Mani Peninsula Research Articles

Classical to Late Roman Sites at Diros Bay in the Mani Peninsula, Greece

Classical to Late Roman Sites at Diros Bay in the Mani Peninsula, Greece

Exploring aspects of Neanderthal mobility in the Mani Peninsula: Evidence from Lithic Raw Material procurement and management at Kalamakia Cave, Greece

The Kalamakia cave located on the western Mani Peninsula, southern Greece is a Middle Palaeolithic site dated between ∼100,000 and >39,000 years BP. The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the Neanderthal groups’ mobility by addressing the lithic raw material procurement and management, with reference to the Kalamakia cave assemblage. The methodology included field survey and laboratory analyses, encompassing macroscopic, petrographic, and geochemical ones, for the location and identification of the sources of used lithic raw materials. Local, semi-local and allochthonous lithic raw materials were used by the Neanderthals at the Kalamakia cave to manufacture tools. The presence of various lithic raw materials used at the cave suggests diverse mobility strategies. The semi-local black/grey chert, followed by the allochthonous andesite was mostly used. Andesite transported across an east–west axis presents a long-term stability, both in terms of percentages and the different artefact types transported in both Unit III and IV of the cave. The significant quantities of andesite in the cave’s assemblage suggest non-random mobility, possibly linked to the exploitation of different ecological environments available in the region. The north-western part of the peninsula saw additional exploitation by groups moving along the coastal north–south corridor. However, cherts transported along this axis occurred occasionally, and their quantities were notably smaller in comparison to andesite. The strategic location of the cave close to the intersection of two natural movement routes, may have played a key role in the circulation of Palaeolithic inhabitants, facilitating movements along east–west and north–south axes.

Revisiting the “Goods of Kisterna” in Mani, Southern Peloponnese. A Complicated Yet Captivating Storyline

This article reconsiders the textual and archaeological evidence on the delimitation and, most importantly, on the naming and the praised “goods” around or in “Kisterna”, a still disputable area situated in the NW (Messinia province) or southern (Laconia province) Mani peninsula. These are a Venetian document, as well as the French and Greek versions of “Chronicle of Morea”, the historical works of George Pachymeres, Nikephorus Gregoras, Makarios Melissenos and archaeological heritage, that is, the castle of Leuktro in Stoupa, Oriokastro in Ano Poula, Tainaro cape in Kinsternes bay. According to the interpretation introduced, the regional landscape and topography, the naming could potentially be associated with cisterns and basins where fish by-products preservation and processing was taken place. These workshops were known from the Roman period as cetariae and probably as “lakkoi” in the Byzantine era. The article by its structure includes the parts “Introduction – Aims”, “Deconstructing a) the term and the reason of the “theme” and “Deconstructing b) the naming”, “Revisiting a) the primary sources” and “Revisiting b) the archaeological evidence” as well as “Conclusions”.

Preservation of Cultural Landscape as a Tool for the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas: The Case of Mani Peninsula in Greece

A cultural landscape is a complex and integrating concept with both material–physical and immaterial substance. Nevertheless, even today, the strategies for the protection and promotion of cultural landscapes are concentrated only at their material cultural elements, separated from their immaterial existence, or even from the natural environment in which they are placed. This study investigates the correlation of the tangible historical and natural heritage of a cultural landscape with its intangible content, as a spatial planning tool for its sustainable development. The proposed methodology was applied in the region of the Mani Peninsula, located in the southern Peloponnese, in Greece. During the documentation stage, literature research and fieldwork provided descriptive information, which was classified through standardization processes. GIS management and analysis procedures were used among the different layers of data of the current preservation state and the existing development frameworks for the study area. New thematic cultural routes are proposed to connect tangible cultural heritage and environmental values of the region under study, with the landscape’s geomorphological characteristics and intangible content. Protected areas are also proposed for the protection of monuments and sites of historical or natural importance. The results of this study demonstrate that, through integrated strategic planning for the development of cultural activities and networks, which incorporates the principles of spatial and urban planning, not only is the protection of the natural and cultural wealth of the region achieved, but also a balanced economic development and social cohesion, which ultimately leads to sustainable development.

