Featured Work [2020] The Seitani Cave in Northern Samos (Greece): Analysis and Publication of the Neolithic and Bronze Age Ceramic Assemblage

The cave site of Agriomernos (Megalo Seitani) is located in the northwest part of Samos Island (eastern Aegean). Recent excavations carried out by the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology-Spelaeology, Ministry of Culture and Sports at Athens (Directors: Dr Andreas Darlas and Dr Stella Katsarou), following its accidental discovery in 2016, have brought to light archaeological remains that reflect two different chronological periods of use, the Final Neolithic and the Middle Bronze Age.

Having being found intact from later disturbance, Agriomernos offers a unique opportunity to evaluate a securely-dated ceramic assemblage with strong morphostylistic parallels from the nearby east Aegean islands and sites in western Asia Minor. These artefacts were dispersed across the cave and around hearths of non-domestic use. The study and analysis of pottery, generously funded by MAT, complements previous and ongoing work undertaken by other members of the wider project, with the aim to shed light into the multi-purpose character and function of the site, and by extension to explore the nature of ceramic production and potting traditions. Agriomernos provides new research ground for understanding marginal landscapes of insular communities in a geographical area that lacked evidence for prehistoric habitation.

The grant from MAT was essential and allowed the study and analysis of the ceramic assemblage. It covered the expenses for the petrographic and chemical analysis (WD-XRF) of representative samples, including the preparation of thin-sections at the Fitch Laboratory (British School at Athens). The analytical results revealed a diverse ceramic assemblage in terms of mineralogical composition and provenance. While most of the pottery was produced locally, using a range of different raw material sources, secure intra- and off-island imports have also been identified.

For further information, please contact Dr. Sergios Menelaou at menelaou.sergios@gmail.com, or visit his profile at https://ucy.academia.edu/SergiosMenelaou. For more information on the wider project, contact Dr Stella Katsarou at stella@stellakatsarou.gr.