Site details

Grotta

PK	C6884
TITLE	Grotta
WGS84	37.108445° N, 25.374854° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	37.108445, 25.374854
LON/LAT	25.374854, 37.108445

DMS

37° 6' 30.402" N

25° 22' 29.4744" E

W3W	narrate, nullify, showcased
UTM	35 S, 355601.2, 4108138.36
EGSA87	622010, 4107499

Elevation m	2
Elevation feet	6.6
Region	Cyclades
Subregion	Naxos

GENERAL SITE TYPE Settlement

TYPE

1.    Sanctuary.   Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015],     'Type: Sanctuary', 'A bothros pit, associated with the cult of Demeter was found hewn into the Mycenaean building E.'
2.    Settlement.   Simpson [1981], 188    'The Mycenaean settlement at Grotta occupied a considerable area, ... ', 'There was a large settlement at Grotta ... '
3.    Settlement.   Schallin [1993], 19    'The northern and northeastern parts of the modern town overlies the ruins of an LBA settlement.'
4.    Settlement.   Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 325    ' ..., and PG-G settlement-strata are reported from Grotta.'
5.    Settlement.   Renfrew [2011], 11373    'Important settlement of the Grotta-Pelos culture, ... '
6.    Settlement.   Schallin [1993], 53    'Grotta is a coastal settlement site ... '
7.    Settlement.   Vlachopoulos [2008], 521    'The settlement occupies the western part of Grotta on the north coast of Naxos ... '
8.    Settlement.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 115    ... a circuit wall of the Mycenaean settlement ... '
9.    Wall.   Simpson and Hagel [2006], 115    'In 1984, in their excavations of the Metropolis plot on the north side of the town of Naxos, Ph. Zapheiropoulos and V. Lambrinoudakis uncovered part of a circuit wall of the Mycenaean settlement ... '

SITE SIZE

- Vlachopoulos [2008]  p. 521,  Size: 35000 sq. m.  ' ... and, if the submerged sector is taken into account, the town covered an area of some 35,000 m^2.'

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. Late Neolithic: (4500 BC - 3100 BC)
    a.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, 'ΝΝ. ... '

2. Early Bronze Age: (3200 BC - 2100 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, 'There was a large settlement at Grotta in the early phases of the Early Bronze Age, ... '

3. Early Cycladic I: (3200 BC - 2700 BC)
    a.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, ' ... ΠΚ (Ι, II). ... '

4. Grotta-Pelos: (3000 BC - 2600 BC)
    a.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 326, 'There was clearly a large GP settlement, ... '
    b.    Renfrew [2011]: , ' ... of the Grotta-Pelos culture ... '

5. Early Cycladic II: (2700 BC - 2450 BC)
    a.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, ' ... ΠΚ (Ι, II). ... '

6. Keros-Syros: (2600 BC - 2200 BC)
    a.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 326, ' ... an equally important one (settlement, RHC) of the KS phase ... '

7. Phylakopi I: (2200 BC - 2000 BC)
    a.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, ' ... «Φυλακωπή Ι». ... '

8. Middle Bronze Age: (2100 BC - 1550 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, ' ..., but little MB - LB II material.'

9. Middle Cycladic: (2000 BC - 1600 BC)
    a.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, ' ... ΜΚ. ... '

10. Late Cycladic II: (1625 BC - 1420 BC)
    a.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 521, 'The first period of LBA habitation at Grotta can be dated to LC II, ... '

11. Late Bronze Age: (1570 BC - 1200 BC)
    a.    Schallin [1993]: 19, ' ... ruins of an LBA settlement.'
    b.    Soterakopoulos [2004]: 74, ' ... ΥΕΧ (Ι- IIIA-Γ).'

12. Late Bronze I: (1570 BC - 1400 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, ' ..., but little MB - LB II material.'

13. LH III: (1410 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, 'The Mycenaean settlement flourished throughout LH III, ... '
    b.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 521, The first stratified areas of the LH IIIC settlement were excavated from 1978 ... '
    c.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 325, 'But the site flourished in LH III and DA times; ... '

14. LH IIIA: (1410 BC - 1315 BC)
    a.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 521, 'In the LH IIIA period the settlement (Town I) flourished, ... '

15. Late Bronze II: (1400 BC - 1200 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, ' ..., but little MB - LB II material.'

