BMCR 2009.03.32, Haido Koukouli-Chyssanthaki, Dikili Tash, village pre/historique

Hai+do Koukouli-Chyssanthaki, Rene/ Treuil, Laurent Lespez, Dimitra
Malamidou, Dikili Tash, village pre/historique de Mace/doine orientale.
Recherches franco-helle/niques dirige/es par la Socie/te/
arche/ologique d'Athe\nes et l'E/cole franc,aise d'Athe\nes
(1986-2001). Bibliothe\que de la Socie/te/ arche/ologique d'Athe\nes
254.  Athe\nes:  La Socie/te/ arche/ologique d'Athe\nes, 2008.  Pp.
416.  ISBN 9789608145689.  EUR 80.00 (pb).

Reviewed by John K. Papadopoulos, University of California, Los Angeles
([email protected])
Word count:  2306 words
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The prehistoric settlement mound or tell (toumba in Modern Greek)
Dikili Tash, a Turkish toponym meaning "upright stone", referring to
the large Roman funerary monument of Caius Vibius still standing in the
immediate vicinity of the site (see p. 4, fig. 1), is located in the
plain of Drama some two kilometers east of the ancient city of
Philippi. The plain itself, which dominates much of eastern Macedonia,
is bordered to the north by the Phalakron mountain range, to the east
by Mt. Lekani, to the west by Mt. Menikion, to the southeast by Mt.
Symbolon, and to the south by the ore-rich Pangaion massif. The mound,
measuring 250 x 180 m at its base, with a height of some 16 m, was
first identified as a prehistoric settlement by Carl Blegen and F.B.
Welch,[[1]] and the first excavations were carried out there by Louis
Renaudin in 1920-1922, with brief published reports in the Bulletin de
correspondance helle/nique for 1921 and 1922. Full-scale excavations
were initiated at the site in 1961 and continued until 1975 as a
French-Greek collaboration, under the auspices of the E/cole franc,aise
d'Athe\nes and the Athens Archaeological Society, the French team
directed by Jean Deshayes, the Greek by Demetrios Theocharis and later
by Katerina Rhomiopoulou.[[2]]

The volume under review is the first in a series of books representing
the final publication of the subsequent round of fieldwork and
excavations conducted at the site between 1986 and 2001, directed by
Hai+do Koukouli-Chryssanthaki and Rene/ Treuil, again under the
auspices of the E/cole franc,aise d'Athe\nes and the Athens
Archaeological Society, funded by the Centre National de la Recherche
Scientifique, the E/cole franc,aise d'Athe\nes, the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and the Athens Archaeological Society. A projected
Volume 2 will include an account of the topography and excavations,
stratigraphy and chronology, as well as specialized studies of the
pottery of Phase I, the bone tools, and the faunal and floral remains.
A final, third volume, will deal with the ceramics of Phases II and
III, the architectural remains, the various tools of stone and other
materials, as well as the figurines and models. The excavations have
shown the site to have been inhabited primarily from the Neolithic
period into the Bronze Age.