Designing Innovative Crops According to the Needs of Climate Change and Green Deal

Climate change and environmental degradation pose an actual threat to Europe and the rest of the world. Innovative or retrovative crops could be components of alternative redesigned agro-ecosystems, meeting the EU Green Deal targets for reduced use of chemical inputs by 2030. The present study aimed to evaluate: a) the adaptation of production to the stormy effects of climate change, b) the detection of the receptivity of the producers to the application of the design of innovative and retro-innovative crops in the field, and c) the in-depth detection of inhibiting factors (natural resources, economic, social and anthropogenic factors) for producers. A quantitative research was performed using structured interviews (face to face - a set of questions) and open-ended questions. The selected sample was composed of 41 farmers and the study area was the Mani Peninsula, Southern Greece. The statistical processing of the answers showed a significant correlation of change receptivity with age, educational level and the main profession. Younger people, those with higher education and non-mainstream farmers are more receptive to change and switch to innovative crops. The environment, climatic and economic, requires adaptation and change in order to maintain sustainability. Producers are receptive to reforms and shifts to innovative and retro-innovative crops. However, there is a lack of coherent policies in the direction of building infrastructure, solving structural problems, training and transferring know-how, and finally, providing incentives and opportunities by creating and utilizing the appropriate tools.

Carnivores from the late Pleistocene locality Melitzia Cave (Mani peninsula, Greece)

ABSTRACT Mani peninsula is considered an important region for the Palaeolithic research of Greece. A considerable number of sites have been excavated to date, containing deposits with cultural remains from the Middle Palaeolithic, the Upper Palaeolithic, and the Neolithic period. Melitzia Cave is a cave locality filled with Upper Pleistocene deposits, yielding in the upper stratigraphic units fossil remains of numerous large mammals and small vertebrates along with cultural remains, indicating that the cave was inhabited by both humans and carnivores. The layers date to the Upper Pleistocene, and more specifically between 46,448–44,553 BP and 11,150–10,680 BP. The present study focuses on the recovered carnivore assemblage of Melitzia Cave, which has revealed the presence of Crocuta spelaea, Vulpes vulpes, Felis silvestris, Meles meles, Mustela nivalis, Martes sp., ?Ursus sp., and Carnivora indet., described in detail herein. This species composition is typical for the late Pleistocene of Southeastern Europe.

Taphonomical and palaeoenvironmental analyses of the microvertebrate fossil material from the Late Pleistocene cave of Kalamakia (Mani peninsula), Greece

ABSTRACT The present study focuses on the microvertebrate fossil material retrieved from the three fossiliferous units of Kalamakia cave dating from ca. 90–25 kya BP, to identify the accumulation agents of the assemblage and the processes that affected it post-depositionally. This was done through the quantification of specific indices described in the literature concerning breakage, digestion and other types of modifications observed upon the surface of the specimens. Furthermore, the Taxonomic Habitat Index was calculated to reconstruct the possible habitat types in the surrounding area. Regarding the results on taphonomy, significant amounts of post-depositional breakage were observed, possibly resulting from trampling and, secondarily, modifications from the occasionally naturally occurring high humidity within a cave. The main accumulators of the microvertebrate assemblage seem to have been barn owls either independently or jointly with long-eared owls and/or owlets. Concerning the habitats possibly present in the area, the existence of mixed habitats varying between relative expansions of shrublands, grasslands, rocky areas and (limited) deciduous forests was identified, while the occasional presence of water bodies was also revealed. Shifts between the percentages of different habitats were not great but could be correlated with climatic events within a geochronological context.

Ecomorphological divergence and lack of gene flow in two sympatric Balkan slow worms (Squamata: Anguidae)

Abstract The slow-worm lizards of the genus Anguis show significant morphological, behavioural and ecological uniformity owing to their limbless, elongated bodies and semifossorial lifestyle. This makes the delimitation of species challenging. Five monophyletic, deeply divergent and mostly parapatric mitochondrial lineages are currently recognized, although hybridization occurs along contact zones. In the southern edge of the range of the genus, two endemic Balkan Anguis (Anguis graeca and Anguis cephallonica) share a broad area of co-distribution and intermediate morphological characteristics. Expecting to retrieve hybrids within the overlap in their distributions, we used genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms but did not recover any evidence of interspecific gene flow. Within each species, genomic data revealed shallow population structuring influenced by spatial isolation, with the exception of the southernmost population of A. cephallonica from the Mani Peninsula. Species distribution modelling showed a lack of strong niche overlap and specific environmental preferences; both species showed a precipitation dependence, but A. cephallonica was better acclimatized to high temperatures. Finally, geometric morphometrics of the head shape suggested morphological divergence, mostly seen in the elongation of the head of A. cephallonica. All the evidence supports a long and complete reproductive isolation between the two southern slow worms and raises questions about how ecomorphological divergence might have acted to promote their speciation.

