Background research
The tasks linked to this research activity form Work Package 3 (WP3) and were dedicated to the acquisition of bibliographical data and preparation of the research background for the archaeological sites included in the project. More particularly, the tasks encompassed a literature and archival research, carried out at the library of the Archaeological Research Unit.
The focus of this research was on:
The tasks linked to this research activity form Work Package 3 (WP3) and were dedicated to the acquisition of bibliographical data and preparation of the research background for the archaeological sites included in the project. More particularly, the tasks encompassed a literature and archival research, carried out at the library of the Archaeological Research Unit.
The focus of this research was on:
1) The contextual analysis of the ceramic assemblages from Lesbos and Lemnos islands, as well as complementary work on Chios and Samos. This allowed the preparation of lists of pottery for detailed examination at the archaeological storerooms and museums related to each site, which would then enable the selection of samples for laboratory analytical work.
2) As part of the theoretical framework of BORDER, a dataset of the earliest known evidence of exploitation and maritime seafaring on the Aegean islands (for both modern Greece and Turkey) was established, through a thorough bibliographical review of all available data. This activity was carried out in February 2021 in collaboration with Dr Theodora Moutsiou, as part of the collaborative network of ArchaeoGLOBE (Island Extinctions Projectm Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany). The collected information is particularly important in discussions of prehistoric island connectivity, exploitation of resources, and island identity.
3) A number of archaeological sites on Cyprus were also selected for comparative purposes, with the aim to investigate any potential interactions with the eastern Aegean during the 3rd millennium BC. As part of this task, short visits were planned to museums and archaeological collections. More extensive research on Cypriot pottery styles was carried out as part of a collaboration with the Alexander Malios Research Institute for Cypriot Heritage and Archaeology - AMRICHA non-profit organisation in Leipzig, Germany. The recording and writing of 78 ceramic artefact entries for a catalogue handbook (forthcoming 2022/2023), mostly spanning the 3rd millennium BC, allowed setting up a database for the subsequent study and analysis of pottery from sites in southwest Cyprus.
4) The preparation of a series of geological and geomorphological maps for the archaeological areas and regions incorporated in BORDER, by a professional illustrator. Examples of these illustrations were included in conference presentations and publications.
Preparation of analytical strategy
As part of this task, the most appropriate analytical techniques were selected to most effectively achieve the aims and objectives described in the research proposal. Important for the smooth and timely implementation of the analytical work was the acquisition of study and sampling permits from the Archaeological Services-Ephorates and Museums in Greece and Cyprus. Thus, written agreements for access to the ceramic collections were granted already as a head-start of BORDER, but COVID-19 related delays required certain adjustments of the time schedule.
As part of this task, the most appropriate analytical techniques were selected to most effectively achieve the aims and objectives described in the research proposal. Important for the smooth and timely implementation of the analytical work was the acquisition of study and sampling permits from the Archaeological Services-Ephorates and Museums in Greece and Cyprus. Thus, written agreements for access to the ceramic collections were granted already as a head-start of BORDER, but COVID-19 related delays required certain adjustments of the time schedule.
Fieldwork and research trips
The organisation of the research trips in Greece was largely affected by Covid-19.
1) Southwest Cyprus: to investigate both the question of intra-island and intra-regional connectivity and movement of people and pottery from the Middle-Late Chalcolithic to the Middle Bronze Age at key sites, such as Kissonerga-Mosphilia, Kissonerga-Skalia, and Erimi-Laonin tou Porakou. The choice of these specific sites was also based on the good documentation of the ceramic assemblages and preservation of long chronological sequences, that could provide a solid spatiotemporal framework for the investigation of sociocultural and technological change in the longue durée. Visits were carried out at the Lemba Archaeological Research Centre in Paphos district and at Kourion Museum in Limassol district.
2) Two research trips were carried out in 2021 to Lemnos, Lesbos, and Chios, for the study and sampling of pottery from Poliochni, Thermi, Emborio, and comparative examination of pottery from sites in southeast Samos. Separate visits were also carried out in Athens (Fitch Laboratory, British School at Athens; National Archaeological Museum at Athens).
Analytical work
The tasks linked to this research activity form Work Package 4 (WP4) and were dedicated to the laboratory analysis of selected ceramic samples from the archaeological sites mentioned above. According to the proposed methodology, described in the research proposal, the first phase of the project involved a thorough bibliographical study which was followed by the hands-on first analysis (macroscopic and typological) of the ceramic material at the archaeological sites, storerooms, and museums for each related site that provided the pottery. Following the morphological and macroscopic examination of the ceramic assemblages, through a plugable USB Handheld Digital Microscope.
The tasks linked to this research activity form Work Package 4 (WP4) and were dedicated to the laboratory analysis of selected ceramic samples from the archaeological sites mentioned above. According to the proposed methodology, described in the research proposal, the first phase of the project involved a thorough bibliographical study which was followed by the hands-on first analysis (macroscopic and typological) of the ceramic material at the archaeological sites, storerooms, and museums for each related site that provided the pottery. Following the morphological and macroscopic examination of the ceramic assemblages, through a plugable USB Handheld Digital Microscope.
The main analytical technique used is thin section petrography, i.e. the microscopic examination of ceramic thin sections, which allows (1) the identification and characterisation of the main mineral and rock types comprising the non-plastic inclusions (composition, quantity, shape, grain size and distribution), (2) the examination of the optical properties of the clay matrix, and (3) the assessment of the textural association of the above components (microstructure, colour, optical activity), which in turn enables (1) characterisation and grouping of the thin sections, (2) reconstruction of technological practice (raw material processing and clay preparation, firing characteristics, forming techniques), and, where possible, (3) suggestion of provenance.
The programme of analysis included also the examination of comparative ceramic material from various sites in the Aegean, western Anatolia, and Cyprus, spanning the 3rd millennium BC, in order to trace possible connections between these regions, through the identification of imports. In Year Two, targeted chemical analysis, by means of Wavelength Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy, will be carried out at the Fitch Laboratory, depending on the availability of funds and potential delays in the issuing of permits due to Covid-19.
