The late 7th century was, as we should expect from the amount of Corinthian pot- tery produced at that time, one of the periods of greatest building activity. Some of the walls, however, which were assigned to that period may represent early 6th century al- terations in the 7th century factory buildings; the type of masonry, rubble without cut blocks, probably remained unchanged during the early part of the 6th century. Still later alterations are represented by a few walls exhibiting a type of rubble masonry which contains cut blocks. Most of these have been mentioned earlier20 and are of slight im- portance.
One structure, however, which seems to be entirely datable in the 6th century, prob- ably rather early, is the North Long Building, which extends from near the third tower of the City Wall northward as far as the square angle tower. Only the west wall of this building, part of the south wall, and a few bits of cross wall are preserved. The west wall, like that of the South Long Building, runs exactly parallel to the early 7th century fortifi- cation wall at the west edge of the hill, leaving a roadway of uniform width between. The original length of the North Building is unknown, as its entire south end has been re-
20 See pages 17, 8, and 20.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
built; this later part may have replaced an earlier structure, or it may have been built as an extension of the original building.
The northern part of the west wall is of carefully laid rubble masonry, containing many cut blocks. Its average width is 45 cm. and the preserved height is 50-60 cm. About 16 meters from its south end the wall bends at an obtuse angle to follow the line of the early fortification wall. Southward from this angle the construction of the wall becomes quite different and undoubtedly indicates a later date. In this section very large cut blocks alternate with equal stretches of rubble masonry (Plate 2 D, upper right). The blocks vary considerably in size, ranging from 40 to go cm. in height, from 35 to 45 cm.
in width, and from 80 cm. to I.50 m. in length. The south wall of the building is also formed of very large cut blocks with a little rubble construction (Plate 4 A, lower center).
Very little was found inside the building, except for a small amount of pottery at its southwest corner, but in the roadway outside the sherd deposit was enormous.2 From the road alone outside this building, employing about ten men and digging largely with knives, we obtained from fifteen to twenty baskets of sherds a day. From the entire road- way, stretching from the angle tower of the City Wall to the point outside the second tower where the road disappears over the cliff, about 350 baskets of pottery were ob- tained, an extremely large amount when one considers that the deposit in most places was only I0-20 cm. in depth.22 While the pottery found outside the South Long Building was mostly of the Corinthian Orientalizing style, much of that from outside the North Building was considerably later in date, some being of the Conventionalizing style which is typical of the late 6th century and early 5th, and some being of a ware with very poor, plain black glaze which seems to be characteristic of the 5th century.23 One of the poorest fragments, a skyphos base, bore the signature of the potter Echekles. From a study of the disposition of pottery in the area, I should be inclined to place the north end of the North Long Building in the early 6th century, or even the 7th, and the rebuilding of the south end, with its large cut blocks, in the 5th century.24
Probably contemporary with the reconstruction of the North Long Building is a repair in the early fortification wall, coming at a point about opposite the south end of the North Building. The repair seems to have consisted in filling in with cut blocks a narrow gat e which existed in the early wall (see pp. 14 f.).
A small group of walls which lies immediately inside the northwest angle of the City Wall is probably also to be assigned to the 6th century. These walls are of inferior rubble
21I was interested to observe in Lower Messenia, in the region of Kandianika, an important modern center for the manufacture of pithoi and water jars, that many of the roads are paved with sherds and refuse from the kilns.
22 Of this amount about 255 baskets came from the roadway outside the North Long Building, while less than 100 were obtained from outside the much longer South Building.
23 A curious exception to the fairly homogeneous character of the sherd deposit in the northern part of the roadway is the Aryballos Deposit (D3, Plan A on Plate 5I). This was located about 6 m. north of the south end of the North Long Building, and fairly close to the early fortification wall. It consisted of a few figurines, a large quantity of sherds, and about 200 vases of various shapes, over half of which were ary- balloi or alabastra. Nearly all were datable in the last quarter of the 7th century.
24 We may possibly specify the first half of the century, since the only other large cut block comparable to those in this building is the one forming the east wall of Stelai Shrine A, which was abandoned probably in the second half of the 5th century.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
construction, built of large, rough stones, mostly conglomerate; the preserved height varies from 0.50 to I.IO m. In their present fragmentary condition they present a rather meaningless plan. They contained a considerable quantity of Geometric Proto-Corin- thian sherds, and others which are probably Middle Corinthian. These were found espe- cially in the earth actually adhering to the walls and likewise among the stones.
The problems concerning the dates of the various shrines in the Potters' Quarter are extremely difficult of solution. The deposits found in them afford evidence for the date of their discontinuance, not necessarily of their original construction. Both the actual and relative chronology, therefore, which is suggested for them is based on bits of evi- dence which are not wholly conclusive.
It is my opinion that the earliest shrines are those already published,25 two extremely small, rectangular enclosures, either one furnished with two stelai standing side by side.
