439-464

Ano Komi, Kozani prefecture, 1998

• Καραμήτρου-Μεντεσίδη, Γεωργία

Three rescue excavations have had to be carried out to date because the route of theRymni-Kozani national highway cuts across three archaeological sites.Ano Komi is very close to Aiane and has yielded a great many antiquities (locatedby Keramopoullos) dating from prehistoric times to the Byzantine period. Our owninvestigations have located a tomb of the second half of the 4th century BC with goldjewellery and bronze wares, an inscription, Mycenaean wares and figurine, and potterywith matt-painted decoration. A cemetery of the Late Bronze Age (1200-1100 BC) waslocated at Stavros in the Community of Ano Komi on the path of the new nationalhighway, and it was excavated in 1997, 1998, and 1999. The burial offerings in the 26graves (all but one of which had been disturbed) consisted of one or more clay pots;and 7 graves contained bronze burial offerings.There were 33 pots in all, 29 of them being handmade kantharoi, kyathoi, twohandledmugs, and an alabastron. Despite the salt deposits on the surfaces, we ascertainedthat most of them were burnished and had painted decoration that placed themin the category of Matt-painted Ware. This type of pottery, of which the Protodorian-Macedonian tribes are believed to have been the vehicles, is very commonly found atAiane, which has been shown to have been a significant production centre with an innovativeworkshop. Products of that workshop are now being unearthed at Ano Komi,which is a neighbouring area. The majority of the handmade wares are kantharoi,which fall into 3 types, according to the shape of the handles: kantharoi with pointedhandles, whch are an original creation of the Aiane workshop; kantharoi with a knob atthe top of the handles; and kantharoi with handles the upper part of which is triangularin section or with “ears”. As well as handmade wares, 3 graves also yielded a total of 4Mycenaean wares, and there are 2 vessels which have Mycenaean models, No. 33, astamnos-pithamphoriskos, and No. 15, a loaf-shaped alabastron with matt-painted decoration.The excavations conducted in recent years have shown that the Mycenaeanpresence was increasingly strong in Macedonia. We have expressed the view that thenumerous Mycenaean finds denote some sort of Mycenaean settlement in the area,though the question needs further investigation and study.Building remains were added to the excavational data in 1998. We now know thatbeside the cemetery there was a relatively small settlement that was earlier than thecemetery, with ceramics which date it to LH III A and B. Three post-Christian burialsof the 2nd half of the 5th century AD were excavated in 1999.The numerous Mycenaean finds attest that the Mycenaean world extended furthernorthwards and at an earlier date than was believed until recently. There is evidencethat Upper Macedonia had close ties with the Mycenaean world, but the subject demandssystematic investigation. The picture, or part of the picture, must be completedby means of excavations with this aim in mind.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Κοζάνη, συνέδρια

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