Books by Ioannis Moschos
During the entire Mycenaean period Achaea maintains relations - direct or indirect ones - wit... more During the entire Mycenaean period Achaea maintains relations - direct or indirect ones - with the rest of the known world. Not only with the regions of the large mainland centers, but with the Aegean islands too, such as Rhodes and Crete and even further as far as Cyprus.Imported artifacts have come from Syro-Palestine and Egypt to the east, Italy and central Europe to the west. Achaea in turn would export its products to the coast and the inland areas around the Corinthian Gulf, to the Argolid, to the northern neighbors in Aitolia (Thermos) and Acarnania (Loutraki), Elis, the Ionian Islands, even reaching the Italian peninsula and Adriatic Sea. During the 12th and 11th centuries B.C., Achaea seems to have been taking part in the regional commerce, taking advantage of a road network that had been created and maintained, with the axis towards Elis being probably the most important; this network also facilitated indirect contact with other regions and ports outside its immediate control, thus providing access to goods traded away from the Achaean coasts. Achaea was also actively involved in sea-trade, particularly in the safe waters of the Corinthian Gulf, indirectly benefiting from the roads that reached the northern coast of the gulf from Epirus and central Greece. It is not known whether Achaean merchants organized voyages to the Adriatic and Italy, where Achaean LH III C pottery has been found. Contact with these regions, proved to be beneficiary in the shaping of local Achaean culture. At the same time, this culture haw also influenced its neighbors.
The study of the data regarding Mycenaean Achaea is expected to yield valuable new elements that will help reconstruct all aspects of this unique culture. The Society for the Study of Mycenaean Achaea aims at helping this effort and coordinating the endeavors of all those who are interested in the region's prehistory. At the same time, the society will also work for the promotion of Achaean culture in a way that will help put Achaea in its rightly deserved place in Greek prehistory.
The book is sent free of charge to the members of the Society.
The Prehistoric Periods is the first volume in a series of publications where the results of the ... more The Prehistoric Periods is the first volume in a series of publications where the results of the Danish/ Greek excavations 1995 to 2001 in Ancient Chalkis in Aetolia, are published. For the first time ever, stratigraphically excavated deposits from the Final Neolithic, the Early Helladic, Middle Helladic and the Late Helladic periods in Northwestern Greece are published and presented in their proper scientific contexts. In addition to the archaeological contexts geological surveys in the area and studies in the fauna of marine shells and animal bones from the prehistoric layers are submitted. The results are supported by a series of C14 dates.
Papers by Ioannis Moschos
THE MYCΕNAEAN CEMETERY AT PORTES
The prehistoric cemetery at Portes lies in SW Achaea on the bor... more THE MYCΕNAEAN CEMETERY AT PORTES
The prehistoric cemetery at Portes lies in SW Achaea on the border with Elis. The site comprised part of a wider communication network that connected central Greece and western Peloponnese via the Gulf of Corinth. Archaeological research has revealed all types of burial monuments spanning the Mycenaean times. The architecture, the burial customs, and the rich burial offerings are representative of a complex social and political structure.
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Books by Ioannis Moschos
The study of the data regarding Mycenaean Achaea is expected to yield valuable new elements that will help reconstruct all aspects of this unique culture. The Society for the Study of Mycenaean Achaea aims at helping this effort and coordinating the endeavors of all those who are interested in the region's prehistory. At the same time, the society will also work for the promotion of Achaean culture in a way that will help put Achaea in its rightly deserved place in Greek prehistory.
The book is sent free of charge to the members of the Society.
Papers by Ioannis Moschos
The prehistoric cemetery at Portes lies in SW Achaea on the border with Elis. The site comprised part of a wider communication network that connected central Greece and western Peloponnese via the Gulf of Corinth. Archaeological research has revealed all types of burial monuments spanning the Mycenaean times. The architecture, the burial customs, and the rich burial offerings are representative of a complex social and political structure.
The study of the data regarding Mycenaean Achaea is expected to yield valuable new elements that will help reconstruct all aspects of this unique culture. The Society for the Study of Mycenaean Achaea aims at helping this effort and coordinating the endeavors of all those who are interested in the region's prehistory. At the same time, the society will also work for the promotion of Achaean culture in a way that will help put Achaea in its rightly deserved place in Greek prehistory.
The book is sent free of charge to the members of the Society.
The prehistoric cemetery at Portes lies in SW Achaea on the border with Elis. The site comprised part of a wider communication network that connected central Greece and western Peloponnese via the Gulf of Corinth. Archaeological research has revealed all types of burial monuments spanning the Mycenaean times. The architecture, the burial customs, and the rich burial offerings are representative of a complex social and political structure.