The probability is that these shrines, being nearly identical in construction, are contem- porary. The only evidence for supposing them to be the earliest of the sanctuaries in the Potters' Quarter lies in the fact that the large deposit in one of them much antedates the contents of any of the other shrines. The vases and figurines in this deposit are for the most part datable in the first half of the 5th century; the shrine itself is probably still earlier, although there seems to be no evidence for a date earlier than the second half of the 6th century.26
A brief account only of these two shrines will be necessary, since their stelai will be dealt with in another chapter (pp. 72 f., Nos. I-IV). The first shrine, A (Plate 5 B-D), immediately inside the outer wall of the South Long Building, about 9 m. from the south- west corner of the building, is an enclosure 1.27 m. wide (north and south) by 1.15 m.
(east and west). There is no north wall, the east wall consists of a single large cut block, and the south and west walls are of rubble construction, ca. 45 cm. in width. The re-used block (Plate 5 C and D) which forms the east wall is right side up; it is 36 cm. wide, 1.2 7 m. long and 45 cm. high, and has a narrow drafting along the upper inside edge and anathyrosis on the north end. Continuing the line of the south wall from its juncture with the west wall is a short section of wall, twice as wide and more deeply bedded, which joins the outer wall of the South Long Building and must from its similar construction be of the same 7th century date. There is no bond between this section and the south wall of the shrine which from its lighter construction and higher level must be of later date. The block forming the east wall must have been placed even later than the south wall, prob- ably not long before the abandonment of the shrine. Its source is unknown, but is perhaps the same as that which provided the large blocks for the rebuilding of the North Long Building (see page 21). The likelihood is that the shrine was located in a room of the South Long Building but constructed there at a later date, presumably in the second half of the 6th century, and that it was buried soon after the middle of the 5th century, its east wall being added at that time or not long before.
25 A.J.A., XXXV, I93I, PP. 2-4.
26 This shrine is contained in the South Long Building, and perhaps the other shrine also, if the strag- gling wall (B) to the south end of which it is attached can be considered a part of that building (see p. i6).
This connection indicates little more than that the South Building was probably still in use in the 6th century.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
The earth floor of the enclosure slopes downward to the north. When they were found, the two stelai (p. 72, Nos. I and II) stood side by side, leaning slightly backward (Plate 5 B); they were 85 cm. from the east wall and faced east. Their tops, projecting above the walls, were so near the surface that they had been often gashed by the plough.
East of the stelai, below the red earth of the surface, was a very thin stratum of gray clay. Under this, beginning about io cm. below the top of the stelai, was a stratum of soft reddish clay, 30 cm. deep, and below that an equally thick layer of very soft grayish clay, nearly free from any admixture of earth. Throughout the two lower strata the deposited objects, I20 vases, 215 miniature vases and 55 figurines, lay crowded almost inextricably together in this tiny area, hardly more than a meter square and only 60 cm.
deep.
A brief description of the deposit must suffice. Most of the large skyphoi were buried south and southeast of the stelai, stacked upright in piles of from three to seven. Several of them had also been wedged on their sides, with their mouths against the stelai backs, into the 20 centimeter wide space between the stelai and thelane west wall. Into this space also the three complete terracotta shields had been inserted. The miniature vases were found inside the larger vases and also filled the interstices between them; some of the figurines also served the latter function, but most of them were scattered immediately around the stelai and on top of the stones of the west wall. In several cases figurines of the same type had been placed together, e.g., in one place three reclining figures, and in another two seated Korai.
There can be no doubt but that this miscellany of objects represents a sanctuary deposit. The objects themselves, vases, miniature vases, figurines, lamps, a bronze ring, are typical of the offerings customarily made in sanctuaries. Their careful arrangement indicates that they were placed there at one time, doubtless immediately before the en- closure was buried.
Just outside the southeast corner of the shrine a small, densely packed deposit of vases and figurines was uncovered. This is called for convenience the Aphrodite Deposit, from a small bronze bowl (p. II5, No. i) which bore the dedicatory inscription: Ta&
'A~poSlTac cpil. The majority of datable objects in the deposit seemed to be of about the first quarter of the 5th century. A deposit so close to Stelai Shrine A and of roughly similar date surely may be assumed to represent a clearing out of offerings from that shrine.
The most peculiar feature of Stelai Shrine A is the group of four graves found to the north of it. These were all oriented east and west and lay just below the floor level of the shrine. They were all of the same type, a shallow, rather irregular trench dug in the hard- pan and entirely unlined. Two of the graves had covering slabs, which evidently had existed also in a third grave. They contained no offerings, and the few sherds found in them were of the same kind as those in the earth above.
Grave i was situated with its west end under the north edge of the large cut block which formed the eastern wall of the shrine. It was 35 cm. in depth and 2.25 m. long; its width was ca. 45 cm. at the center, narrowing somewhat toward either end. Along the north side of the grave ran a shelf 30-40 cm. wide on which the ends of the cover slabs
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
rested. These lay over the grave in a slanting position, with the westernmost one sup- ported against the east block of the shrine (Plate 5 D). The slabs were of poros, irregular in shape and varying from 8 to 15 cm. in thickness. The skeleton was much disintegrated.
