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Pottery groups from the cemeteries of ancient Lete

• Τζαναβάρη-Τσακάλου, Κατερίνα
• Φίλης, Κώστας

The city of ancient Lete is located immediately after the straits of Derveni, northwest of Thessaloniki, within the boundaries of ancient Mygdonia. Its organized cemeteries extended over a very wide area, showing continuous use from the late 6th century down to the late 4th century BC. In contrast, the cemetery of Derveni was linked with a highway that linked the mountainous inland region with Mygdonia’s coastal plain.The grave assemblages presented here come from two rock-cut chamber tombs as well as cist, pit, and tile-covered graves. In order to determine the circulation rate of Attic pottery and the evolution of local production from the second half of the 4th to the 3rd century, we present 26 grave groups, containing coins from Amyntas III to Philip V.It was determined that nearly all the pottery types of the Late Classical and Early Hellenistic periods are included among the groups of pottery.The stylistic features of the vases examined allow us to trace th e presence of a local pottery workshop during the Hellenistic Age, though on the basis of a specific series of shapes connected with burial rituals. Our proposal is supported by the uninterrupted history of the ancient settlement from the mid-6th century onward, as well as by the large quantities of household wares found in excavations of the Hellenistic city. At the same time, the city’s exceptional prosperity during the period after Alexander is clear, as shown by the extent of the settlement and the rich finds from its cemeteries, the founding of the sanctuary of Demeter and Kore, and the operation of sculpture, terracotta, and probably metalworking-engraving workshops. This development, expressed through the construction of luxurious buildings and funerary monuments as well as the employment of luxury vessels and jewelry, is connected with the building policy of Cassander and the wealth that flowed into Macedonia upon the return of veteran soldiers from the East, between 320 a nd 280 BC.It has been determined that in the 4th century, there was increased trade in imported Attic pottery, which decreased in the early 3rd century and was then interrupted. This change was related to the establishment and operation of local workshops in the large cities or smaller settlements of Macedonia as well as connections with other centers in the Hellenistic world, particularly in Asia Minor.At Lete, Attic pottery appears until the late 4th and on a limited scale during the first quarter of the 3rd century. Grave goods frequently display chronological heterogeneity, with the Attic vases being earlier in date. Local production in the late 4th and early 3rd centuries imitated shapes imported from Kerameikos.In contrast, the stylistic development of vases included among the 3rd century grave groups show a complete chronological coincidence with the coins from the burials. Among finds of this era, there is a clear preference for the local workshop in black-glaze ware shapes decorated in the West Slope style, in oinochoes, and in kantharoi. Particular local features are further attested by shapes, especially those for daily wares, as shown by the variety of unglazed pottery types employed as grave goods, in particular oinochoes. Parallel to this, small vessels such as perfume vases, miniature skyphoi and lamps were produced. Their decoration was confined to the employment of a dull black-brown or reddish glaze with a metallic tint.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία
• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)
• Archaeology and art
• Decorative arts

Για μια σύντομη παρουσίαση των ταφικών αυτών συνόλων, βλ. Κ. Τζαναβάρη - Κ. Φίλης, Ταφικά σύνολα κεραμικής από την αρχαία Λητή, Ζ' ΕλλΚερ (υπό έκδοση). Στο πλαίσιο του συνεδρίου αυτού, άλλωστε, ολοκληρώθηκε και η παρούσα μελέτη. Στην αποτύπωση του λαξευτού τάφου I συνέβαλαν ο τοπογράφος μηχανικός Ν. Αλεξάκης και η σχεδιάστρια Μ. Βασιλειάδου, η οποία επιμελήθηκε και τη σχεδίαση των αγγείων. Ευχαριστίες οφείλουμε στη συνάδελφο Θ. Σαββοπούλου, για την παραχώρηση των αδημοσίευτων ευρημάτων του λαξευτού τάφου II. Υποχρεωμένοι είμαστε επίσης σ ο συνάδελφο X. Γκατξόλη, για τη συμβολή του στην ορθή εκτίμηση της νομισματικής μαρτυρίας, την υπόδειξη της σχετικής βιβλιογραφίας και τον τελικό έλεγχο του καταλόγου των νομισμάτων., Περιέχει σχέδια και εικόνες, Το άρθρο περιέχεται στο τεύχος: Μέρος Α'-Μελέτες