated by the Forest Service using traditional survey methods. Accuracy assessment and error analysis clearly indicated that the removal of the topographic effect from the satellite image before its classification resulted in more accurate mapping of the burned area. It is concluded that operational use of satellite remote sensing for forest fire management depends on accurate, robust, widely available and proven techniques. Topographic correction should now be regarded as an essential element of any classification methodology which will be used for operational, post‐fire management of forests in complex Mediterranean landscapes.

Regional characteristics of the Brnjica cultural group

A large number of newly registered and researched sites help to distinguish regional characteristics in the Brnjica cultural group development. On the basis of special features in the material culture, pottery in the first place, several regional entities were identified: (1) Kosovo with the Raska Region and Pester, (2) The Juzna and Zapadna Morava confluence zone is characterized by interweaving of the Brnjica and Paracin cultural groups and afterwards, by a mixture of Brnjica cultural group elements with the Iron Age I a - b cultural groups from the Velika Morava basin, (3) The Leskovac-Nis region is characterized by symbiosis, after the initial phase, and later on by integration of the Brnjica cultural group with the ethno-cultural complex Iron Age I b in the Morava basin, and (4) the Juzna Morava Region, upstream from Grdelica Gorge, the Pcinja and the Upper Vardar Regions, is characterized by specific Brnjica cultural group archaeological material. The sites with Brnjica type pottery finds in Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv as well as on a number of sites in Pelagonia, Lower Vardar basin, on the island of Thasos and Thessaly, show the extent of influence of the Brnjica cultural group within the period between the 13th and 12th centuries BC and portend the role of the Brnjica population in the events designated as the Aegean Migration.