Like the Geometric graves the Protocorinthian may be divided into related groups on the evidence of type, orientation, and position in relation one to another. While we may be reason- ably confident of the validity of these groupings we can draw far less evidence from them than from the Geometric groups, first because there was no central focal point from which later burials spread outward, and second because only eight of the sixty-five graves included pottery and two more other objects which may afford clues as to date.
In the paucity of grave offerings we are again reduced to the evidence afforded by the burials themselves for their identification as belonging to the period of Protocorinthian ware. Two of the graves (Nos. 69-70) were urn burials of infants, identifiable by the pottery associated with them. Two (Nos. 101 and 119) were earth burials which contained no pottery. These could as well have been of the Geometric period as of the Protocorinthian. One, Grave 101, lay just to the south of the southeast corner of the peribolos wall of Group A. In that position it was isolated from all other Geometric graves, and in an area thickly sown with later ones. The material of its cover was not recorded; nor was the skeleton well enough preserved to observe the position of the body, except that the head had been toward the south. The isolation of this grave from other Geometric burials and its very shallow depth below the surface (1 m.) suggest that it belonged to the later period. Grave 119, an earth burial covered by a sandstone slab, could again belong to the Geometric period, though no other grave of the time lay in the immediate vicinity.
All the other Protocorinthian graves were sarcophagus burials. A glance at the plan (Plan 3) will show them thickly clustered to the south of the peribolos and some distance out from it to north and northwest. Evidently the general areas occupied by the Geometric graves were still known, and avoided. One grave (No. 124) lay close beside the east wall of the enclosure of Group A, evidently placed with reference to it. These later graves were set at notably less depth than their predecessors. Few lay as deep as two meters below the surface; most were at a depth of 1.50 m. more or less, and the small sarcophagi of children (recognizable by their size; there were twenty-four) were even more shallowly buried. No doubt the type of burial in sealed stone sarcophagi seemed to require less depth than the earlier earth burials.
As with the Geometric the Protocorinthian burials were oriented either east-west or north- south: thirty-five east-west, twenty-eight north-south. Of the first group twenty-six contained skeletons with heads toward the east, one (Grave 92) with head at the west; and of the second nine with heads toward the south and one (Grave 99) with head at the north; in six graves the skeletons had been disturbed, and in twenty the skeletons were so disintegrated that it was impossible to know the direction of the heads. The contracted position of burial continued, however, to be the rule; thirty graves contained contracted skeletons and only one (Grave 92) a skeleton laid on its back, but with the knees drawn up. These statistics of orientation and skeletal position indicate an uninterrupted continuation of the practices of Geometric times.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
THE PROTOCORINTHIAN GRAVES 51 The gradual development of earlier times from the simple earth burial to the slab sarcophagus and finally to the sarcophagus hollowed from a single block has been noted above, as has also the early prevalence of sandstone and the gradual introduction of poros as a building material.
By the seventh century both processes are virtually complete: of sixty-one sarcophagus burials fifty-seven were contained in coffins hollowed from single blocks of poros, two (Graves 68 and 111) in receptacles of sandstone-Grave 68 in a slab sarcophagus, 111 in a unique container made by hollowing a block from above and from below and setting it upon a separate floor- slab-and two (Graves 126 and 127) in sarcophagi built from slabs of limestone. Presumably these four exceptions to the general rule should be transitional types, and therefore earlier than the common poros sarcophagus burials. None of them contained any vases, however, by which they might be dated. Grave 68, associated with a group (Group H) of five other burials and two urn burials of infants (Graves 63-70), should by association belong to the period of Middle Protocorinthian pottery; as such it would be one of the earliest burials of the Proto- corinthian type. Graves 68 and 126, and the earth burial 119, were covered by sandstone slabs;
in addition two of the poros sarcophagi (Graves 113 and 114) were similarly covered. All the other graves, including 127, had covers of poros.
It is perhaps noteworthy that three of the "transitional" type burials made in sarcophagi built of slabs (Graves 68 and 126-127) showed stucco on the inner faces of the sarcophagus walls. No doubt the stucco was added to these built containers both to fasten the separate parts more firmly together, and to seal the interiors from the infiltration of earth through the cracks.
Two of the ordinary sarcophagi hollowed from single blocks of poros (Graves 75 and 125) also showed stucco on the inner wall faces, here hardly necessary to hold the coffins together or to prevent earth from filtering in through cracks at the corners, though the stucco may have served along the upper edge to seal and cement the lids in place. Of the other fifty-five hewn sarcophagi of poros twenty-three showed inner wall faces rough-picked as if for the adherence of coats of stucco which had never been put on; the rest seem to have been smooth finished, in any case no remarks are made in the notebooks about their finish. The stuccoing of the inner walls of sarcophagi became common in later phases of the North Cemetery, in the sixth and fifth centuries. No doubt the practice had its origin in the cementing together of sarcophagi made up of separate slabs, but in the hewn sarcophagi its only purpose can have been elegance and fine finish.