Following a burial in a Mycenaean chamber tomb, the stomion was sealed as a rule by means of a dry stone wall and more rarely by a stone door. Generations of archaeologists have grown up with this assertion so that when excavating a chamber tomb we are certain in advance what awaits us at the doorway. Every time the dry stone wall or stone door is esposed, the conviction finds further substantiation. But can we be sure of this, or is there perhaps something we are overlooking? In the following article a new proposal is put forward: when an excavation reaches the dry stone wall or the stomion of a tomb, we must ask ourselves whether originally a wooden door stood in front of it. Characteristic examples of the existence of wooden doors in Mycenaean tombs are considered and, among other things, the various support mechanisms of wooden doors are discussed. The presence of wooden doors is linked on the one hand to Mycenaean eschatological concepts and on the other to the good state of preservation of the dry stone walls.
Ξύλινες θύρες θαλαμωτών τάφων.
Το σφράγισμα του στομίου των θαλαμωτών τάφων μετά από μία μυκηναϊκή κηδεία γινόταν ως επί το πλείστον με το χτίσιμο της ξερολιθιάς και σπανιότερα με τη χρήση μίας λίθινης θύρας. Η παραπάνω φράση μεγάλωσε γενιές αρχαιολόγων, ώστε όταν σκάβουμε έναν θαλαμωτό τάφο να είμαστε σίγουροι εκ των προτέρων για το τί περίπου θα συναντήσουμε στην είσοδο. Και όταν αποκαλύπτεται η ξερολιθιά, ή η λίθινη θύρα, η παραπάνω πρόταση επιβεβαιώνεται για μία ακόμα φορά. Πρέπει, όμως, να είμαστε σίγουροι, ή μήπως υπάρχει και κάτι άλλο που παραβλέπουμε; Στο κείμενο που ακολουθεί παρουσιάζεται μία νέα πρόταση: Όταν κατά την ανασκαφή συναντούμε την ξερολιθιά ή το στόμιο ενός τάφου, πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να αναρωτηθούμε εάν μπροστά από αυτά υπήρχε κάποτε μία ξύλινη θύρα. Εξετάζονται χαρακτηριστικές περιπτώσεις ύπαρξης ξύλινων θυρών σε μυκηναϊκούς τάφους και προσεγγίζονται οι διάφοροι τρόποι στήριξης της ξύλινης θύρας. Η παρουσία των ξύλινων θυρών συσχετίζεται με μυκηναϊκές εσχατολογικές αντιλήψεις και συνδέεται με την καλή διατήρηση των ξερολιθιών έως τις μέρες μας.
Western Achaea and the Ionian Islands are of strategic importance for maritime traffic and communication of all kinds between Greece and Italy. Controlling this region means to control the goods exchange between central and eastern Mediterranean. At the same time it also means to be the first area affected by military aggressors which originate in and operate from the Adriatic Sea.
Thus, it is not surprising to detect strong influence from Italy in the local Achaean and Cephalonian weapons technology during the 12th and 11th centuries BC and particularly in Naue II swords of types Cetona and Allerona, spearheads with cast socket, a dagger of Pertosa type and greaves with wire fittings.
A fundamental issue related to the weapons of relative Italian typology is their provenance, on which all further perspectives of interpretation depend. One of our research aims is to answer precisely the question if these Italian-type bronzes are imports from the Adriatic regions or local products made according to central Mediterranean prototypes. We do not study these weapons based only on their typology, but we also try to answer these questions taking in consideration the technological knowledge as well as the respective methods of the era.
On the one hand EDXRF as well as lead isotope analyses are made to get an overview over the chemical composition of the objects. These can give us information about the provenance of the metal and at least about the location of the ore deposit used for the production of the metal. On the other hand, we analyse the construction schemata of these weapons which are directly connected to the combat style. By these analyses of typology, archeometry and technology we aim at explaining the changes in fighting techniques from the 13th to the 11th century BC.
Σε μια "πλεκτή" παρουσίαση, οι αρχαιολόγοι Γιάννης Μόσχος και Έλενα Παρτίδα αναπτύσσουν θέματα σχετικά με θαλάσσιους, χερσαίους και ποτάμιους δρόμους, τα μονοπάτια λατόμων, αθλητών και προσκυνητών, τις διαδρομές εμπόρων, πρώτων υλών και φορτίων οικοδομικού υλικού με προεκτάσεις στις πολιτισμικές επαφές, τη διάδοση καλλιτεχνικών παραδόσεων, τους οδικούς άξονες σε στρατιωτικο-πολιτικό, αρχιτεκτονικό και ιστορικό πλαίσιο, τον πολεοδομικό σχεδιασμό κ.ά. Η πρωτοτυπία έγκειται στην έμπλεκτη προσέγγιση των θεμάτων, καθώς ο ένας ομιλητής δίνει "πάσα" στον άλλον, καθιστώντας τους ακροατές ταξιδιώτες σε δρόμους διαφόρων περιόδων της αρχαιότητας.
Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Περιβάλλοντος 2015 / Πράσινες Πολιτισμικές Διαδρομές / "Με το ποδήλατο στο μουσείο" (Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Πατρών / Patras Archaeological Museum - International Day of Environment 2015)