This first volume of the 1986-2001 excavations provides detailed
prolegomena, laying much of the groundwork necessary for a full
understanding of the site. The book is divided into three parts that
are independent from one another. The first, entitled "Le programme de
recherches", by Koukouli-Chryssanthaki and Treuil (pp. 1-19), begins
with a brief overview of the site, its relation to Philippi, and its
importance in the plain of Drama (A) (pp. 3-4). This is followed by a
section (B) outlining the earlier research and publications of the site
(pp. 4-6). The final section (C) (pp. 7-14), "Le programme de 1986", is
divided into three parts, the first of which deals with the objectives
of the fieldwork initiated in 1986 (pp. 7-9). The aims are discussed
under the headings of paleo-environment; stratigraphy and chronology;
habitation and the organization of space. From its inception, the
project was conceived of as a multi-disciplinary one, with the
retrieval and full analysis of not only the human-made remains, but the
botanical, zoological, and malacological remnants, together with a full
palynological study of the immediate surroundings of the site,
archaeometric and chemical analyses of the material, and a concern for
experimental studies as well as conservation and restoration. In
keeping with these broad and admirable aims, the project relied heavily
on a robust collaboration with various laboratories and research
centers, including the Archaeometry Laboratory at the Demokritos
Research Center in Athens, the Department of Restoration of Works of
Arts and Antiquities of the Polytechneion of Athens, the Laboratoire de
Recherches des Muse/es de France, the Muse/um d'Histoire Naturelle de
Paris, the Centre de Recherche en Physique Applique/e a\ l'Arche/ologie
de l'Universite/ Bordeaux III, and the Centre des Sciences de la Terre
de l'Universite/ Lyon I. This is followed by the second part (pp. 9-13)
summarizing the various sectors of the 1986-2001 excavations; the third
part (pp. 13-14) provides a synopsis of the projected final
publications. At the end of the first part there is appended a full
bibliography of research published between 1986 and 2007 (pp. 15-19).
The list is impressive: in addition to annual preliminary reports in
the Bulletin de correspondance helle/nique, To Ergon and Ta Praktika of
the Athens Archaeological Society, as well as a summary of the work of
the first decade in To Archaiologiko Ergo ste Makedonia kai Thrake,
there is a whole slew of specialized studies published in various
journals and books on the environment of the site, the nature of the
settlement, its relative and absolute chronology, building materials
and techniques, studies of the pottery (including residue analysis),
chipped and ground stone tools, as well as those of bone and shell, and
preliminary reports on the botanical and faunal remains, as well as at
least two papers dealing with the symbolism of "un bucrane
ne/olithique".

The second part of the volume, by Laurent Lespez, almost 400 pages (pp.
21-394) could be a monograph unto itself, with its own "Avant-propos",
conclusions, bibliography, toponymic index, glossary of principal
geomorphological terms, and multiple chapters arranged in three parts.
Entitled "L'e/volution des paysages du Ne/olithique a\ la pe/riode
ottomane dans la plaine de Philippes-Drama", the study builds on
Lespez's 1999 doctoral dissertation at the University of
Clermont-Ferrand, with the title "L'e/volution des modele/s et des
paysages de la plaine de Drama et de ses bordures montagneuses
(Mace/doine orientale, Gre\ce) au cours de l'Holoce\ne". This is
undoubtedly one of the finest and most detailed studies of the
landscape and natural environment of a particular region of Greece. It
will quickly take its place as a seminal study, a "must read" together
with such classic landscape and environment studies such as those of
Vita-Finzi, Davidson and Shackley, Bintliff, van Andel and Runnels, and
Brown, to mention only a few.[[3]] The introduction (pp. 33-69) lays
down the objectives and methods of the study, touching upon the
processes of erosion through the prehistoric period, the Roman and
Byzantine, as well as in Ottoman times. Methodologically, Lespez has
utilized an arsenal of techniques, from analyses of sediments,
paleobiology, and C14 dating, to palynology, aerial photography, and
remote sensing. More than this, he delves back into historical
archives, old maps and photographs, as well as the accounts of early
travelers in order to understand better the landscape through time. The
photographs of then and now often present stark contrasts.

Following the introduction, the first part of Lespez's study (pp.
71-155), entitled "Un basin intramontagnard dans le sud du Rhodope",
deals with, among other things, the basic geology, vegetation, water
resources, erosion, and the tectonic activity of the plain of Drama and
its mountainous surrounds. The second part (pp. 157-244), entitled
"Rythmes de la morphogene\se Holoce\ne", deals in greater detail with
the geomorphology and alluvial formations of the different parts of the
plain. The first chapter is devoted to the Xeropotamos River, which
runs northeast to southwest through the center of valley, as well as
the Drama River in the north-northeast of the plain. Chapter 2 deals
with the Angitis valley to the northwest, together with associated
gorges, like Petra. The Angitis River runs roughly north-northwest to
south-southeast, before it turns southwest and eventually flows into
the Strymon. Located in this valley are a number of important
prehistoric settlements, not least of which is the toumba of Sitagroi,
excavated by Colin Renfrew and Marija Gimbutas, and Lespez is able to
provide important geological and geomorphological information on that
site.[[4]] Chapter 3 focuses on the southern portion of plain, and the
course of the Kephalari River. This is followed by a summary of the
environment through time.

