Early Athens: Settlements and Cemeteries in the Submycenaean, Geometric, and Archaic Periods


Series: Monumenta Archaeologica 42
ISBN: 978-1-938770-15-9
Publication Date: Apr 2019
Price: Hb $139.00, Ebook $55.00
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Eirini M. Dimitriadou

“... presents all the relevant contexts in detail, including the original plans, within which Dimitriadou’s three phases of interest (Submycenaean, [Proto-]Geometric and Archaic) as well as the ensuing Classical phases have been highlighted in different colors. This will make her book a major reference volume for a long time... [The author has done] the scholarly community a great service in drawing the attention to the wealth of data available.”
  — Maximilian F. Rönnberg, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2019

This volume is one of the most important works on ancient Athens in the last fifty years. The focus is on the early city, from the end of the Bronze Age—ca. 1200 BCE—to the Archaic period, when Athens became the largest city of the Classical period. From a systematic study of all the excavation reports and surveys in central Athens, the author has synthesized a detailed diachronic overview of the city from the Submycenaean period through the Archaic. It is a treasure-trove of information for archaeologists who work in this period. Of great value as well are the detailed maps included, which present features of ancient settlements and cemeteries, the repositories of the human physical record. Over eighty additional large-scale, interactive maps are available online to complement the book.
Table of Contents

Part I

Chapter 1. Introduction

  • History of Research
  • Methodology: Collecting the Material, Inventorying – Classifying, Mapping, Graphic Solutions and Contributions
  • Problems, Criteria and Conventions of the Present Study

Chapter 2. Submycenaean Period 1075-1050/1000 B.C.

  • Excavation Data: Settlement Remains, Data from Cemeteries and Roads
  • Discussion and Synthesis of the Material: The Site of the Settlement, The Cemetery Sites
  • Conclusions: The Bronze Age Settlement at the Dawn of the Iron Age

Chapter 3. Geometric period 1050/1000-700 B.C.

  • Excavation Data: Settlement Remains, Evidence of Cemeteries and Roads
  • Discussion and Synthesis of the Material: The Site of the Settlement, Settlement Activity in the Rest of Athens, The Sites of the Cemeteries, The Geometric Mortuary Sites of Athens
  • Conclusions: Iron Age Athens

Chapter 4. Archaic Period 700-480/479 B.C.

  • Excavation Data: Settlement Remains, Evidence of Cemeteries and Roads
  • Discussion and Synthesis of the Material: The Site of the City, Settlement Activity in the Rest of Athens, The Archaic Cemeteries
  • Conclusions: The Archaic City Until the Destruction By the Persians

Chapter 5: General Conclusions

Epilogue

Part II: GAZETTEER

Gazetteer of Archaeological Sites

  • Kerameikos, Ancient Agora – Areopagus – Monastiraki, Psyrri – Koumoundouros Square, Varvakeios – Omonoia Square, Commercial Center, Plaka, National Garden – Syntagma Square, Akropolis, Olympieion, Makrygianni, Kynosarges, Koukaki, Theseion

Index of Entries of Archaeological Sites

Appendix of Ancient Sources