Provenance Investigation of Three Marble Relief Sculptures from Ancient Corinth: New Evidence for the Circulation of the White Marble from Mani

Three unique marble relief sculptures of the Roman period from Ancient Corinth were studied using a variety of non‐invasive and minimal invasive techniques. The sculptures are of similar size, relief technique, and distinguished material compared to all other sculptures in Corinth. Thus, apart from the interest in identifying the origin of this distinct marble the question of whether they could belong to the same original monument is raised. To tackle this question, we used: (a) optical examination of the whole objects in‐situ under transmitted light from a standard lumen source and using portable digital microscopes, (b) stable isotopes δ13C and δ18O (IRMS), (c) electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) and (d) selective thin‐section examination. The results indicated that all three reliefs are made of the same marble. Moreover, their identical isotopic signature signifies that they could even belong to the same block of marble that was used for building the monument. As for the provenance of the marble, detailed treatment of the results concluded that the most likely origin must be the white marble quarries of the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese. This find provides new evidence for the circulation of white Mani marble in Roman times.

Dolichopoda cave crickets from Peloponnese (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae): molecular and morphological investigations reveal four new species for Greece

Three species belonging to the genus Dolichopoda (Orthoptera; Rhaphidopohoridae) are known so far from the Peloponnese, all endemic to the area. In particular, D. matsakisi is known from two mountains in the North, while D. dalensi is present in the east region. The third species, D. unicolor, is distributed in the southern part of the Peloponnese, inhabiting caves on Mt Taygetos and Mani Peninsula. Recently, extensive sampling work in most of the Peloponnese has led to the discovery of new taxa, morphologically differentiated by the above three known species. To investigate the delimitation of the Peloponnesian species of Dolichopoda, we performed both morphological and molecular analyses. Morphological analysis was carried out by considering diagnostic characters generally used to distinguish different taxa, as the shape of epiphallus in males and the subgenital plate in females. Molecular analysis was performed by sequencing three mitochondrial genes, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and COI, and one nuclear gene, 28S rRNA. Results from both morphological and molecular analyses were used to revise the taxonomic arrangement of the Peloponnesian species. On the whole, we were able to distinguish seven lineages of Peloponnesian Dolichopoda species, of which D. kofinasi n.sp., D.epidavrii n.sp., D. poseidonica n.sp., and D. propanti n.sp. are described as new species. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:857875CB-22B9-4CFC-9B7F-3FDDFC47A4E6

Amended Description and Notes on Campanula kamariana (C. sect. Quinqueloculares, Campanulaceae), an Endangered Endemic of Southern Peloponnesus, Greece

During our floristic studies in southern Peloponnesus (Greece), specimens of a chasmophytic Campanula with an uncommon pinnatifid foliage were observed on the walls of the Kelefa fortress on the Mani Peninsula. After detailed morphological comparisons with comprehensive material of C. sect. Quinqueloculares from southern Greece, we identified the species as C. kamariana, a recently described endemic of Peloponnesus. Our morphological analysis of specimens collected from the Kelefa fortress revealed some deviations from the original description of the taxon. Therefore, here we provide an amended description of C. kamariana based on newly collected specimens and information on two additional localities where this local endemic occurs.

The Palaeolithic cave of Kalamakia (Mani Peninsula), Greece: new insights on the palaeoenvironment using microvertebrates and mesowear analysis of ruminant teeth

In the present study, results from the examination of mammalian teeth from the cave of Kalamakia with modern techniques, as well as a qualitative overview of the microvertebrate and lithic material, are presented together with a revision of previous related work done for the site, in order to assess the palaeoenvironmental conditions in the area and the role they played in the Neanderthal's repeated occupation of the cave. Geometric morphometrics analyses performed on the first lower molars of Microtus spp. individuals revealed persistent populations of the subgenus Terricola, in which the presence of Microtus thomasi and Microtus subterraneus are continuous through the stratigraphic units. Mesowear analyses performed on ruminant teeth showed no significant variation in toothwear through time, except for relatively elevated levels of dietary abrasion for the more recent samples. The study of the lithics revealed that Neanderthals visited the cave in alternating short and more permanent episodes of occupation, with the human occupants exhibiting special concern for raw material economy, while exploiting poor raw materials for the construction of their tools. The overview of the microvertebrate remains showed a growing trend towards the upper stratigraphic units, where taxa typical of temperate climate, open woodland and shrubland become more dominant. These results, along with observations derived from previous studies, suggest that temperate climate and open environment were the factors that mainly contributed to making the cave of Kalamakia attractive as a habitation site to the humans of the area.

