Hellenistic Settlement Research Articles

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

Types of Hellenistic Military Settlements in Royal Letters

The article is devoted to the analysis of information on Hellenistic military settlements, which can be found in the extant letters of Seleucid and Attalid kings. We mean the letter of Antiochus III preserved by Flavius Josephus in his Judean Antiquities, and three letters extant as inscriptions on stone: ‘Ikadion’s inscription’ from the island of Failaka in the Arabian Gulf (Kuwait, middle of the 3rd – early 2nd centuries BC), Antiochus V’s letter from Jamnia-on-the-Sea (Palestine, 163 BC) and Eumenes II’s letter from Kardakon Kome (Lycia, 181 BC). The material of the letters allows to conclude, that there were at least two different types of aforementioned settlements: 1) military settlements in proper sense, inhabited by warriors, whose duty was permanent military service, and members of their families; 2) specific settlements where people generally lived peaceful lives being engaged mostly in agriculture, cults of local sanctuaries etc., but also in some military activities like defense of fortresses. Both types could be protected by the kings in the form of partial or full tax exemption, land grants etc., although the second type got less royal attention of that kind than the first one. The existence of the second type can be explained by the fact that the oldest type of army, quite actual in the ancient world, was militia of a community. Thence the second type of settlements can be nothing else than communities, whose militias were used by the Hellenistic kings in their military activities alongside the professional army.

Terracottas from the Maslyny Settlement on the Chora of Tauric Chersonesos

In the article the finds of terracotta figurines from the excavations of the Hellenistic settlement of Maslyny in North-western Taurica (excavations by V. O. Latysheva) are analyzed. The terracotta collection contains striking specimens of ancient coroplastic. The figurines illustrate the religious life of the population, including the worship of cults of a family nature. All terracottas were found on the territory of the living and utility homesteads of the settlement. Most of the figurines are located in a room at the south tower, which, according to the interior and related material, had several functions. Other statuettes were also found in the non-ordinary rooms and this text also indicates their cultic purpose. Sanctuaries in rooms at the tower were known before at Chersonesos chora. Such practice of private sanctuaries corresponds to the choice of the most prominent and extraordinary places for arranging public sanctuaries of polis. Terracottas of Eros Thanatos, doves, and female figurines are connected with the cult of Aphrodite. One of three Erotes is decorated with red ribbons crossed on his chest. Such adornment is peculiar for Aphrodite images and not known on terracottas of this type. Protomes hanged on the wall and doves hanged to the ceiling, as well as female bust serving for a thymiaterion illustrate the variety of religious practices conducted by the habitants. A tympanon held by Nike reminds of mystery cults. The remains of ivy wreath on a Tanagra type figurine and a tympanum in the hands of Nika remind of Dionysus cult. The figurines are dated, according to the general chronology of the site, not earlier than the third quarter of 4th—3rd c. BC. Some statuettes were made in Tauric Chersonesos, where similar cults are traced during the Hellenistic period. Terracottas from Maslyny settlement find the closest analogies at the sites of the North-western Black Sea region, including Olbia and Callatis. This fact allows tracing the relation between Tauric Chersonesos and that region

Antioch at the Chrysorrhoas-Gerasa, but which river?

In the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucids founded several Hellenistic cities in the Southern Levant. Some of them were named Antioch or Seleucia, and to distinguish them from each other they received specifications. Thus the Hellenistic settlement at Hippos became ‘Antioch at Hippos’ and the re-foundation of Gerasa was called ‘Antioch at the Chrysorrhoas, the former Gerasa’. In the case of Gerasa, the toponym relates to the river Chrysorrhoas, the ‘Gold River’, and the name is known from inscrip...

Hellenistic Rural Settlement and the City of Thurii. The survey evidence (Sibaritide, southern Italy)

This paper examines the nature and chronology of Hellenistic rural settlement in the foothills of the Sibaritide in northern Calabria (southern Italy) on the basis of selected archaeological sites of this period recorded in field surveys by the Groningen Institute of Archaeology (GIA) between 1995 and 2008. The collected material of this subset is suitable for answering questions about the chronology and nature of Hellenistic rural settlement in the foothills, and about how the identified pattern relates to the founding and development of the Hellenistic city of Thurii in the plain of Sybaris in the mid 5th c. BC. After an overview of previous field research, the authors discuss the archaeological evidence in detail and evaluate it in the context of current knowledge regarding Hellenistic settlement patterns in the Sibaritide, and in southern Italian landscapes more generally. The paper concludes by placing the data in the socio-economic and geopolitical context in which the Greek city state of Thurii functioned.

Book Review of Mochlos III: The Late Hellenistic Settlement. The Beam-Press Complex, by Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, edited by Jeffrey S. Soles and Costis Davaras

Book Review of Mochlos III: The Late Hellenistic Settlement. The Beam-Press Complex, by Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, edited by Jeffrey S. Soles and Costis Davaras

Late Persian-Early Hellenistic Remains at Tel ͑Eton

The paper deals with the finds from the Late Persian-Early Hellenistic period settlement unearthed at Tel ͑Eton. The settlement, which existed during the 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE, was comprised of a fort at the top of the mound and a large village that surrounded it. The article presents the architectural, ceramic and additional finds and discusses the possible circumstances involved in the establishment of the site in the 4th century BCE, after a settlement hiatus of some 300-350 years. It also examines the possible causes for its abandonment during the course of the 3rd century BCE.

