Selected papers and discussions from the Tenth Anniversary Symposion of the Norwegian Institute a... more Selected papers and discussions from the Tenth Anniversary Symposion of the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 12-16 May 1999
2)-that the composition of the Laconian PG pottery from Tegea is the same as that of the PG-LG po... more 2)-that the composition of the Laconian PG pottery from Tegea is the same as that of the PG-LG pottery from the site, suggesting a common origin for this material, but different to the Laconian PG from Amyclae; 3)-that the Laconian PG fabrics from Tegea and Laconia have the same composition, which, in turn, is the same as the Tegean PG/EG. (If so, we must broaden our definition of what Laconian PG actually is); 4)-that the Laconian PG from Tegea and the standard PG-LG from Tegea all have the same composition, indicating continuous local pottery production from at least 900 B.C. (If, for example, the LG is different from the Laconian PG and EG from Tegea, then we may conclude that there were different, yet still possibly local, clay beds being used.
The present paper reports results of an integrated study of a selection of pottery recovered from... more The present paper reports results of an integrated study of a selection of pottery recovered from the altar of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, Greece, dating from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age. A multi-analytical approach based on petrographic and chemical analysis, supported by refiring tests and geological sampling, has been employed to tackle issues of technology and provenance. Results shed light on patterns of raw material sources exploitation and pottery production and supply at the site over time.
The ash altar to Zeus, located on a peak of Mt. Lykaion (Greece), consists of a thick, anthropoge... more The ash altar to Zeus, located on a peak of Mt. Lykaion (Greece), consists of a thick, anthropogenic deposit that formed as a result of repeated deposition of burnt offerings. Excavations conducted from 2007 to 2010 uncovered evidence of a long history of use of the mountain summit as a purely ritual locality. Micromorphological analyses of sediment from the southern area of the altar confirm that a majority of the sedimentary components are microscopic artifacts sourced from combustion activities. The basal units comprise the remnants of a thin soil which contains inclusions of charcoal, burned bone, and fat-derived char and is associated with Mycenaean (sixteenth-twelfth centuries BC) materials. Ritual burning activities in the southern area peaked in the Protogeometric through Classical periods (tenth-fourth centuries BC), with intensive burning associated with the practice of thysia (ritual sacrifice) yielding a deposit in which the <2 mm particle size fraction is composed almost entirely of burned bone, wood ashes, charcoal, and other charred materials. Both the basal and uppermost portions of the sequence were impacted by decalcification, which resulted in the dissolution of ashes and surficial weathering of rock fragments. Postdepositional bioturbation also contributed to the observed distribution of archaeological materials within the feature. The geoarchaeological analyses suggest that similar types of burning activities were conducted in Mycenaean and later times. This finding is relevant to hypothesized continuity of cult between the Bronze and Iron Ages and makes Mt. Lykaion one of the very few sites in the entire Greek world where ritual continuity can be demonstrated.
This paper reports the results of the application of a calcined bone dating protocol to samples c... more This paper reports the results of the application of a calcined bone dating protocol to samples collected from the Sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion in southern Greece. The site is a mountaintop ash altar rich in anthropogenic sediments, burned bone, and artifacts offered to the god Zeus. Experiments involving time series hydrolysis measurements were conducted on calcined bones from stratified layers throughout the sequence to determine if any of the samples underwent surface contamination from carbonate exchange with the surrounding sedimentary matrix. It was determined that such exchange was unlikely, but samples were acid-etched before pretreatment as a precautionary measure. Paired samples of seeds, charcoal, and calcined animal bone collected from a sediment column in the altar demonstrate the effectiveness of the calcined bone dating technique in this context. The results of dating indicate that the altar was in use from the Mycenaean period through the late Classical period, though samples were not collected from the upper levels of the site due to possible mixing of surface sediments. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements were taken and crystallinity index values calculated, confirming that the bone samples are indeed calcined. The results presented here correspond with literary accounts of ritual animal sacrifice from historical texts from the 8th century BCE, including the Homeric epics.
... I am indebted to the many students who helped us to sort through the finds, and to draw the p... more ... I am indebted to the many students who helped us to sort through the finds, and to draw the pottery in the field, especially Theresa Moreno and Heather Russell. ... 9. Desborough 1952,283-90; Coldstream 1968,212-9; Cartledge 1979,81-6; Coulson 1985. 10. ...
Papers from the third international seminar on Ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute a... more Papers from the third international seminar on Ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7-10 May 200
Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2021
Abstract:Recent excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion have revealed evidence for ri... more Abstract:Recent excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion have revealed evidence for ritual activity at the ash altar of Zeus from the Mycenaean through the Hellenistic period. Indications of continuous activity at this cult place beginning in the Late Bronze Age invite consideration of possible connections between this site and others in the Peloponnese, including the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. Although altars composed of ash became fairly common in the Early Iron Age, we propose that the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and its impressive ash altar may have been inspired by key aspects of the much older cult place at Mt. Lykaion, which it ultimately overshadowed in subsequent centuries.