It lay on its back with the skull at the west end and the arms at the sides. Its length was ca. i.60 m. and it was probably that of a young person, as there were no third molars in the jaw.
Grave 2 lay just at the north end of the west wall of the shrine (Plate 5 B, right center). The body was laid at the south edge of a large, shallow depression in the earth.
The head was protected by a long (73 cm.) poros slab, laid slantwise over it but without any earth shelf; a second smaller slab at the foot of the grave rested against the end of the west wall of the shrine. The skeleton was that of a child, and was ca. 1.I5 m. long and in very bad condition. The head was again at the west end, and the body laid in the same position as the other.
Grave 3, that of a smaller child, lay ca. 1.40 m. north of the shrine and roughly oppo- site it (Plate 5 D, right foreground). It was I.27 m. long and 53 cm. wide at the center, narrowing toward the ends. The skeleton was ca. 75 cm. long and very much disinte- grated. The head, as before, lay at the west, but the body lay on its side, facing south.
Behind the back was a mysterious intrusion in the shape of what appeared to be an adult thigh bone. This grave had no covering slabs.
The outer wall of the South Long Building, at a point 2.m. north of the south wall of the shrine, was broken through and in this opening lay Grave 4, projecting 70 cm.
beyond the west face of the wall and 50 cm. beyond the east face. The grave was 1.70 m.
long, ca. 45 cm. wide at the bottom and ca. 30 cm. deep. A shelf, like that of Grave i, 20-30 cm. wide, ran along the north side, but none of the covering slabs was preserved.
The south side of the grave was undercut and overhung the grave so far that even very small slabs resting on the north shelf would have effectively closed the grave. Only a few unidentifiable fragments of bone were found in this grave.
The presence of the ledge along only one side of the grave and the use of a single row of cover slabs placed in a slanting position over the grave are most unusual features.
Ledges all around the grave were, of course, seen in the Geometric graves at the north end of the excavations, and occasionally in Geometric graves elsewhere. Ledges along the long sides of the grave have occurred somewhat more frequently, notably in Geo- metric graves in the Dipylon27 and in late 6th century graves at Rhitsona.28 In both places the ledges seem to have supported horizontal wooden boards instead of stone slabs; iron nails, doubtless from these KXivaI, were actually found in the Rhitsona graves. Ledges along the long sides of the grave, here supporting gabled tile covers, were noted once at Caulonia.29 This grave appears to be nearly contemporary with those of Rhitsona. A grave of similar type, found at Thebes,30 was dated in the first half of the 4th century, while others31 from the same site with similar ledges were considered by the excavator to
27 Ath. Mitt., XVIII, I893, p. 93 (Grave III); p. II2 (Grave VII).
28 B.S.A., XIV, 1907-8, p. 244; Ure, Sixth and Fifth Century Pottery from Rhitsona, p. 3.
29 Mon. Ant., XXIII, pt. 2, I916, col. 917, fig. I57.
30 'Apx. ATr., III, 1917, p. 225.
81 Ibid., pp. 234 f.
© American School of Classical Studies at Athens For personal use only. License: CC-BY-NC-ND.
be of Christian date, apparently because the bodies were placed with the head at the west, although this arrangement is, as a matter of fact, not unknown in ancient graves, and be- cause other isolated bones were put in with the main burial. In these graves also the bodies were covered with tiles. Similar ledges, likewise intended for supporting tiles, occurred at Olynthos.32 Ledges along the long sides of a rock-cut grave at Kameiros33 served to hold the ends of stone slabs which formed a gable over the grave.
It is very difficult to determine the relation between the graves and the shrine. Since one of the covering slabs of Grave 2 rested against the west wall of the shrine, it is prob- able that the grave is later than the wall. This seems to eliminate the possibility that the shrine was built in honor of the persons buried here; in that case the graves would cer- tainly have been dug first and the shrine constructed afterward. One of the slabs of Grave i was found leaning against the block which forms the east wall of the shrine, and hence this grave is presumably later than the block. As the only blocks at all comparable with this one in size are those in the reconstructed south end of the North Long Building, this block is perhaps to be assigned to the 5th century, although it obviously cannot be very late in the century. If the graves are later than the east wall, they must be dated in the second quarter of the 5th century or later. Two possibilities present themselves: either
sma af
the graves were made after the shrine as buried and have only an accidental relation- ship to it, or they were dug at the same time the shrine was buried. In the latter case we must assume that they were dug for a group of people who were interred at the same time and in honor of whom the shrine and its contents were buried. Such a procedure might explain the curious fact that, though the graves appear to be of the Greek period, they contain no offerings. It seems, however, impossible to determine which of the two suppositions is the correct one.
The second shrine (Plate 52, Plan B, top; Plate 6 A and Plate 9 A, right fore- ground), built against the south end of Wall B, is nearly identical in construction with the first and therefore probably contemporary. Wall B ends in a long cut block, I.20 m.
The second shrine (Plate 52, Plan B, top; Plate 6 A and Plate 9 A, right fore- ground), built against the south end of Wall B, is nearly identical in construction with the first and therefore probably contemporary. Wall B ends in a long cut block, I.20 m.