Settlement and History in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Galilee: An Archaeological Survey of the Eastern GalileeLeibnerUzi Settlement and History in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Galilee: An Archaeological Survey of the Eastern Galilee Mohr SiebeckTübingen, 2009, xii, 471, €119.00ISBN 978-3-16-149871-8

Settlement and History in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Galilee: An Archaeological Survey of the Eastern GalileeLeibnerUzi <i>Settlement and History in Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Galilee: An Archaeological Survey of the Eastern Galilee</i> Mohr SiebeckTübingen, 2009, xii, 471, €119.00ISBN 978-3-16-149871-8

The Hellenistic settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa

PREFACE THE SCHOLARSHIP AND THE SOURCES A GEOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW I. NORTHERN SYRIA II. CHALCIDICE III. CYRRHESTICE AND COMMAGENE IV. PHOENICIA V. SOUTHERN SYRIA VI. THE RED SEA BASIN AND INDIAN OCEAN VII. EGYPT VIII. ALEXANDREIA NEAR EGYPT IX. CYRENAICA APPENDICES ABBREVIATIONS SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF ANCIENT PLACE NAMES MAPS

A study of ancient pottery by means of X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, multivariate statistics and mineralogical analysis

Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy was used to determine the composition of 64 potsherds from the Hellenistic settlement of Orraon, in northwestern Greece. Data classification by principal components analysis revealed four distinct groups of pottery, pointing to different local production practices rather than different provenance. The interpretation of statistical grouping was corroborated by a complementary X-ray diffraction analysis. Compositional and mineralogical data, combined with archaeological and materials’ science criteria, allowed addressing various aspects of pottery making, such as selection of raw clays, tempers and firing conditions.

Integrated geophysical studies at ancient Itanos (Greece)

The results of an integrated geophysical survey at the archaeological site of Itanos (Crete) are presented and discussed. At Hellenistic Itanos, which is located near the seashore, the buried ruins are partially under the saline water table. The purpose of this geophysical survey was to map buried relics of buildings, streets and walls of ancient Itanos. In particular, the usefulness of combining conventional geophysical mapping techniques and high resolution imaging methods in delineating shallow targets of archaeological interest at such complex archaeological sites is studied. Magnetic gradient, soil resistance and electromagnetic measurements were taken in grids covering an area of approximately 16,000 m 2. Processing of geophysical maps included filtering with the gradient and first derivative operators in the space domain and the upward continuation and Butterworth filters in the wavenumber domain. Emphasis is given to the mathematical description of the processing steps. The integration of the geophysical measurements revealed the existence of a well and three parallel walls verified by excavation. Ground probing radar and electrical tomography sections crossing the parallel walls showed the vertical extent of these features. Ground penetrating radar time slices and 3D electrical tomography depth slices were used for the verification of specific anthropogenic anomalies, which were detected on the geophysical maps. A shallow seismic survey was carried out, in an effort to locate and map the ancient port. The combination of a wide spectrum of geophysical prospecting techniques was successful in delineating the buried relics, enhancing the information context regarding the Hellenistic settlement of Itanos, together with its port and necropolis. The geophysical survey at Itanos demonstrates that the integrated approach is appropriate for archaeological investigations at complex sites like Itanos.

Ancient inscriptions and monuments from the territory of Oinoanda

AbstractThe results of a survey in the territory of Oinoanda led by Stephen Mitchell in 1994 are presented. A number of lost Hellenistic and Roman settlements could be identified through ancient cemeteries and cult furniture such as images, symbols and footings for stelai. A clear association between tombs and cults permitted the term ‘cemetery cults’. Other types of settlement included traces of an ancient village near Patlangiç Yayla, a fortified hill-top site at Düǧer, and a puzzling planned complex on an island in Girdev Gölü. Architectural fragments at Çukurceylan, Kinik and Girdev told of vanished Byzantine churches, and their associated settlements of later date.

Rural settlement in Hellenistic and Roman Sicily: excavations at Campanaio (AG), 1994–8

