2013 Summer Excavation

The summer of 2013 was an exciting one for LANTIF. Four very generous companies  - EnviroBate, Zive Insurance, The Argyle Bar and Grill, and Mosaik Properties joined our list of sponsors, bringing us closer to our goal of purchasing and preserving the land at Agios Vasilios for archaeological research. 

LANTIF Board Members Jimmy and Sarah Karountzos and Labrini Pappa also had the opportunity to visit the site in early August as the team of archaeologists lead by Adamanatia Vasilogamvrou, prepared to wrap up the dig for 2013. The 2013 excavation at Agios Vasilios is complete, and this year's excavation was marked by exciting finds, international recognition, beautiful weather, and much hard work. 

The archaeological site at Agios Vasilios is in a beautiful location - perched on a steep hill overlooking the Taygetos mountains and the highest peak in the Peloponnese. As you drive up the hill to the site, the first thing you notice is the view:

Small wonder the ancient Myceneans choose this location for their settlement and palatial centre.

The site itself is nestled in an olive grove near the small church Agios Vasilios that gives the site its name. 

This year archaeologists have uncovered layers of human habitation - an early Mycenean settlement, a more substantial palatial centre, and then the large structures that represent the main period of settlement at the site. Finally, the site was inhabited by humans during the Byzantian period. Each wave of habitation has made its mark on the site, but the major event in the history of the site at Agios Vasilios is the construction of a major palatial structure including a building that is 35 by 28 metres in length, that was destroyed by fire in the late 13th, or early 14th century BC. Traces of the fire are seen throughout the site, including blackened floors and stone split by heat. 

Although throughout Laconia there are sites with linkages to the Mycenean civilisation based in Crete (Laconia being the closest mainland location to the island of Crete via Kithira and Anti Kithira) the site at Ayios Vasilios represents the first time Linear B tablets have been discovered in Laconia. Linear B is the written version of Mycenean Greek - the earliest form of the Greek language. 

 Over 44 new Linear B tablets were uncovered during this year's excavations, including a large number that were found "in situ" providing a context and a date for the tablets. The tablets were stored on an upper floor of the building complex and fell onto a lower floor when the building collapsed.

From left to right Sarah Karountzos, Adamantia Vasilogamvrou.

From left to right Lambrini Pappa, Adamatia Vasilogamvrou and Jimmy Karountzos

These images show the original Mycenean walls, coated in plaster, that have been damaged by fire, and then later on by Byzantinian building on the site.

 Archaeologists at work, under protective sun shades. Earth is excavated by the centimetre - each layer of earth is sifted to ensure that no fragments are missed in the process.

A ruler provides context for rubble that fell from an upper floor onto a lower floor during the catastrophic fire that destroyed these buildings.

This view shows part of the site's major structure - the palace or temple, and its plaster-floored courtyard.

This structure is a bit of a mystery for the site's archaeologists - a raised plaster boundary between the temple/palace courtyard and inner complex. The round structure visible in these images is the base of a wooden column, and the square structure (top of the image) is the base of a marble column.

Human occupation of the site has left its mark over the centuries. This picture shows a Byzantinian pit - likely a rubbish dump - that is cut through layers of the Mycenanean ruins.

 A closer look at some of the rubble.

Another Byzantinian pit showing the layers of occupation. The Mycenian flooring is visible at the mid-point of the pit.

Tools of the trade - brooms picks and trowels. In the upper left hand corner of this image is a screened frame used for sifting earth that has been removed, layer by layer.

The screen balanced on a wheelbarrow.

 Another Byzantianan pit.

 The olive trees surrounding the site are still being cultivated. This year's first linear B tablet was actually found on the surface of the field, tilled up by the farmer when he worked the soil this spring. LANTIF's major fundraising goal is to purchase the land on which the site is located so that the work can continue unhindered.

More work continues around an olive tree.

These are two views of the Mycenean plaster floor. In the second image the damage done by the fire that destroyed the palatial centre is noticeable in the black discolouration.

More work covered by tarps for shade and protection from the elements.

Ancient wood discovered at the site. An expert from Arizona visitied the site this summer and took samples for analysis.

 This asbestos stone was fractured by the heat of the fire that destroyed the temple complex

This image shows the complexity of working at this site. Because it is a working olive grove, archaeologists aren't able to remove trees, even when they cover walls and structures being excavated. Here archaeologists have worked around the base of an olive tree.

A clay pot in in situ.

Examining a map of the site with Adamantia Vasilogamvrou and a tiny, future archaeologist.

Some of the tarps and plastic covering that will protect the site from the winter weather.

These wooden slats and wiring will be covered in plastic to protect the delicate structures. Last year some of the plastic coverings were looted by thieves and needed to be replaced. Once the ancient walls and building materials are uncovered, they are vulnerable to wind and water.

The "cemetery" containing the bones of 7 people. A large number of graves have been uncovered at the site, including one mysterious burial site that contains the bones of two people embracing - as if placed that way for their eternal rest.

 Dental tools are used to gently remove sediment from around the bones.

Adamantia Vasiogamvrou (centre) with visiting archaeologists, Board member Sarah Karountzos (far right) and (left) site archaeologists.

The work at Ayios Vasilios is receiving more international interest. This August the excavation was presented publicly at the biennial Shanghai Archaeology Forum - one of only 11 sites worldwide to receive this recognition.

With work at the site complete for this year, the focus moves back inside - as the findings from this year's work are carefully preserved and cataloged. A full report of this year's findings will be presented later in the fall and will be available here as soon as it is made public.

More information about this year's work can be found here:

In English:

http://www.archaiologia.gr/en/blog/2013/09/12/from-xirokambi-laconia-to-shanghai/

The Selection Committee consists of 40 experts representing different regions in the world:
http://shanghaiarchaeologyforum.org/people/selection-committee/

In Greek:

http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=22784&subid=2&pubid=63885166
http://www.naftemporiki.gr/story/695667