The filling of earth within these sarcophagi varied from a deposit only one or two centimeters in depth over the floor to one which filled the entire space up to the rim. As the lids (when undisturbed) fitted tightly over the sarcophagus rims, there was little chance for the infiltration of earth, and we must probably assume that in most cases the earth deposits found in the sarcophagi were what they had contained when they were sealed. If this is the case, these graves, like the Geometric graves before them, reflect a diversity of practice in this matter:
some filled with earth to the top, others with a mere sprinkling of earth-perhaps ceremonial- before they were covered and buried.
The eight graves which contained (or were contained in) pots produced a total of twenty-three vases. These were mostly rather poor and of common types which need no detailed study. The earliest groups (Graves 63, 65, 69 and 70) included vases of the Middle Protocorinthian phase, belonging to the first half of the seventh century; the later (Graves 78 and 87) produced vases of Late Protocorinthian to Transitional style of the third quarter of the century; and two graves (90 and 112) produced only handmade jugs which are hardly to be dated. An ivory brooch from
4*
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
Grave 113 and an Egyptian scarab from Grave 109 serve only to confirm the general seventh century dating of this phase of the cemetery. What is striking about this early period of the North Cemetery is the total absence of vases of the type produced so copiously in the western cemeteries, Cumae and Syracuse, especially the Necropoli del Fusco. Nor does there seem to be continuity (in the pottery at least) between the Geometric graves and the Protocorinthian.
The whole of the Early Protocorinthian phase, covering the last half of the eighth century, seems to be lacking; the Geometric krater 47-1 and the aryballos 40-1 doubtless are to be dated during this period, but neither can be called Protocorinthian in the conventional sense. The two kraters S-2 and S-3 might be called Early Protocorinthian rather than Geometric; but all of these vases leave a long gap covering the second half of the eighth century before the burials pick up again with Graves 63 and 65 in the seventh century. It is possible that other (and unexcavated) parts of the cemetery were used during this phase, though the general impression is that with the opening of more than five hundred graves a safely representative sampling was taken. Not even among the broken vases and fragments found scattered through the earth of the cemetery and presumably from graves disturbed by later burials is the so-called Early Protocorinthian Style represented. A few vases of common type of the Late Protocorinthian and Transitional styles were found; it has not seemed worth while to publish them here.
The evident gap in the continuity of burials is troubling. The small vases of Early Proto- corinthian fabric so commonly found in the West-skyphoi of Corinthian shape, aryballoi, small jugs-as well as in the nearer cemeteries of Eleusis and Athens, are lacking entirely.
Such small vases may well have been considered more suitable for export-the aryballoi in particular, for their content-than the large oinochoai and kraters which are rarely found in overseas cemeteries, but well represented in home territory. The kraters 47-1 and S-2 and -3 may well belong to the second half of the eighth century and the Early Protocorinthian phase;
in fact they probably do. But even if they are accepted as Protocorinthian rather than Geometric productions we have still only three vases from the North Cemetery to fill the gap in the second half of the eighth century.
CATALOGUE GROUP H
GRAVES 63-70
Six graves to west and northwest of the early enclosure wall. Four of these, Graves 63-66, were evidently laid down with reference to one another, fairly evenly spaced and with the same north-south orientation. The other two, 67-68, are close by but with east-west orientation. Grave 68, at some little distance to the south, was probably the latest; the burials would thus seem to have been made from the north southward. Two urn burials (69 and 70) just to the east of Grave 63 may have belonged with the group, though they may equally have belonged with two graves still farther to the east, 122-123. As these ten burials are the only ones of this type and period in this part of the cemetery they should perhaps be grouped together; but we have made two groups, H and P, to either of which the urn burials may have belonged.
GRAVE 63
Plans 1 (4 E), 3; Pls. 12, 102.
Depth below surface 1.85 m.
Orientation North-South.
Poros sarcophagus and lid, undisturbed.
Cover intact. I,. 1.55 m.; w. 0.77 m.; th. 0.13 m.
Sarcophagus: inside L. 1.25 m.; w. 0.595; d. 0.425 m.; th. at rim 0.085 m.
The walls rough-picked inside, but not stuccoed.
Earth deposit: approximately 0.045 m. deep.
