Site details

Gourtsouli/Old Mantinea

PK	C540
TITLE	Gourtsouli∕Old Mantinea
WGS84	37.633622° N, 22.392312° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	37.633622, 22.392312
LON/LAT	22.392312, 37.633622

DMS

37° 38' 1.0392" N

22° 23' 32.3232" E

W3W	stashes, info, oxtails
UTM	34 S, 622850, 4166077
EGSA87	357996, 4166093

Elevation m	737
Elevation feet	2418
Region	Arcadia

GENERAL SITE TYPE Pottery

TYPE

1.    Cult.   Simpson [2018], 341    ' ... established that the hill was a sanctuary area from about the end of the 8th century B.C. to the middle of the 2nd century B.C. ... '
2.    hab.   AR[1961], 31    ' ... and once again it is significant that it was inhabited in Mycenaean times.'
3.    hab.   AD[1963], 88
4.    Lithics.   Howell [1970], 86    'Fougères found obsidian and sherds painted in the Mycenaean style here in 1887.', 'Hope Simpson reports ... five obsidian chips from the region of the Panayia chapel which stands on the summit of the hill, ... '
5.    Sanctuary.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 61    ' ..., and excavations by Th. Karagiorgha-Stathakopoulou ... have established that the hill was a sanctuary area from about the end of the 8th century B.C. to the middle of the 2nd century B.C.'
6.    Sanctuary.   Simpson [2018], 341    ' ... established that the hill was a sanctuary area from about the end of the 8th century B.C. to the middle of the 2nd century B.C. ... '
7.    Sherds.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 61    ' ... surface collection ... '
8.    Sherds.   Simpson [2018], 341    'Four LH IIIB sherds (from Deep Bowls and Kylikes) were found in the vicinity of the Panayia chapel on the summit.'
9.    Sherds.   Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 80    'Evidence for LH is confined to surface material, and the actual date of the Cyclopean fortification visible on the upper E flank remains to be established ...'
10.    Sherds.   Simpson [1981], 87    'Mycenaean surface sherds were ... found near the Panayia chapel on the summit on two separate occasions, ...'
11.    Sherds.   Howell [1970], 86    'Hope Simpson reports four L.H. IIIB sherds...', Howell describes his own finds: '..a Middle Helladic Matt-Painted sherd .. together with some other rather coarse Middle Helladic sherds, a worn Mycenaean kylix foot, ...'
12.    Wall.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 61    'On the eastern flank, about 100 m from the chapel, there is a c. 10 m stretch of wall, in very rough masonry of "Cyclopean" style ..., of which up to three courses are preserved, to a height of about 1.50 m. The line of the wall can be traced for about 30 m further to the south, indicating that this was probably a circuit wall. If so it would have enclosed all of the upper part of the hilll, a roughly circular area, over 200 m in diameter.'
13.    Wall.   Simpson [2018], 341    'On the east side of the hilltop, only c. 100 m from the chapel, there is a 10 metre sketch of wall in a very rough ‘Cyclopean’ style ... '

SITE SIZE

- Simpson and Hagel [2006]  p. 61,  Size: 31416 sq. m.  ' ..., a roughly circular area, over 200 m in diameter.'

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. EH: (3100 BC - 2000 BC)
    a.    Howell [1970]: 87, 'Miss Karayiorga also reports one Early Helladic and some Middle Helladic sherds ...'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 79, 'EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H'
    c.    Simpson [2018]: 341, ' ... surface collection, by Fougères ..., Hope Simpson and Lazenby ... and Howell, have together demonstrated EH, MH and Mycenaean habitation on the upper part and the east slopes of the hill.'
    d.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 61, ' ... have indicated EH, MH and LH habitation, on the upper part and east slope.'

2. Middle Helladic: (2000 BC - 1600 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 87, EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H
    b.    Howell [1970]: 87, 'I found a Middle Helladic Matt-Painted sherd ... together with some other rather coarse Middle Helladic sherds, ...'
    c.    Howell [1970]: 87, 'Miss Karayiorga also reports one Early Helladic and some Middle Helladic sherds ...'
    d.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 79, 'EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H'
    e.    Simpson [2018]: 341, ' ... surface collection, by Fougères ..., Hope Simpson and Lazenby ... and Howell, have together demonstrated EH, MH and Mycenaean habitation on the upper part and the east slopes of the hill.'
    f.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 61, ' ... have indicated EH, MH and LH habitation, on the upper part and east slope.'

3. Late Helladic: (1700 BC - 1050 BC)
    a.    Howell [1970]: 87, '...a worn Mycenaean kylix foot, ...'
    b.    AR[1961]: 31, ' ..., a few Mycenaean sherds were found, ... '
    c.    Simpson [2018]: 341, 'A Mycenaean date for the wall seems the most probable.'
    d.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 61, ' ... have indicated EH, MH and LH habitation, on the upper part and east slope.', 'A Mycenaean date for the wall seems the most probable.'

4. LH IIIA: (1410 BC - 1315 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 87, EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 79, 'EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H'

5. LH IIIB: (1320 BC - 1190 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 87, EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H
    b.    Howell [1970]: 87, 'Hope-Simpson reports four L.H. IIIB sherds ...'
    c.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 79, 'EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H'
    d.    Simpson [2018]: 341, 'Four LH IIIB sherds ... '
    e.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 61, 'Four LH IIIB sherds were among those found in the vicinity of the Panayia chapel on the summit.'

6. Protogeometric: (1100 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    Howell [1970]: 86, ' ..., one very worn but possibly Protogeometric sherd, ... '
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 79, 'EH? MH LH III(A-B) PG? G A C H'

7. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    AD[1963]: 88,

8. Archaic: (700 BC - 480 BC)
    a.    Simpson [2018]: 341, ' ... about the end of the 8th century B.C. ... '

NOTES

1. Simpson's conclusion is "Gourtsouli is clearly identified as the centre of Homeric Mantinea."

2. Simpson and Hagel [2006] say (61) "Gourtsouli is almost certainly the "Ptolis" or "Old Mantinea" mentioned by Pausanias, ... "

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. AD[1963]: Archaiologikon Deltion, Athens, Greece, v. 18, '', pg. 88.

2. AR[1961]: Archaeological Reports, The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies. (8) 1961., ''Around the summit of "Gourtsouli", ...'', pg. 31. Online here.

3. Howell [1970]: Howell, R.. ‘A Survey of Eastern Arcadia in Prehistory’, The Annual of the British School at Athens. 65. November, 1970. 79-127., '11. Pikernis - Gourtsouli (anc. Ptolis)', pg. 86. Online here.

4. 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., 'Pikernis: Gourtsouli', pg. 60.

5. Simpson [2018]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece and Homeric Tradition. published online under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. 2018, 'Mantinea (Il. 2. 607)', pg. 339. Online here.

6. Simpson [1981]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press, 1981., 'D 10 Pikernis: Gortsouli (Ancient Ptolis)', pg. 87. Online here.

7. 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., 'B 18 Pikernis: Gortsouli (Ancient Ptolis)', pg. 79. Online here.