http://www.odysseus-unbound.org/index.html
KAI H απαντητική επιστολή στον πολυβραβευμένο δημοσιογράφο Nicholas Kristof
Dear Mr Nicholas Kristof!
Excuse me for the delay, but I needed to translate my text into English!
I ave read your column in NYTimes!
As you will see in my report, I can' t give any answer to your
questions, just because -to my opinion- nothing from Mr Bittlestone's
theory is archaeologically well documented.
To be clear, plese read my own excavation-based report -not theory- on Mycenaean (1600-1100 B C.) Ithaki!
Warmest wishes,
Dr Andonis Sp. Vasilakis
<LH SETTLEMENT AT TZANNATA
A new rescue excavation, directed by Dr Andonis Vasilakis, Director of
the 35Th Ephoreia has taken place in August to October 2011 at the
location ‘Riza’ near the village Tzannata/Poros, in the island of
Kefallinia. The new excavation has revealed part of a LH settlement,
connected with the well known royal tholos tomb at the location
‘Bourtzi’, excavated by Dr Lazaros Kolonas in 1992. An area of about 750
square meters was excavated and so far the following ruins have been
discovered:
In the east part of the field 5 Roman pit tile graves were discovered:
A monumental thick perivolos wall of difficultly identifiable function,
built of large boulders, has been uncovered in a length of 50 square
meters, aligned from North to South. To the west of this perivolos a
parallel row of upstanding boulders borders a paved road parallel to
them. Beneath the road an apsidal building of an earlier date has been
revealed. The perivolos wall and the road are dated after the
destruction of the small apsidal building around the end of LM III B or
the beginning of LH III C.
A third –probably the main- phase of occupation at the site consists of a
large apsidal building, which has been partly revealed, in an extent of
about 150 square meters. Its complete extent and height of preservation
will be established in a next period of research. Built of large and
medium size roughly dressed stones, this large building with a width of
1,80 m. is poorly preserved at its east part. The thickness of deposit
varies, -following the slope of the field to the south- from 0,10 to
about 1,00 m. The north part of the building is not yet completely
excavated. The floor of the building constructed of beaten red mud
containing small white stones, has been reached at its south part to the
depth of 0,40 m. What seems to have been a clay dressed hearth was
uncovered bellow the small apsidal building. The pottery recovered in
the undisturbed layers dates to the broad horizon of LH III B with many
potsherds of an earlier date. Shapes which have been identified to date
are: chalices of both short –the large majority- and high stems, cups
with and without handles, skyphoi, jugs, etc. The study of the pottery
has just started in the laboratory of the Ephoreia at Argostoli. Among
other finds we report here a seal stone or pendant in the shape of a
drop, with sealing surface difficultly identifiable to date and is still
under examination and study. A number of clay loom weights and lithics
from flints and chert stone were also collected.
An earlier phase has been recovered in the northwest part of the field.
The discovery of this settlement well dated to LH III and probably
earlier and a little later, in a close distance from the royal tholos
tomb at Tzannata, opens a new chapter of prehistory in the Kefallinia
island, where many LH chambers tombs are already known from excavations
since early 20th century, but no settlements of the period has been
excavated. The excavation of this new discovered settlement will be
fruitful for the knowledge of the evolution of culture in this island,
which lies on a key strategic spot, which controlled the gulf of Patras
and the trade to the west. The island is also heavily marked in the
Homeric epic, as the possible seat of the leader of a west Greek kingdom
in the late Mycenaean period.
Kefallinia, 11 March 2012
Dr Andonis Sp. Vasilakis>
2012/2/24 Kristof, Nicholas <kristof@nytimes.com>
Dear Dr. Vasilakis,
It was good to speak to you just now. As I mentioned, I’m interested in
writing a column for the New York Times, and doing a video for the Times
website, about the search for ancient Ithaca. I’m an Odysseus fan,
hence my interest, and I’m fascinated by the Bittlestone theory.
So a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.
First, what do you think of the idea that Paliki is ancient Ithaca and
that it originally was separated from the rest of Cephalonia by a
channel?
Second, how do your excavations fit into that theory? If there are
ancient sites at Porros, then what does that do to Paliki? Do you agree
that Cephalonia was ancient Same?
Third, do you find plausible the Bittlestone ideas about where Odysseus
landed on his return, where Eumaios’s pig farm was, Raven’s Rock,
Arethusa Spring, and so on?
Warmest wishes, and thanks so much for your guidance.
Thanks,
Nicholas Kristof
Columnist
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