Dissertation committee:
Π. Βαλαβάνης, ομότιμος καθηγητής, ΕΚΠΑ
Λ. Παλαιοκρασσά, ομότιμη καθηγήτρια , ΕΚΠΑ
Ε. Πέππα-Παπαϊωάννου, ομότιμη καθηγήτρια , ΕΚΠΑ
Σ. Κατάκης, επίκουρος καθηγητής, ΕΚΠΑ
Β. Μαχαίρα, διευθύντρια ερευνών, Κέντρο Ερεύνης της Αρχαιότητας
Γ. Ζάχος, Ερευνητής, Κέντρο Ερεύνης της Αρχαιότητας
Β. Αντωνιάδης, Ερευνητής Γ’ βαθμίδος, Ινστιτούτο Ιστορικών Ερευνών
Summary:
This dissertation is a study of the evolution of the landscape of the Attic countryside that mediates between Athens, Piraeus and Phaleron. The area includes the modern neighborhoods of Petralona, Tavros, Ag. I. Rentis, Moschato, Kallithea, Palaio and Neo Phalero, with the line of the electric railway passing through them in a manner similar to that of the Long Walls in antiquity. Taking the published results of salvage excavations as its primary source material, the study engages with topographical information from both ancient and modern authors and travelers. The data collected comprises 311 sites (282 precisely located and 29 placed in a wider spatial context) that yielded a multitude of finds with a chronological range from the Final Neolithic up to the 6th century A.D. These archaeological data were divided into the following categories: remains of the Long Walls, sacred and public buildings, residential sites, burial sites, workshops, roads, hydraulic structures, and other categories including sculptures and small objects found out of context, as well as building remains that could not be securely identified.
The study is structured in six chapters. Chapter One introduces the area, comments on the methodology of the study, presents the area as seen in the works of later travelers, and provides a history of research. Chapter Two focuses on the natural landscape and how it has changed over time. In order to investigate the form of the ancient landscape, information from ancient toponyms, travel descriptions and maps as well as the results of modern geological investigations were used. Chapter Three presents the evidence of human intervention in the area and its urban development based on the data collected. The finds are presented by category and chronological period (Prehistoric, Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antique). An attempt is made to correlate the growth of the region with historical developments that look place in the large urban centers that surround it (Athens and Piraeus). In Chapter Four, individual topographic issues are investigated including the identification of the road network and the limits of the residential areas, the search for the location of important landmarks in the area (the Varathron, the Hippodrome, and the Phaleric wall), and the three ancient demes located there (Xypete, Phaleron and Keriadai). Chapter Five presents the people who lived in the region through the information we can derive from extant grave markers and ancient sources. Finally, Chapter Six presents the conclusions of the study. The results of each chapter are summarized and the overall view of the evolution of the region over time is presented.
The work also comprises a list of places (Appendix I), tables with technical characteristics of the sections of the Long Walls, roads, and burial places by period (Appendix II), a prosopographical catalogue (Appendix III), 16 maps presenting the sites in the modern urban plan and nine topographical plans presenting the sites by chronological period.
Keywords:
Athens, Attica, topography, Phaleron, Piraeus, antiquity
