Site details

Marathon: Plasi

PK	C1523
TITLE	Marathon: Plasi
WGS84	38.123088° N, 23.994152° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	38.123088, 23.994152
LON/LAT	23.994152, 38.123088

DMS

38° 7' 23.1168" N

23° 59' 38.9472" E

W3W	pallid, modem, briefed
UTM	34 S, 762467, 4223708
EGSA87	499339, 4219185

Elevation m	6
Elevation feet	19.7
Region	Attica

GENERAL SITE TYPE Settlement

TYPE

1.    Artifacts.   Archaeology Newsroom [2017],     'The deceased was armed with a sword, a spear, a knife and arrows.'
2.    Cist Tomb.   Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015],     'A single undisturbed cist burial was found within the limits of MH settlement, in very close proximity to LG domestic remains rather than under the floor of a PG house.'
3.    hab.   Simpson [1981], 51    'A large Middle Helladic building was found, and a fortification wall which is said to be either Early or Middle Helladic. Many Mycenaean sherds were found;...'
4.    hab.   AAA[1970], 15
5.    hab.   PAE[1970], 5
6.    hab.   Privitera [2013], 155    'L'area è stata continuamente occupata dall'inizio dell'AE...'
7.    hab.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 69    'A prehistoric site was discovered by Marinatos ...'
8.    Settlement.   Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 219    ' ...; a fortification wall is reported ..., also a large MH building with associated kiln.', ' ... it may well have been the centre of the Marathon complex, rather than Agriliki.'
9.    Tomb.   Archaeology Newsroom [2017],     'A shaft grave of a warrior came to light, dated to the early Mycenaean period (ca. 1600 BC). ... '

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. EH: (3100 BC - 2000 BC)
    a.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, ' ..., a fortification-wall is reported and attributed to EH or MH, ... '
    b.    Privitera [2013]: 155, 'L'area è stata continuamente occupata dall'inizio dell'AE...'

2. EH II: (2700 BC - 2200 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 51, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'
    b.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 69, '..., the stratified deposits were MH ... and EH...'

3. Middle Helladic: (2000 BC - 1600 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 51, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'
    b.    Privitera [2013]: 155, '...genericamente ascritti al ME.'
    c.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 69, '..., the stratified deposits were MH ... and EH...'
    d.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, ' ..., a fortification-wall is reported and attributed to EH or MH, ... '

4. Late Helladic: (1700 BC - 1050 BC)
    a.    Privitera [2013]: 155, '...Hope Simpson e Hagel (2006, 69) tuttavia, non è escluso che tale struttura possa risalire alle fasi iniziale del TE.'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, 'Much LH was also found.'

5. Late Helladic I: (1700 BC - 1635 BC)
    a.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 69, '...Lauter ... suggests that the possibility of a late MH or early Mycenaean date for the fortification is not ruled out.'

6. Late Helladic II: (1635 BC - 1410 BC)
    a.    Archaeology Newsroom [2017]: , ' ..., dated to the early Mycenaean period (ca. 1600 BC).'

7. LH IIIA: (1410 BC - 1315 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 51, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'
    b.    AAA[1970]: 15,
    c.    Privitera [2013]: 156, 'La ceramica proveniente dagli strati sovrapposti alla struttura è del TE IIIA-B; ...'
    d.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 69, '...several LH IIIA-B surface sherds found...'
    e.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'

8. LH IIIB: (1320 BC - 1190 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 51, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'
    b.    AAA[1970]: 15,
    c.    PAE[1970]: 5,
    d.    Privitera [2013]: 156, 'La ceramica proveniente dagli strati sovrapposti alla struttura è del TE IIIA-B; ...'
    e.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 69, '...several LH IIIA-B surface sherds found...'
    f.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'

9. LH IIIC: (1190 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    AAA[1970]: 15,

10. Protogeometric: (1100 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    AAA[1970]: 15,

11. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    AAA[1970]: 15,
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'

12. Archaic: (700 BC - 480 BC)
    a.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 219, 'EH II MH LH III(A-B) G A C H'

NOTES

1. A rich source for the current excavations at Plasi is here. This project is being carried out by the Department of Archaeology and History of Art, of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. More specifically LH material is described here.

2. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has been carrying out excavations here since 2014. In their report for 2016 they mention the excavation of the cist-tomb, perhaps a warrior grave, which has some similarities to the Warrior's Tomb from Pylos (C5839). They say this:

'So far, the most important tomb of this cemetery is the warrior burial in a shaft-grave excavated in Trench 002. The location of the associated settlement remains unknown, but this presence of an early Mycenaean warrior buried in a shaft grave makes Marathon comparable to other important contemporary sites of the Greek Mainland, such as Thebes, Kolonna and Mycenae.'

3. Archaeology & Arts [2017] goes on to say this about the LHII shaft grave: "Almost a millennium later, during the early Historic period (c. 700 BC), the grave was revealed by the inhabitants of Marathon, who left the weapons within it, collected with great caution the bones of the deceased, possibly assuming that the tomb belonged to a mythical hero of the past, and erected a sanctuary above the grave to honor him. This sanctuary was destructed (sic) at the time of the great battle, probably by the Persian army, and then it was abandoned, since the dominant site of historical memory in the area became the Tumulus of Marathon."

rhc

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. AAA[1970]: Archaiologika analekta ex Athenon, Athens, Greece. 1970, '', pg. 15.

2. PAE[1970]: Praktika tes en Athenais Arkhaiologikes Hetaireias. 1970., '', pg. 5.

3. Archaeology Newsroom [2017]: Archaeology Newsroom. ‘The Warrior Grave at Plassi, Marathon’, Archaeology & Arts, April 6, 2017, 'The Warrior Grave at Plassi, Marathon', Online here.

4. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: Mazarakis Ainian, Alexander . Η Κοινωνική Αρχαιολογία του Ελληνικού Κόσμου κατά την Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου και την Πρώιμη Αρχαϊκή περίοδο (The Aristeia Project: The Social Archeology of the Greek World during the Early Iron Age and the Early Archaic period), 'Plasi', Online here.

5. Privitera [2013]: Privitera, Santo. Principi, Pelasgi, e pescatori: L'Attica nella Tarda Eta del Bronzo. . Paestum: Pandemos. 2013., '38. Maratona - Plasi', pg. 155.

6. Simpson and Hagel [2006]: Simpson, R. Hope and D.K. Hagel. Mycenaean Fortifications, Highways, Dams and Canals. SIMA vol. 133. Paul Åströms Förlag. Sävedalen, Sweden. 2006., '[Marathon: Plasi ...]', pg. 69.

7. Simpson [1981]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press, 1981., 'B 42 Marathon: Plasi (near Ayios Pandeleimon)', pg. 51. Online here.

8. Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: Simpson, Richard Hope and O.T.P.K. Dickinson. A Gazetteer of Aegean Civilization in the Bronze Age, Vol. I: The Mainland and the Islands. Paul Åströms Förlag, Goteborg. 1979., 'F 51 Marathon: Plasi (near Ayios Pandeleimon)', pg. 219. Online here.