The third part of Lespez's study, "L'e/volution des paysages depuis le
Ne/olithique, l'utilisation par les socie/te/s humaines de leur
environment et ses consequences ge/omorphologiques" (pp. 245-377), will
probably be the one most utilized by archaeologists and social
historians. In the introduction to this part, Lespez looks at the
paleoenvironment as a whole and its evolution, as well as possible
climatic changes or fluctuations. The first chapter deals with the
progressive transformations of the landscape from the Neolithic period
into the Bronze Age and the geomorphological consequences. It is here
where the settlement of Dikili Tas is truly placed in its environmental
setting in terms of its soils, its water resources, the various raw
materials found in nature utilized by the inhabitants, as well as the
effects on the landscape of agriculture, pastoralism, hunting and
fishing. Through careful analysis of the palynological record of the
area, coupled with a broad understanding of the paleo-landscape of the
plain as a whole, as well as the stratigraphy and chronology of the
site, Lespez is able to contribute real answers to some of the most
basic questions of archaeology, such as choice of site--why here and
not there? He focuses on the people and environment of the Late
Neolithic period (5350-3200 B.C.) separately from that of the Early
Bronze Age (3200-2000 B.C.), and that of the Late Bronze (1600-1000
B.C.) and the Early Iron Age (1000-700 B.C.).

Chapter 2, evocatively entitled "La mise en valeur des milieux aux
e/poques Romaine et Pale/ochre/tienne et ses conse/quences sur les
paysages et la morphoge/ne\se" is devoted essentially to the period
between the 2nd century B.C. and the 6th century A.D. Earlier periods
are not overlooked, but the most robust results are those of the Roman
and early Christian eras. The two settlements that loom large and that
dominated the plain from the Classical and Hellenistic periods to Late
Roman times are Philippi, in the southeast of the plain, and Drama in
the north-northeast. Smaller settlements, typically of shorter life
spans, are related both to the landscape of the plain and to its two
main centers. Lespez also looks at the appropriation and cadastration
of the land. The effects of agriculture and a mixed economy of farming
and pastoralism are assessed, so too the effects of mineral
exploitation on the landscape and vegetation, particularly the
celebrated gold and silver mines of Mt. Pangaion mentioned by
Herodotos, Strabo, and Theophrastos, as well as the rich mines of
Skapte Hyle cited by Herodotos (VI.46) and well-known to Thucydides
(see IV.105.1). Much of the discussion here depends on the ancient
sources, as the precise location of the ancient mines remains a
problem, especially the location of Skapte Hyle, where Thucydides
himself may have had a mine, and I suspect that more work needs to be
done on this aspect in the future.[[5]] H. J. Unger has even suggested
that "Skapte Hyle" might be the Greek term based on a Thracian name for
the whole Pangaion range, not a specific place name within it.[[6]] It
is important to add that prehistoric use of north Aegean mines is
indicated at least as early as the early Mycenaean period, as several
of the silver objects from the Shaft Graves at Mycenae were made of
metal that can be traced to Chalkidike.[[7]] The third chapter deals in
a similar vein with the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. It begins with
the "Dark Ages" of the 7th-9th centuries, and the demographic revival
of the 10th-13th century, before Lespez deals with the crisis years of
the 14th century. As for the Ottoman period, the 15th through 17th
centuries witness a new system of agriculture, well known from
historical records, whereas the 18th and 19th centuries see yet more
changes. The primary agricultural products of the different parts of
the plain are quantified and discussed: cereals, grape vines, cotton,
and saffron. The level of detail here is incredible. For example, the
village of Agriani (278 inhabitants) grew only cereals, with some
grapes, whereas Kormista (334 inhabitants), produced more grapes than
cereals, together with a good amount of saffron (crocuses) and a little
cotton. For the Byzantine and Ottoman periods Lespez is able to look at
not only the plain but also the mountain areas bordering it with more
clarity than for earlier periods; this part of his study essentially
ends with the early 20th century.

In his conclusions (pp. 379-385), Lespez well summarizes the results of
his study with a series of eight cross-sections through part of the
plain of Drama and its mountainous border, from the beginnings of the
Holocene to today. Through his study of geology, geomorphology,
palynology, paleobiology, and historical sources, Lespez achieves what
many archaeologists dream about: he not only evocatively reconstructs a
landscape through time, but he is able to people that landscape and
understand and assess the effects of humanity on that landscape through
the longue dure/e. This is a model study from which all students of
archaeology will benefit.