Skeleton: contracted on left side, head to south.
Contents: an unpainted buff amphora in front of the chest of the skeleton; an aryballos at the south end of the sarcophagus; an iron pin at the right shoulder of the skeleton.
63-1 (T 2594) Unpainted Amphora. P1. 12.
H. 0.283 m.; max. d. 0.226 m.
The surface flaked in places; otherwise intact.
Handmade and stroke-polished; unglazed. Evidently
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
CATALOGUE: GROUP H 53 imitated from a metal vase, as suggested by the
flaring ring foot and fine raised ring above it, and the flat raised plates at the bases of the handles. The handles pared to eight flat surfaces.
63-2 (T 2595) Aryballos. P1. 12.
A.J.A., XXXIV, 1930, p. 417, fig. 11, right.
H. 0.064 m.; max. d. 0.043 m.
Intact. Buff Corinthian clay, dull glaze, black to brownish. Low ring foot and pointed body curving to a moderately flat shoulder. The foot glazed; above it a zone of rays. Around the body two pairs of glaze bands, each band decorated with a stripe of added color: on the upper band of each pair, violet-purple, on the lower dull red. Between the pairs of bands a zone decorated with dot rosettes. On the shoulder, hound coursing hare toward the left, the bodies in silhouette and decorated each with a stripe of violet- purple paint. Rays around the opening of the mouth, surrounded by a glaze ring decorated with a stripe of violet-purple paint. Glaze bands down the center and outer edges of the handle; ring on the bottom inside the foot.
Middle Protocorinthian; cf. Johansen p. 75, fig. 46, pl. XV.
63-3 (T 2596) Iron Pin.
L. 0.097 m.
Broken in three pieces; badly rusted and corroded.
The shaft appears to have been flat, pointed at one end, bent over at the other.
GRAVE 64
Plans 1 (4 E), 3.
Depth below surface 1.95 m.
Orientation North-South.
Poros sarcophagus and lid, disturbed and reused by a later burial (Grave 468). The cover had been broken; one piece remained in place, while others had been replaced and gaps patched with tiles. An opening had been cut in the north end, through which extended the legs of the later skeleton.
Cover: L. 1.56 m.; w. 0.78 m.; th. 0.11 m.
Sarcophagus: inside L. 1.36 m.; w. 0.65 m.;
d. 0.40 m.; th. at rim 0.07 m.
The walls had been rough-picked inside, but not stuccoed.
Earth accumulation: full.
Skeleton: The bones of the original burial had been pushed over against the west wall of the sar- cophagus, and jumbled; the legs of the later skeleton filled the north end of the sarcophagus, inserted through an opening made in its north wall.
Contents: none.
GRAVE 65
Plans 1 (4 E), 3; P1. 12.
Depth below surface 1.90 m.
Orientation North-South.
Poros sarcophagus and cover, disturbed by the insertion of a second burial (Grave 469). The north end of the cover had been broken off, and the north end of the sarcophagus cut out.
Cover: P.1. 1.46 m.; w. 0.785 m.; th. 0.12 m.
Sarcophagus: inside L. 1.30 m.; w. 0.58 m.;
d. 0.385 m.; th. at rim 0.08 m.
The walls inside rough-picked but not stuccoed.
Earth accumulation: full.
Skeleton: two skeletons, the later laid on top of the original burial with its head toward the south and the legs extended through the hole cut in the north end. The bones were extremely jumbled and the position of the original skeleton could not be made out, except that the skull lay to the south;
probably contracted.
Contents: a Protocorinthian aryballos.
65-1 (T 2658) Aryballos. P1. 12.
A.J.A., XXXIV, 1930, p. 417, fig. 11, left; Art and Archaeology, XXXI, 1931, p. 228, left.
H. 0.068 m.; max. d. 0.039 m.
The neck broken and mended. Buff Corinthian clay, dull glaze, black to red, somewhat peeled. Low ring foot and ovoid body. Fine bands on and just above the foot, then a zone of rays. At top and bottom of body, six fine bands; in the zone between, three hounds coursing toward the right. In the spaces between the hounds, three and four dots; the third blank. A wide and a narrow band below the shoulder;
on it four crude spiral hooks toward the left. Rays around the opening of the mouth, encircled by two fine glaze lines. Horizontal bands across the handle.
No traces of added color.
Middle Protocorinthian; cf. Johansen, pl. XVI, 1 and 3.
The walls rough-picked inside but not stuccoed.
Earth deposit: approximately 0.10 m. deep.
Skeleton: contracted on left side, head in SE corner.
Contents: one iron pin, too corroded for measure- ment.
