Synopsis
The Bouros-Kastri peninsula at the south-eastern tip of the Greek island of Euboia has previously been overlooked in the archaeological literature. This survey by the Southern Euboea Exploration Project, conducted under the aegis of the Canadian Institute in Greece, now provides a wealth of intriguing information about fluctuations in long-term use and habitation in this part of the Karystia. While the peninsula is agriculturally poor, its coast is blessed with several small coastal inlets and one important ancient port, Geraistos. These provide access to vital maritime routes and connect the peninsula to Athens and other Aegean ports. The survey revealed modest use of the peninsula during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age; it was then virtually abandoned for the following two and a half millennia. Occupation resumed in the Late Archaic–Early Classical period, followed by near desertion in the 3rd century BC of all but some coastal sites, a resurgence of activity in the Late Roman period, and modest use in Byzantine and Ottoman times. The authors analyse the ways in which the peninsula's use was connected to that of the main urban centre at Karystos, and how the peninsula and the greater Karystia were integrated into the political, economic, and cultural spheres of Athens and the broader region.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Previous Research by SEEP in the Karystia
Archaeological Work on the Bouros-Kastri Peninsula
Goals and Scope of the Bouros-Kastri Survey
Chapter 2: Topography, Geology, and Tectonics
Topography
Geology and Tectonics of Southern Euboia
Geomorphology
Tectonics, Sea-Level Changes, and Palaeoclimates
Paleozoic–Mesozoic Bedrock
Cenozoic Rocks and Sediments
Soils
Natural Resources
Natural Hazards
Chapter 3: Chronological Overview of the Karystia
Prehistory
Late Neolithic
Final Neolithic
Early Bronze Age
Middle Bronze Age
Late Bronze Age
Historical Periods
Early Iron Age
Classical
Hellenistic to Middle Roman
Late Roman
Byzantine
Tourkokratia and Modern
Chapter 4: Settlement and Land Use on the Bouros-Kastri Peninsula
Procedural Considerations
Field Methodology
Sample Size, Sources of Bias, and Chronology
Site Function and Typology
Prehistoric Period
Geometric to Early Hellenistic Period
Description of Sites and Findspots by Area
Summary and Conclusions
Middle Hellenistic through Middle Roman Periods
Description of Sites
Summary and Conclusions
Late Roman Period
Description of Sites
Summary and Conclusions
Byzantine to Modern Period
Undated Sites
Chapter 5: Analysis of Artifacts
Prehistoric Pottery
Final Neolithic
Early Bronze Age
Prehistoric Stone Tool Assemblages
Component A, Component A'
Component B
Component C
Dating of the Components
Historic Pottery
Greek and Roman Fabrics
Local Pottery: The Akrotiri Cooking Assemblage
Other Local Cooking Pottery
Local Pottery: Coarse Ware
Transport Amphoras
Roman Plain and Cooking Ware
Byzantine Pottery
Modern Pottery
Chapter 6: Summary and Final Thoughts
Gazetteer of Sites and Findspots
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Jere M. Wickens, a co-director of the Southern Euboea Exploration Project, is interested in the use of rural areas and the use of caves. Outside of the Karystia, he has conducted fieldwork in Albania and Attica, Greece, where he is conducting a diachronic study of the use of caves and rock shelters.
Susan I. Rotroff is the Jarvis Thurston and Mona Van Duyn Professor in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis.
Tracey Cullen is an Aegean prehistorian who has participated in fieldwork in Greece and Cyprus, focusing on the study of early ceramics and funerary customs. She served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Archaeology and later as Editor of Hesperia, and currently lives in northern Minnesota (USA).
Lauren E. Talalay is an Aegean prehistorian who focuses on the Neolithic period of Greece and the Mediterranean. Her research explores the use of the human body as a symbol, figurines, and gender. She also publishes on contemporary issues, particularly on the employment of archaeological and mythical images in modern advertising and political cartoons. The former Associate Director and Curator at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan, she is currently Curator Emerita and Research Associate at the Kelsey Museum.
Catherine Perlès is a specialist of Greek Prehistoric stone tools and of the Greek Neolithic. She has worked extensively on trade networks and holds an Honorary degree from Indiana University.
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