Proceedings of the Danish Institute at Athens

Celebrating 25 years of archaeological research at the Danish Institute at Athens

2019-08-14T12:28:21+02:00

The article gives a brief introduction to the Danish archaeological field projects in Kefallenia, Rhodes, Chalkis, Kalydon, Piraeus, Khania, Lechaion, Delphi and Sikyon as well as on Mount Pelion conducted through The Danish Institute at Athens.

A Late Roman building complex in the Papaz Tarlası, Vezirköprü (ancient Neoklaudiopolis, northern Asia Minor)

2019-08-14T12:28:46+02:00

The article discusses a building complex including a Greek cruciform structure identified by geoelectric resistivity survey just north of Vezirköprü in the region known in antiquity as Pontos. The initial discovery by the Nerik Excavation Project was followed by intense systematic archaeological survey by the Danish project Where East meets West, and the article publishes the results of this field work. The structures in the Papaz Tarlası can be conjecturally interpreted as parts of an early Christian complex dating to the second half of the 5th century AD and presumably associated with the cult of a local martyr. The finds and the finds distribution appears to suggest that the martyrion was associated with consumption and some habitation.

True to type?

2019-08-14T12:29:05+02:00

Vroulia revisited

2019-08-14T12:29:20+02:00

The cults of Kalydon

2019-08-14T12:29:45+02:00

The purpose of this article is to cast further light on the religious cults of the city of Kalydon and Kalydonian ritual behaviour. Excavations in 2001-05 and 2011-16 have produced a substantial amount of miniature votive pottery, and in drawing attention to this hitherto rather overlooked aspect of material culture, I will argue that it must play an important role in our understanding of religious practice in ancient Kalydon. Within the last decade miniature pottery has attracted considerable scholarly attention, which has produced insight that may be applied to the evidence from Kalydon. Both published and unpublished miniature pottery is contextualized, and the cult related to the miniature votives is re-examined. Kalydon’s most famous cult is to Artemis Laphria, but two additional cults have been identified during the recent excavations: a shrine on the central Acropolis, and the cult in the Peristyle House in the Lower Town.

Colour shifts

2019-08-14T12:30:02+02:00

The article offers a partial overview of methodologies of research on the polychromy of Greek and Roman sculpture. The character of the evidence requires an interdisciplinary approach. This evidence is briefly presented, after which aspects of the actual investigation are dealt with, the section on analytical methods dealing only cursorily with invasive techniques. Attention is drawn to the importance of research based experimental reconstruction of polychrome sculptures. Finally, some interdisciplinary research scenarios are described. The article is based on work done within the framework of the ‘Tracking Colour’ project of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and the Copenhagen Polychromy Network, 2009 – 2013, with the support of the Carlsberg Foundation.

The Parthenon in Danish art and architecture, from Nicolai Abildgaard to Theophil Hansen

2019-08-14T12:30:22+02:00

The Lower Acropolis of Kalydon in Aitolia

2019-08-14T12:30:41+02:00

A short-cut to Delphi

2019-08-14T12:31:00+02:00

The Greek-Swedish-Danish Excavations 2013

2019-08-14T12:31:19+02:00

In 2013 the Greek-Swedish-Danish Excavations continued with the main aim to explore the large building of the LM IIA:2/IIIB period, where Linear B tablets were found in situ in 1990. The stratigraphic periods revealed interesting results. From the Venetian cathedral several tombs were excavated. The cathedral was built over an Early Christian Basilica which could be conjecturally reconstructed in ground plan. The Geometric period produced an industrial area, while the LM IIIC period revealed remains of four large rooms – all with fire places. The LM IIIB:2 period was not represented with architecture, but with fine remains of pottery and small finds from a large open area. The large LM IIIA:2/IIIB building revealed remains from five rooms, A spectacular find came from one of these rooms: a decorated pithos intentionally placed on its side and used as a storeroom for, among others, stone tools, fine pottery, fragments of ivory and an unbaked un-inscribed clay tablet.

The Greek-Swedish-Danish Excavations 2014

2019-08-14T12:31:39+02:00

In 2014 the LM IIIA:2/IIIB building was excavated as far as the modern habitation permitted. It was seen to cover at least 350 m² and had over the years revealed finds of Linear B tablets in situ, an inscribed stirrup jar, seal stones, a carved ivory handle, pieces of Egyptian blue to which the 2014 excavation could add a complete pithos, fragments of figurines and unique pottery. From other periods should be mentioned the finds of three ovens from the LM IIIC period and stray finds of Linear A tablets from later deposits. Furthermore the 2014 excavation revealed new and important evidence from the Neopalatial period in that the southern corner and entrance to House III was discovered as well as an intra mural child burial.

The Pit L Baby Burial– Hermeneutics

2019-08-14T12:31:58+02:00

‘Finding Old Sikyon’, 2015

2019-08-14T12:32:17+02:00

The project “Ancient Sikyon” is a cooperation between the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinth, the National Museum of Denmark, the Danish Institute at Athens and the Institute of Geoscience of the Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel. Conceived as a five-year project, its main aim is to identify the exact location, the major features and the urbanistic development of the city, prior to its relocation in 303 BC to a plateau nearby. This, however, is intended to serve the greater purpose of answering general questions of Archaic and Classical urbanism and the structure and organization of a famous centre of art and culture in comparison with other such centres like Corinth and Athens. The first year of research has already brought important information about the topography and material culture of Ancient Sikyon, which is presented in this preliminary report.