Selected papers and discussions from the Tenth Anniversary Symposion of the Norwegian Institute a... more Selected papers and discussions from the Tenth Anniversary Symposion of the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 12-16 May 1999
2)-that the composition of the Laconian PG pottery from Tegea is the same as that of the PG-LG po... more 2)-that the composition of the Laconian PG pottery from Tegea is the same as that of the PG-LG pottery from the site, suggesting a common origin for this material, but different to the Laconian PG from Amyclae; 3)-that the Laconian PG fabrics from Tegea and Laconia have the same composition, which, in turn, is the same as the Tegean PG/EG. (If so, we must broaden our definition of what Laconian PG actually is); 4)-that the Laconian PG from Tegea and the standard PG-LG from Tegea all have the same composition, indicating continuous local pottery production from at least 900 B.C. (If, for example, the LG is different from the Laconian PG and EG from Tegea, then we may conclude that there were different, yet still possibly local, clay beds being used.
The present paper reports results of an integrated study of a selection of pottery recovered from... more The present paper reports results of an integrated study of a selection of pottery recovered from the altar of Zeus, Mount Lykaion, Arcadia, in the Peloponnese, Greece, dating from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age. A multi-analytical approach based on petrographic and chemical analysis, supported by refiring tests and geological sampling, has been employed to tackle issues of technology and provenance. Results shed light on patterns of raw material sources exploitation and pottery production and supply at the site over time.
The ash altar to Zeus, located on a peak of Mt. Lykaion (Greece), consists of a thick, anthropoge... more The ash altar to Zeus, located on a peak of Mt. Lykaion (Greece), consists of a thick, anthropogenic deposit that formed as a result of repeated deposition of burnt offerings. Excavations conducted from 2007 to 2010 uncovered evidence of a long history of use of the mountain summit as a purely ritual locality. Micromorphological analyses of sediment from the southern area of the altar confirm that a majority of the sedimentary components are microscopic artifacts sourced from combustion activities. The basal units comprise the remnants of a thin soil which contains inclusions of charcoal, burned bone, and fat-derived char and is associated with Mycenaean (sixteenth-twelfth centuries BC) materials. Ritual burning activities in the southern area peaked in the Protogeometric through Classical periods (tenth-fourth centuries BC), with intensive burning associated with the practice of thysia (ritual sacrifice) yielding a deposit in which the <2 mm particle size fraction is composed almost entirely of burned bone, wood ashes, charcoal, and other charred materials. Both the basal and uppermost portions of the sequence were impacted by decalcification, which resulted in the dissolution of ashes and surficial weathering of rock fragments. Postdepositional bioturbation also contributed to the observed distribution of archaeological materials within the feature. The geoarchaeological analyses suggest that similar types of burning activities were conducted in Mycenaean and later times. This finding is relevant to hypothesized continuity of cult between the Bronze and Iron Ages and makes Mt. Lykaion one of the very few sites in the entire Greek world where ritual continuity can be demonstrated.
This paper reports the results of the application of a calcined bone dating protocol to samples c... more This paper reports the results of the application of a calcined bone dating protocol to samples collected from the Sanctuary of Zeus on Mt. Lykaion in southern Greece. The site is a mountaintop ash altar rich in anthropogenic sediments, burned bone, and artifacts offered to the god Zeus. Experiments involving time series hydrolysis measurements were conducted on calcined bones from stratified layers throughout the sequence to determine if any of the samples underwent surface contamination from carbonate exchange with the surrounding sedimentary matrix. It was determined that such exchange was unlikely, but samples were acid-etched before pretreatment as a precautionary measure. Paired samples of seeds, charcoal, and calcined animal bone collected from a sediment column in the altar demonstrate the effectiveness of the calcined bone dating technique in this context. The results of dating indicate that the altar was in use from the Mycenaean period through the late Classical period, though samples were not collected from the upper levels of the site due to possible mixing of surface sediments. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements were taken and crystallinity index values calculated, confirming that the bone samples are indeed calcined. The results presented here correspond with literary accounts of ritual animal sacrifice from historical texts from the 8th century BCE, including the Homeric epics.
... I am indebted to the many students who helped us to sort through the finds, and to draw the p... more ... I am indebted to the many students who helped us to sort through the finds, and to draw the pottery in the field, especially Theresa Moreno and Heather Russell. ... 9. Desborough 1952,283-90; Coldstream 1968,212-9; Cartledge 1979,81-6; Coulson 1985. 10. ...
Papers from the third international seminar on Ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute a... more Papers from the third international seminar on Ancient Arcadia, held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7-10 May 200
Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, 2021
Abstract:Recent excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion have revealed evidence for ri... more Abstract:Recent excavations at the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion have revealed evidence for ritual activity at the ash altar of Zeus from the Mycenaean through the Hellenistic period. Indications of continuous activity at this cult place beginning in the Late Bronze Age invite consideration of possible connections between this site and others in the Peloponnese, including the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia. Although altars composed of ash became fairly common in the Early Iron Age, we propose that the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and its impressive ash altar may have been inspired by key aspects of the much older cult place at Mt. Lykaion, which it ultimately overshadowed in subsequent centuries.
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Papers by Mary Voyatzis