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Ossa 1992 : the pottery and the archaeobotanical remains of the settlement

• Αδάμ - Βελένη, Πολυξένη
• Ιωαννίδου, Ελισάβετ
• Μαγκαφά, Μαρία

Excavation of the Hellenistic town of Ossa, at the Prefecture of Thessaloniki, on the west slope of Vertiskos, on the boundaries of ancient Mygdoniaand Bisaltia, continued in 1992 for the fourth season. The architectural remains recovered belong to the same grid as the main phase of the Hellenistic settlement (3rd-2nd c. BC), whose layout hugs the contours of the hill. This season, two more ground floor storage and craft areas were excavated, while evidence was recovered for the existence of upper storeys. Thus, the upper floors were probably used as living quarters by a family. Post-excavation work concentrated on a more thorough study of the pottery, and a first look at the archaeobotanical remains from the town. All the ceramic finds from this season, deriving from two trenches and totalling 3,800sherds, were studied. They were found to comprise mainly utilitarian vessels, either coarse/unpainted or fine slipped wares. Out of these, around 86% are unpainted and undecorated vessels of local clay, while the remaining 14% are decorated. Strati graphical observations, based on the pottery, discerned four strata, spanning the end of the 3rd century to the 1st century BC. Finally, in the course of this year’s excavation, four soil samples were collected with the aim of recovering plant remains. The samples were taken from trenches 20 and 21, and belong to the 2nd Hellenistic phase. The following species were recovered, using the flotation technique: 1. Cereals: einkorn (Triticum monococcum), hulled barley (Hordeum sp.) millet (Panicum miliaceum). 2. Pulses: lentil (Lens culinaris) 3. Fruits: grape (Vitis vinifera), fig. (Ficus carica) 4. Wild species other than fruits and nuts: Stellaria sp., Silene sp., Thalictrumflavurn, Camelina sativa, Medicago sp., Trifolium sp., Hypericum perforatum,Galium sp., Lolium temulentum, Cynodon dactylon, Setaria viridis,Carex sp. etc. The archaeobotanical remains seem to represent products and by-producs of various crop processing activities, such as fine sieving and hand picking. The paucity of the remains, however, does not permit a thorough reconstruction of the agricultural economy of the settlement

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

αρχαία κεραμική, αρχαιοβοτανική, Λαγκαδάς, συνέδρια , ελληνιστική εποχή

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