Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Προϊστορική ΑρχαιολογίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Koutouvaki Eirini
Supervisors info:
Ιωάννης Παπαδάτος, Αναπλ. Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Παναγιώτης Πομώνης, Αναπλ. Καθηγητής Ορυκτολογίας και Πετρολογίας, Τμήμα Γεωλογίας και Γεωπεριβαλλοντος, ΕΚΠΑ
Ελευθέριος Πλάτων, Αναπλ. Καθηγητής Προϊστορικής Αρχαιολογίας, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Κεραμικές ύλες από την περιοχή της Ιεράπετρας στην Εποχή του Χαλκού
Translated title:
Clayey sediments and pottery fabrics from the wider Ierapetra area in the Bronze Age
Summary:
Ierapetra and its wider region has caught the attention of Minoan archaeology much less than other areas on Crete (i.e. Gournia, Myrtos), due to the sparsity of the finds and the lack of impressive, visible Minoan buildings. During the last decade, a series of new excavation projects started and are expected to shed light on the Bronze Age history of the area.
This project contributes to these latest attempts by exploring the two most frequently attested Minoan pottery fabrics in the southern part of the isthmus of Ierapetra. namely the granodioritic and the ophiolitic. The provenance of these fabrics had been taken for granted in Minoan literature: the Mirabello fabric is connected to the granodioritic outcrops at Gournia-Kalo Chorio area and the South Coast fabric is connected mostly to the ophiolitic series/flysch mélange at the south coast from Myrtos to Messara. However most recent studies show that, taking into account the repetitive geological structure of the island, this is not a solid fact. Both ophiolitic lithologies and granodiorite outcrops have been attested in the southern part of Ierapetra isthmus.
In order to clarify this issue, prospection of clayey sediments and tempering material was carried out in the wider Ierapetra area. The purpose was to define the petrographic characteristics of the local raw materials. Furthermore, the results of this study are compared to Minoan pottery samples from Minoan sites in the area, as well as to modern pottery samples, locally manufactured, from Kentri, which was one of the most important pottery centers in the 20th century on the island.
The concurrent study of the elements of the local geology and the archaeological material with the application of arcaheometry allows us to address the issue of possible Minoan pottery production in this area. This approach applied on a micro-regional scale on an island with repetitive geological structure is essential and allows to reconsider the provenance of ancient pottery and therefore to study the exchange network and the socio-cultural relationships in eastern Crete during the Bronze Age.
Main subject category:
Archaeology
Keywords:
Ierapetra, Bronze Age Crete, granodioritic pottery, ophiolitic pottery, pottery provenance, petrographic analysis
Number of references:
174