Intensive architectural survey of Byzantine rural settlements: a case study from the Mani

From data compiled through archaeological and architectural surveys, to excavated material and standing remains, the physical remains of the Peloponnese have been critical for the study of the Byzantine rural landscape. Important regional surveys such as the Nemea Valley Archaeological Project, the Pylos Regional Archaeological Project, and the Morea Project, to name just a few, have greatly increased our understanding and identification of Byzantine settlements and their use of the medieval landscape. However, there are few studies of complete medieval villages in the Peloponnese. This paper presents the architectural remains of a Byzantine village in the Mani peninsula, where the standing remains of settlements provide ample information about village planning, house forms, quarrying, agricultural practices, and even social relationships.

Apidima 1 and Apidima 2: Two anteneandertal skulls in the Peloponnese, Greece

Work in Apidima A Cave began in 1976 after the discovery of a portion of a human skull by Andreas Andreikos in a cave breccia, identified in 1978 by Théodoros Pitsios, and named Apidima 1. The cave is located below the plateau of Aeropolis, in the Mani Peninsula (Maina or Maïna), in the Peloponnese, in the south of Greece. The first work in the cave brought to light a second skull, Apidima 2. These two skulls were lying vertically against the cave wall, on the same sedimentary layer, 15cm away from each other, side by side and facing in opposite directions. The Apidima 1 occipital seems to belong to a male individual whereas the Apidima 2 face appears to be female. They were carefully extracted from the breccia at the initiative of Théodoros Pitsios and were painstakingly disengaged in the laboratory between 1979 and 2012. The Apidima 1 skull is a portion of the back of the skull and the better preserved Apidima 2 consists of the face and the frontoparietal zones. These remains are in a similar state of fossilisation and were dated by the U/Th method between 220 and 130 ka, with an average age of about 170 ka. The anatomical study shows that they can be attributed to the same group of evolved European Homo erectus hominins, with some early Neanderthal traits, similar to the skulls of la Sima de los Huesos, Swanscombe, Biache St Vaast and Lazaret, and that they can be differentiated from classic Neanderthals. The frontoparietal curve and low biparietal breadth of the crania can be compared to early forms, such as Arago 21-47, Ceprano, Petralona, but several traits announce a Neanderthal morphology, such as, for example, a suprainiac fossa observable on Apidima 1. The deposition of these two skulls in Apidima Cave A, laid out side by side, with no other human remains, lithic artefacts or faunal remains, evokes a death-related anthropogenic ritual. Beside these skulls, three pebbles gathered on the beach below the cave can be considered as an intentional deposit related to the symbolic preoccupations of these Anteneandertals. During the major regression of isotopic stage 6, the beach was at a much lower level than the present-day beach.

Seascapes and fresh water management in rural Greece: the case of the Mani peninsula, 1261–1821 CE

The Mani peninsula is a semi-arid landscape with few natural sources of fresh water, yet it supported a dense population during the Late Byzantine and Ottoman periods. This paper reviews the archaeological and historical evidence for water management practices in Mani, concentrating on its domestic-scale hydraulic infrastructure (cisterns and saltpans) and the ports and harbours along its coasts. The data point to a critical shift in household-level social organization at the turn of the 18th century, underscoring the fact that people living in supposedly ‘peripheral’ regions like Mani nevertheless engaged in far-reaching networks of contact and exchange.

Reconstructing historical journeys with least-cost analysis: Colonel William Leake in the Mani Peninsula, Greece

Due to the proliferation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and the improvement of graphic user interfaces, least-cost analysis has become one of the most common tools in archaeological research for modelling movement across past landscapes. While more complex techniques and algorithms have been developed to address the theoretical limitations of least-cost analysis, many of these are not readily accessible to typical GIS users, due to either hardware limitations or a lack of in-depth training in the theory and methods of spatial analysis. Seeking a middle ground, we test a number of simple modifications to basic least-cost analysis using the Mani peninsula in southern Greece as a case study. We assess eight procedures for calculating least-cost paths (LCPs), defining cost based on a combination of slope and the location of pre-modern pathways. These procedures are used to generate LCPs for a well-documented journey made by Colonel William Martin Leake in the year 1805. Comparing the LCPs against Leake's detailed notes and “low-cost corridors,” we visually assess the reliability of each model and identify likely alternative routes. We conclude that a simple modification to basic least-cost analysis – incorporating a time-based algorithm along with traces of pre-modern footpaths and roads – can produce robust, reliable least-cost models in other archaeological contexts where traces of pre-modern pathways can still be detected.