16. LH IIIB1: (1320 BC - 1250 BC)
    a.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 521, 'It declined during LH IIIB1, and was virtually abandoned in LH IIIB2, ... '

17. LH IIIC: (1190 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 522, 'Scant finds of LH IIIC Early pottery date the first phase of habitation of this town, ... ', ' ... and it (the settlement, RHC) continued until the LH IIIC Late period.'
    b.    Simpson and Hagel [2006]: 115, 'There are signs that the wall was later rebuilt (at some time still within the LH IIIC period).'
    c.    Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: , 'The majority of the finds date to the LH IIIC period, ... '

18. Protogeometric: (1100 BC - 900 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, ' ..., and there may have been continuity into Protogeometric and Geometric times, ... '
    b.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 522, 'The direct succession of the Protogeometric level over the LH IIIC horizon demonstrates clearly that no Submycenaean phase existed there, ... '
    c.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 326, ' ..., and PG-G settlement-strata are reported from Grotta.'

19. Early Protogeometric: (1060 BC - 1000 BC)
    a.    Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: , 'Chronological Period: From EPG to EPG', 'Date: From 11th c. BC, 2nd half to 10th c. BC, 1st half, 1st quarter.'

20. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 188, ' ..., and there may have been continuity into Protogeometric and Geometric times, ... '
    b.    Vlachopoulos [2008]: 521, ' ... the Geometric and Late Mycenaean horizons were explored as scrupulously as possible.'
    c.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 326, ' ..., and PG-G settlement-strata are reported from Grotta.'

NOTES

1.  For a sketch map of Grotta see Vlachopoulos [2008] 522, Figure 43.6. Another sketch map in Schallin [1993] 54, Fig. 19. The Demetrokalli plot is 50 m. to the W of the marker by the water's edge. The Mitropolis plot is ca. 190 m. to the E of the marker at 37.107721 N, 25.376813 W.

2.  Schallin [1993] 53 tells us "Today the northern part of the settlement is under water ... "

3.  See the detailed map of Mycenaean finds in the Naxos city area on p. 329 in 'Naxos, the largest Cycladic island with a single polis; A survey through ancient times' by Alexandra S. Sfyroera in Cycladic Archaeology and Research; New approaches and discoveries, Erica Angliker and John Tully (edd.), Archaeopress Archaeology, Oxford, 2018. It is online here.

4.  Page numbers in Renfrew [2011] are, in actuality, location numbers in the electronic edition, ISBN 978-1-78570-773-5.

5.  The Aristeia Project page gives additional details and bibliography here.

rhc

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. 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), 'Grotta', Online here.

2. Renfrew [2011]: Renfrew, Colin. The Emergence of Civilisation: The Cyclades and the Aegean in the Third Millenium BC. Oxbow Books. Second ed., 2011 (First edition 1972), '2. Grotta', pg. 11373. Online here.

3. Schallin [1993]: Schallin, Ann-Louise. Islands under Influence: The Cyclades in the Late Bronze Age and the Nature of Mycenaean Presence.. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology, no. 111. Jonsered 1993, '33. Grotta', pg. 53.

4. Schallin [1993]: Schallin, Ann-Louise. Islands under Influence: The Cyclades in the Late Bronze Age and the Nature of Mycenaean Presence.. Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology, no. 111. Jonsered 1993, '33. Grotta', pg. 19.

5. 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., 'Naxos: Grotta', pg. 115.

6. Simpson [1981]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press, 1981., 'Grotta (with Palati, Aplomata, Kamini)', pg. 188. 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., 'Grotta (with Palati, Aplomata, Kamini)', pg. 325. Online here.

8. Soterakopoulos [2004]: Sotirakopoulou, Panayiota (Peggy). ‘«Η 'απουσία' της Μεσοκυκλαδικής περιόδου από τις Κυκλάδες. Νέα στοιχεία από την Αμοργό»’, Αρχαιολογική Εφημερίς 2004, 53-80., '38. Χώρα - Γρόττα-Παλάτι.', pg. 74. Online here.

9. Vlachopoulos [2008]: Vlachopoulos, A.. ‘A Late Mycenaean Journey from Thera to Naxos: Cyclades in the 12 th century B.C.’, In Brodie et al. (eds.) [2008], 479-491., 'The settlement of Grotta', pg. 521. Online here.