L'INSEDIAMENTO RURALE NELLA SICILIA ROMANA ED ELLENISTICA: SCAVI A CAMPANAIO (AG), 1994–8Scavi all'insediamento rurale di Campanaio (3 ettari) hanno rivelato l'esistenza di sette principali fasi di occupazione dal c. 200 a.C. al periodo alto medievale. Un complesso di edifici ellenistici distribuiti in tre fasi successive è caratterizzato da muri a secco, pavimenti in battuto e sovrastrutture in mattoni di fango. Un contesto di scarico di rifiuti posto affianco agli edifici ha prodotto evidenza di contatti con la Cirenaica, la Grecia ed il nord Africa. Attività industriale risalente al 150 a.C. è attestata dalla presenza di una fornace da tegole e di cisterne, una delle quali provvista di un tubo di troppopieno composto di anfore puniche riutilizzate. Una più grande fornace da tegole fu aggiunta intorno al 125 a.C. Scarsa evidenza di occupazione alto imperiale è seguita da una rinnovata attività intorno al 375 d.C, la quale vide la costruzione di un emporio (con sedici anfore), un contenitore per la separazione dell'olio di oliva, una fornace da calce e altri nuovi edifici. In questa fase sono attestati la lavorazione del ferro, la possibile produzione di cuoio e la manifattura di tegole, mortaii e anfore Keay 52 (gli scarti vennero accumulati intorno al 400 d.C. nella fornace da calce andata in disuso). Una violenta distruzione intorno al 460 d.C. è possibile sia dovuta ad un attacco dei Vandali. L'esistenza di un insediamento arabo-normanno è suggerita da tre inumazioni poste sul fianco, che mostrano evidenza di malnutrizione, un tumore, mal di denti cronico, artrite e talassemia.

The Technology of Daily Life in a Hellenistic Etruscan Settlement

The Technology of Daily Life in a Hellenistic Etruscan Settlement

Deconstructing ‘The Sense of Place’? Settlement Systems, Field Survey, and the Historic Record: a Case-study from Central Greece

After a generation of intensive regional surface survey in the Mediterranean lands, it is both necessary and enlightening to evaluate the ways in which this new approach has produced results which either support, or demand modifications to, or directly challenge, previous ideas on the evolution of human settlement systems in this macro-region. Given that many regional survey projects have only recently achieved final publication, or are in the final stages of so doing, the implications of these recent discoveries are only now becoming apparent or discussed. The present paper is one attempt to draw wider conclusions from a region of Central Greece – the province of Boeotia, where the author has been conducting intensive survey since 1979. Specifically it compares the state of knowledge regarding the settlement evolution of the region based upon an earlier topographic and extensive survey tradition (Tossey 1988), with the results now available from the author and colleagues' intensive survey in two districts of the province.A radical reinterpretation of the later prehistoric settlement systems is proposed with significant modifications also to the reconstruction of Classical and Hellenistic settlement networks. Closer agreement with prior knowledge is found with the new information for Roman and Late Roman settlement, whilst the further evolution of regional communities in medieval and post-medieval times – left out of Tossey's Gazetteer – can now be set out in some detail. The latter periods, as a result of highly informative historical sources, especially village tax registers, provide a cautionary tale in the complexities of matching archaeological settlement ‘continuities’ or ‘shifts’ with population and ethnic continuity. The overall analysis for the long-term settlement history of the province leads to the suggestion that similarities in settlement patterns have more to do with geography ‘constraining and enabling’ than with continuities of particular population or ethnic groups. This could seriously undermine the currently fashionable emphasis in Landscape Archaeology on the role of ‘memory’ and a ‘sense of place’ in the interpretation of past settlement networks.

Tel Anafa I: Final Report on Ten Years of Excavation at a Hellenistic and Roman Settlement in Northern Israel. Sharon C. Herbert.Tel Anafa II, i: The Hellenistic and Roman Pottery: The Plain Wares, [and] The Fine Wares. Andrea Berlin, Kathleen Warner Slane, and Sharon C. Herbert, eds.

<i>Tel Anafa I: Final Report on Ten Years of Excavation at a Hellenistic and Roman Settlement in Northern Israel</i>. Sharon C. Herbert.<i>Tel Anafa II, i: The Hellenistic and Roman Pottery: The Plain Wares, [and] The Fine Wares</i>. Andrea Berlin, Kathleen Warner Slane, and Sharon C. Herbert, eds.

The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor

This compendium provides historical narratives, detailed references, citations, and commentaries on all the cities founded or refounded in Europe, The Islands, and Asia Minor during the Hellenistic period. Organized coherently in more than 180 entries, it is one of the most significant reference works in the field of Greek history to be completed in the past decade.

The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor. By Getzel M. Cohen.

<i>The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor</i>. By Getzel M. Cohen.

The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor

The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor

The Role of Monuments in the Geometrical Ordering of the Roman Master Plan of Gerasa

The foundation of cities and expansion of existing ones are well-known activities of kings and emperors. Although the expansion of cities along major roadways has always been common, the placement of an arch outside the walls of the Roman city of Gerasa does more than commemorate the stay of the emperor Hadrian in the winter of A. D. 128. This arch provides important clues to the order and structure of this classical city. It leads to an understanding of how the imperial city restructured the earlier Hellenistic settlement. It provides a cornerstone to a particular geometric strategy of "growing" a new urban quarter in commemoration of the emperor's visit. Further, it leads to the discovery of the cosmological significance of this particular urban design. The method of the city planners of Gerasa links the city's most important Temple of Artemis and the Arch of Hadrian visually, geometrically, and cosmologically. The geometry of the urban plan spells out the civic meaning of Artemis and Hadrian, their roles in the founding and expansion of the town, and their testimony to the place of Gerasa within the Roman world.