An Exploratory Spatial Analysis of the Churches in the Southern Mani Peninsula, Greece

AbstractThe Mani Peninsula is home to hundreds of Orthodox Christian churches that were built within the last millennium. As in other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean countryside, the topological relationship between churches and settlements is a critical factor in understanding the significance of the sacred landscape. Many churches are situated in the central part of a village or on its very edge, but others – what are referred to as “outlying churches” orexokklisia– are built at great distances away. In this paper, we make the first attempt to assess the spatial relationship between the spaces where people worshipped (the churches) and the spaces where they lived (the settlements) at a regional scale, focused specifically on the Middle Byzantine period and later (mid-9th century CE to the present day). Comparing these patterns across the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Modern periods allows us to frame Mani’s sacred infrastructure within a changing, diachronic perspective. The results point to a change in the topological relationship between church and settlement that is best described as the “nucleation of the sacred landscape.”

Pleistocene faunas of "Glyfada" cave, Diros, Laconia

The cave of "Glyfada" is located in Mani peninsula, in the perfecture of Laconia, about 2 km. north to the Municipality of Diros. It was discovered in 1923 by the local agents of the town, but it has been systematically studied since 1949 up to now; a corridor-with the secondary developments-of 10.606 m. length has been surveyed and mapped, while it was found that there is a part of 1833 m. being submarine. The cave has been developed in semi-crystallized Upper Cretacean and Eocean limestones of Mani Unit; it develops a labyrinth like morphology. The first paleontological findings are reported in 1957-58,by Petrochilos, the first geologist who discovered the cave. Since 1994, there has been ongoing a systematic study of the environment of the cave, while, in thirteen different sites in the cave, a large amount of bones was located, attributed to prehistoric mammals and specifically to Hippopotammus amphibius LINNE, although the new evidence provides data for a new species. It was also located the species Martes foina ERXLEBEN, Dama dama LINNE, a fragment of the upper jaw RUMINANDIA, bones of birds, the carnivore Panthera sp., Panthera leo LINNE, Crocuta crocuta ERXLEBEN and, lastly, Monachus monachus. The taxonomic identification was conducted in the Paleontological Laboratory of the University of Athens and the Institute of Paleontology in Vienna. The dating was undertaken in the Centre of Isotopie Research in the University of Groningen in Holland.

Site Use and Maintenance in the Middle Palaeolithic at Lakonis I (Peloponnese, Greece)

Lakonis I (ca. 100,000-40,000 BP) is a collapsed Middle Palaeolithic cave on the coast of the Mani Peninsula of southern Greece. The site contains three distinctive components: a hearth context, upper bone breccia, and lower bone breccia. The bone breccias contain concreted deposits and large numbers of lithic and faunal materials, though the upper bone breccia preserves more evidence of dumping from hearth features. The hearth context is comprised of hearth lenses interspersed with mixed ashy sediments, which we interpret as the remnants of raked out and trampled combustion features. Bones and lithics in the hearth context have higher rates of burning, and the lithics are smaller and more broken. The large numbers of burned bones are probably not the result of accidental burning or the use of bone as a fuel source, rather they seem to relate to site maintenance. The incorporation of multiple lines of evidence points to two different site maintenance strategies at Lakonis: (1) the intentional burning of food refuse and (2) the cleaning of hearths, and dumping remnant deposits elsewhere at the site. We therefore consider Lakonis I to be amongst the growing list of sites that contain evidence for Neandertal behavioral complexity.

Late Pleistocene Neanderthal occupation of Western Mani: The evidence from the Middle Palaeolithic assemblages of Mavri Spilia

This paper presents the results of the analysis of the lithics from the Palaeolithic layers of Mavri Spilia, excavated during the field season of 2013. For the most part, these lithic assemblages were associated with hearth formations, both at the back and at the entrance of the cave. A wide range of raw materials both local and non-local was used, most likely in the form of pebbles. Evidence points to the application of both Levallois and non-Levallois reduction sequences, with no indication that different techniques were applied on different materials. The most common retouched tool type is the scraper, with most of these being ordinary side scrapers and only a few indicating more invasive, Quina-like retouch. Using all available information, an attempt to understand the site in the context of the Late Pleistocene Neanderthal occupation of the Mani Peninsula is made and some tentative conclusions are drawn.