319-331

Ancient boeotian towns emerge from the waters

Αρχαιολογικά χρονικά

• Σπυρόπουλος, Θεόδωρος Γ.

There are, at present, two lakes in Boeotia, the Ύλίκη and the Παρα- λίμνη. To the west of the two lakes lies the plain of Copais, fertile today, which was also a lake in remote antiquity and in late times. Strabo ( IX, 2, 20 ) mentions the lake Ύλίκη and thinks that Homer refers to it, when he speaks about Όρέσβιος, ος έν Ύλη ναίεσκε, μέγα πλούτοιο μεμηλώς, λίμνη κεκλιμένος Κηφησσίδι. Strabo’s words are : ού γάρ λίμνην τήν Κωπαΐδα βούλεται λέγειν, άλλα τήν Ύλίκην προσαγορευο- μένην, από τής πλησίον κώμης, ήν κα- λοϋσιν 'Ύλην ».In an article published in Arch. Deltion ( see Theodore G. Spyropou- los, Λιθαρές Θηβών, Arch. Delt. 24 (1969) : Μελέται, p. 28 ff. I ), proposed that the Homeric Town and the Hellenistic Ύλαι might be identified with the important settlement which was uncovered in the SW part of the lake Ύλίκη, in the place Lithares.The antiquity of the second lake, the Παραλίμνη, its extension during the past and its other fortunes are, at the present, unknown. Its formation and extension were necessarily to the drainage of the huge lake of Copais. The Minyans of Orchomenos were the first to undertake the tremendous task of desiccating the lake through channels, which brought the water to the lake Ύλίκη. This was a course one of the technical wonders of the ancient world, which gave the sovereignty of πολύχρυσος Όρχομενός over the whole of Boeotia. The draining of Copais augmented automatically the the By-lake (Παρα-λίμνη), if this existed then as a lake. The channels (καταβό- θραι ) could be closed, of course, in case of seismic or other geological events, or even through human intervention. In that case the waters of the lakes of Ύλίκη and Παραλίμνη sank, and fertile bands of land were given to cultivation and to human installation. This story is repeated even to our own days. Some years ago the waters of Ύλίκη and Παραλίμνη sank down. A big channel brings a rich vein of water of the first of the lakes to the artificial lake of Marathon for the water-supply of the Capital. Παραλίμνη loses much water through flowing and dryness.A systematic exploitation of the banks of the lakes showed an incredible number of settlements and different buildings, on which I havebeen working during the last months. I collect surface material and I have made a plan for systematic work on those thrilling discoveries, which will be of invaluable importance for the archaeological and historical lay - out of Boeotia and of the whole Mainland of Greece.Prof. Marinatos with his keen understanding and sensibility for works of such importance visited with me many of the places where ancient relics have been found, and supported our work generously. A team of architects and draughtsmen is about to undertake with me the outline of the settlements and other installations uncovered.The excavations started at the NW bank of the lake Παραλίμνη. There is an entire town there, which covers a land-strip that emerged from the water ( see figs. 1 - 5 ).Before we reach the kernel of the Town we walk fascinated through a necropolis. The density of the buildings is astonishing. The erosion of the waves and of rain waters has denuded the abrupt slope of Mount Ptoion, where the town and its necropolis are situated. Buildings and graves are to be seen near or in the water. The first building to be excavated was a temple of the geometric period ( see fig. 7 ). The finds were not numerous ( some bronze mes- omphalic phialae, a bronze fibula, sheets of bronze plates with relief decoration, some bronze hair-rings ( see fig. 9 ). The architectural type of the Temple and its other features will be discussed in the next account. Between the temple and the town I found a continuous chain of orthogonal and circular enclosures ( περίβολοι ), which contain graves and burials of different periods. Graves are also to be found outside the enclosures. Before this account was written I cleared almost two of the enclosures, and their research proved to be agitating. Large cist-graves covered with several slabs ( see figs. 12, 13 ), or smaller ones, contain several or single burials. The enclosure might with reasonable accuracy be characterized as family enceintes. So far the oldest graves and burials date to the MH period. But the most interesting result of the first excavation was the fact that in the same enclosures we find burials of MH, Mycenaean and Protogeometric periods ( see figs. 13, 14, 15, 16). This constitutes,of course, a picture of continuity of the utmost importance. The evaluation of these discoveries will be clear after the systematic study of the material brought to light and the detailed analysis of the stratigraphic relations of construction and graves revealed.From the surface material so far collected from the town discovered and its necropolis I observe that the first human installations occurred during the EH or even the Neolithic period. Any possible breaks in the habitation of the early Archaic period will be found after the excavation, which is now in progress. Once more we can stress the fact that the new discoveries will have revolutionary results for the archaeological and historical physiognomy of Boeotia.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Βοιωτία

Περιέχει εικόνες και χάρτη