451-458

Excavations on the site of the aqueduct in the north of Pieria prefecture

• Μπέσιος, Ματθαίος
• Αθανασιάδου, Αθηνά
• Νούλας, Κωνσταντίνος
• Τόλια-Χριστάκου, Μαρία

The work on the north Pieria aqueduct, which began in the summer of 2001, gave us an opportunity to form an initial picture of the prefecture’s little-known archaeological hinterland. A considerable number of large and small habitations were uncovered from the Early Neolithic period to Late Antiquity. There are rather more prehistoric sites than sites of the historical period, and no Byzantine sites were found. This is due to the fact that the aqueduct was built quite some distance from the modern villages, where the settlements of the historical and the Byzantine period should be sought.The opposite is true of the cemeteries, where we have only one cemetery of the Bronze Age and eight of the historical period.Of the Neolithic settlements, it is worth mentioning the excavation at Ritini, which yielded: part of a dwelling, a large trench, and three fosses. On the basis of similar finds in Thessaly, they have been dated to between the Early Neolithic and the start of the Late Neolithic.Two Bronze Age clay pits were located at Palia Hrani, as also traces of habitation from the Early and Late Bronze Age, and pit-graves of the Middle and Late Bronze Age. The most important consideration is that the same site gave evidence of continuous habitation from the early 5th century BC to modem times.Of the cemeteries, the finds from sites A and B at Kastania in the municipality of Kolindros were especially interesting. Graves of the second half of the 4th century and the 3rd century BC clearly show that in the interior of Pieria the heroic tradition persisted in burial customs until the Hellenistic period, in contrast to the coastal area, where advancing urban development had caused it to be abandoned from the early 5th century BC. All the male burials contained an iron spearhead. Bronze and, especially, pottery vessels were also found from groups suggestive of symposia. The red-figure vessels stand out (kraters and pelikes), as does the lifesize clay head of a sleeping youth, which was probably a replica of the deceased.Lastly, on the site of cemetery A fosses were located from a fortification of the Macedonian wars, which was probably destroyed during Quintus Marcius Philippus’s advance to the River Askordos in 169 BC.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Πιερία, συνέδρια