GRAVE 67
Plans 1 (4 E), 3.
Depth below surface 1.70 m.
Orientation East-West.
Poros sarcophagus and cover, undisturbed.
Cover intact. L. 1.64 m.; w. 0.77 m.; th. 0.13 m.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
Sarcophagus: inside L. 1.20 m.; w. 0.57 m.;
d. 0.35 m.; th. at rim 0.085 m.
The walls rough-picked inside but not stuccoed.
Earth deposit: approximately 0.12 deep.
Sarcophagus constructed of four sandstone slabs, joined at the corners by mortises; a fifth slab served as a floor. Inside dimensions: 1. 1.50 m.; w. 0.495 m.;
d. 0.515 m.; th. at rim 0.10 m.
The inner faces of the walls covered with a thin layer of fine stucco, well preserved.
Earth deposit: about 0.03 m. deep.
Skeleton: badly disintegrated; contracted, head to east.
Contents: two iron pins at the shoulders of the skeleton.
68-1 and 2 (T 1579-1580) Two Iron Pins.
L. 0.087 and 0.086 m.
Both badly rusted and swollen. The points preserved clearly, the heads seemingly flat rounded disks.
GRAVE 69
Plans 1 (4 D), 3; P1. 12.
Urn burial, just to the east of Grave 63.
Depth below surface 1.50 m.
The large amphora was found standing upright in the fill, its mouth covered by a flat slab of poros. As it lay too far from Grave 63 to be an outside offering belonging to that grave, it was probably the urn used for an infant burial. No traces of the skeleton re- mained inside, nor were there any other offerings.
69-1 (T 2186) Coarse Amphora. P1. 12.
H. 0.362 m.; max. d. 0.347 m.; d. at rim 0.256 m.
Mended from many pieces, with small fragments missing. Handmade of fine Corinthian clay, shading from buff to pink; stroke-polished and unglazed.
Plump round body slightly flattened at the bottom, where a shallow groove-ring outlines the resting surface. Wide straight neck and projecting rim.
Vertical handles, shoulder to neck just below rim;
the handles made in eight parts, the two outer pairs plain rolled, the inner pairs cabled. Four large pro- truding pellets of clay set in a row across the lower attachment of each handle.
For a handle of similar type see Weinberg, pi. 18, 134 (Early Protocorinthian).
GRAVE 70
Plans 1 (4 D), 3; P1. 12.
Urn burial, close to Grave 69 at the north.
Depth below surface 1.60 m.
The burial had evidently been disturbed, since the lower part of the containing amphora was missing and its mouth was not covered. A nest of five small vases was huddled against the shoulder of the amphora;
these were probably grave offerings placed outside the burial amphora. There were no traces of bones in the amphora.
70-1 (T 2566) Coarse Amphora. P1. 12.
P.h. 0.408 m.; max. d. 0.465 m.
Lower part of body and foot missing. Coarse Corinthian clay with gravelly bits, slipped at the surface, but most of the slip peeled away. Handmade.
Rounded body and straight neck; thick projecting rim and rolled handles.
70-2 (T 2569) Small Krater. P1. 12.
H. 0.081 m.; max. d. 0.101 m.
Broken and mended; small fragments missing, including one handle. Clay pale buff to pink, glaze red to brownish. Ring foot, inward curved shoulder, short upstanding rim, and band handles. Foot and lower body glazed with two reserved bands; above, bands to the handle level.
70-3 (T 2570) Kalathos. P1. 12.
H. 0.069 m.; d. at rim 0.091 m.
Part of the rim restored; chips missing. Fine Corinthian clay, buff to pink; glaze red to dull brown.
Flat bottom, walls flaring to a thickened rim, slightly projecting. A pair of string-holes for suspension just below the lip at one side. Decoration in sets of fine triple bands at bottom, rim, and halfway between;
the inside glazed. Two fine bands on the reserved upper face of rim.
For a similar kalathos, less developed in shape, see Johansen, p. 67, fig. 43 (Early Protocorinthian);
Weinberg, pl. 22, 150, dated in the third quarter of the seventh century. Our kalathos should fall between the two, certainly in the first half of the century.
70-4 (T 2571) Small Kotyle. P1. 12.
H. 0.055 m.; d. at rim 0.056 m.
Both handles and a large fragment from one side missing and restored. Buff clay, dull glaze black to red. Ring foot and pointed body. Two glaze bands on foot and above; on the lower body rays. The upper part glazed and decorated with a band of added white just below handle level. Crudely drawn rings and a central dot on the bottom inside the foot.
The very pointed shape suggests a late date, but
The very pointed shape suggests a late date, but