The final part of the volume, "Cartes arche/ologiques de la plaine de
Philippes-Drama et de ses bordures", is penned by Hai+do
Koukouli-Chryssanthaki, Dimitra Malamidou, and Laurent Lespez (pp.
395-416). Two maps are presented that detail the locations and
available bibliography on all known sites in the Drama plain and its
mountainous borders. The first map lists sites of the Paleolithic,
Neolithic, Bronze Age (divided into Early Bronze Age, Late Bronze Age,
and "Bronze indiffe/rencie/"), and Early Iron Age; the second map lists
sites of the Classical/Hellenistic, Roman, and early Christian periods,
as well as the course of the Via Egnatia and the Aqueduct of Philippi;
the map also lists Roman bridges.

As we have come to expect from the publications of the Athens
Archaeological Society (this is No. 254 in the monograph series of the
Society), the quality of production is excellent. All of the
photographs, both color and black-and-white, as well as the figures,
are first-class. The quality of the illustrations is matched by the
quality of scholarship, and the authors of this volume should be proud
of their achievement.

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Notes:


1.   F.B. Welch, "Macedonia III: Prehistoric Pottery", Annual of the
British School at Athens 23, 1918-1919, 44-50; as Welch notes (p. 44),
the pottery was picked up on the surface of the mound.

2.   R. Treuil (ed.), Dikili Tash, village pre/historique de Mace/doine
orientale I: Fouilles de Jean Deshayes (1961-1975) (BCH Supple/ment
24), Paris 1992; id.  Dikili Tash, village pre/historique de Mace/doine
orientale II: Fouilles de Jean Deshayes (1961-1975) (BCH Supple/ment
37), Paris 2004.

3.   C. Vita-Finzi, The Mediterranean Valleys: Geological Change in
Historical Times, Cambridge 1969; D.A. Davidson and M.L. Shackley
(eds.), Geoarchaeology: Earth Science and the Past, London 1976; J.L.
Bintliff, Natural Environment and Human Settlement in Prehistoric
Greece (BAR Supplementary Series 28), Oxford 1977; T.H. van Andel and
C. Runnels, Beyond the Acropolis: A Rural Greek Past, Stanford 1987;
A.G. Brown, Alluvial Geoarchaeology: Floodplain Archaeology and
Environmental Change, Cambridge 1997.

4.   For the excavations at Sitagroi, see C. Renfrew, M. Gimbutas, and
E.S. Elster, eds., Excavations at Sitagroi: A Prehistoric Village in
Northeast Greece, Vol. 1. Los Angeles 1986; E.S. Elster and C. Renfrew,
eds., Prehistoric Sitagroi: Excavations in Northeast Greece, 1968-1970.
Vol. 2: The Final Report, Los Angeles 2003.

5.   As Simon Hornblower notes (A Commentary on Thucydides, Vol. II,
Books IV-V.24, Oxford 1996, 335), "Marcellinus 47 locates Thucydides'
property at Skapte Hyle, but it is generally discounted as a guess
based on Herodotus VI.46. We simply do not know more than Thucydides
chooses to tell us here, namely that the mines were in the
'neighbouring district' of Thrace...i.e. near Amphipolis/Eion."

6.   H.G. Unger, "Das Pangaion: Ein altes Bergbauzentrum in
Ostmakedonien", Praehistorische Zeitschrift 62, 1987, 87-112.

7.   It has been suggested by Z.A. Stos-Gale and C.F. Macdonald
("Sources of Metals and Trade in the Bronze Age Aegean", in N.H. Gale
[ed.], Bronze Age Trade in the Mediterranean: Papers Presented at the
Conference Held at Rewly House, Oxford, in December 1989, Jonsered
1991, 273-79) that six of the 14 silver objects from the Shaft Graves
at Mycenae analyzed at Oxford reveal lead isotope data consistent with
Chalkidike; for further discussion and references, see J.K.
Papadopoulos, "Euboians in Macedonia? A Closer Look", Oxford Journal of
Archaeology 15(2), 1996, 173.