Site details

Gonia

PK	C916
TITLE	Gonia
WGS84	37.909651° N, 22.933406° E
Accuracy	Exact

LAT/LON	37.909651, 22.933406
LON/LAT	22.933406, 37.909651

DMS

37° 54' 34.7436" N

22° 56' 0.2616" E

W3W	meandering, legislated, pleasures
UTM	34 S, 669964, 4197553
EGSA87	406091, 4196039

Elevation m	74
Elevation feet	242.8
Region	Corinthia

GENERAL SITE TYPE Settlement

TYPE

1.    Bothros.   Blegen [1930], 60    'In the Early Helladic stratum a number of clay-lined pits, or bothroi, were found, ... '
2.    Lithics.   BCH Online, 4504    ' ..., revealing Mycenaean pottery, obsidian and flint, ... '
3.    Pottery.   Blegen [1930], 59    Description of the pottery on pp. 64-78. ' ..., though an abundance of pottery was obtained, ... '
4.    Pottery.   BCH Online, 4504    ' ... including decorated finewares ... '
5.    Settlement.   Simpson [1981], 34    'According to Rutter, occupation did not continue beyond the middle of the LH IIIB period.', ' ..., the Mycenaean settlement appears to have extended over the whole plateau.'
6.    Settlement.   Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 63    'The LH settlement appears to have extended over the whole plateau, ... '
7.    Settlement.   Ålin [1962], 57    'Besiedlung ... '
8.    Settlement.   Morgan [1999], 474    'Settlement on a plateau ... '
9.    Sherds.   Blegen [1920], 6    ' ... an extensive prehistoric site ... It occupies a fairly broad but irregular ridge called "Gonia" which falls off steeply on all sides except for a short distance on the west ... A number of pits opened in 1916 yielded potsherds representing Neolithic, Early, Middle, and late Helladic wares.'
10.    Sherds.   BCH Online, 4504    ' ... Late Helladic IIA - IIIB1 sherds ... '
11.    Tomb.   Blegen [1930], 62    'Seven graves were brought to light in the exploratory trenches in the central part of the site. All were simple shaft-graves ... '
12.    Wall.   Morgan [1999], 474    ' ... traces of settlement and a fortification wall are preserved.'
13.    Wall.   Blegen [1930], 59    'Walls were found, however, in all the pits (fig. 8) and testify to the existence of substantially built houses in all the periods of occupation save the neolithic, ... '

SITE SIZE

- Simpson and Dickinson [1979]  p. 63,  Size: 87500 sq. m.  ' ..., c. 350 m. E-W by 250 m.'

- Morgan [1999]  p. ,  Size: 87500 sq. m.  ' ... (ca 350 x 250 m) ... '

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. EH: (3100 BC - 2000 BC)
    a.    Blegen [1920]: 6, 'potsherds representing Neolithic, Early, Middle, and Late Helladic wares.'
    b.    Ålin [1962]: 57, 'Besiedlung in N, FH, MH und SH Zeit wurde festgestellt.'
    c.    Blegen [1930]: 59, 'In Trench T, in the Early Helladic stratum, a series of at least three or four chambers was partially disclosed, ... '

2. EH I: (3100 BC - 2700 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... EH I-III MH ... '

3. EH II: (2700 BC - 2200 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... EH I-III MH ... '

4. EH III: (2200 BC - 2000 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... EH I-III MH ... '

5. Middle Helladic: (2000 BC - 1600 BC)
    a.    Blegen [1920]: 6, 'potsherds representing Neolithic, Early, Middle, and Late Helladic wares.'
    b.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    c.    Ålin [1962]: 57, 'Besiedlung in N, FH, MH und SH Zeit wurde festgestellt.'
    d.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... EH I-III MH ... '
    e.    Blegen [1930]: 59, ' ..., in Trench B a good corner of a room belonging to the Middle Helladic Period was uncovered.'

6. Late Helladic: (1700 BC - 1050 BC)
    a.    Blegen [1920]: 6, 'potsherds representing Neolithic, Early, Middle, and Late Helladic wares.'
    b.    Ålin [1962]: 57, 'Besiedlung in N, FH, MH und SH Zeit wurde festgestellt.'
    c.    Morgan [1999]: 474, 'LH levels are heavily eroded, ... '

7. Late Helladic I: (1700 BC - 1635 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Blegen [1930]: 78, 'To the First Late Helladic stage belong only a few sherds, .. '

8. Late Helladic II: (1635 BC - 1410 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... LH I-IIIB C H'
    c.    Blegen [1930]: 78, 'The Second Late Helladic stage is represented by more material. This includes a number of fragments of Ephyraean ware, a large portion of a pitcher, or ewer, similar to that from Korakou, fragments of jugs with cut-away necks, and squat bowls, or alabastra.'

9. LH IIA: (1635 BC - 1470 BC)
    a.    BCH Online: 4504, ' ... the discovery of a large quantity of Late Helladic IIA - IIIB1 sherds including decorated finewares during surface prospection on the wider plateau ... '

10. LH IIB: (1470 BC - 1410 BC)
    a.    BCH Online: 4504, 'Two walls were exposed forming a corner. Similarities with architecture revealed in a 2006 excavation at Isthmia may indicate a similar, Late Helladic IIB-IIIA1 date.'

11. LH III: (1410 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    Ålin [1962]: 57, 'Unter den Keramikfunden ist SH III am besten repräsentiert, besonders im Zentrum des Plateaus.'
    b.    Blegen [1930]: 78, 'In the central part of the site the third phase of the Late Helladic Period is well represented by accumulated deposit, ... '

12. LH IIIA: (1410 BC - 1315 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... LH I-IIIB C H'

13. LH IIIA1: (1410 BC - 1375 BC)
    a.    BCH Online: 4504, 'Two walls were exposed forming a corner. Similarities with architecture revealed in a 2006 excavation at Isthmia may indicate a similar, Late Helladic IIB-IIIA1 date.'

14. LH IIIB: (1320 BC - 1190 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 34, 'N EHI-III MH LH I-IIIB C H'
    b.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 63, ' ... LH I-IIIB C H'

15. LH IIIB1: (1320 BC - 1250 BC)
    a.    BCH Online: 4504, ' ... the discovery of a large quantity of Late Helladic IIA - IIIB1 sherds including decorated finewares during surface prospection on the wider plateau ... '

16. LH IIIC: (1190 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    Ålin [1962]: 57, 'Diese Keramik soll mit der von Korakou übereinstimmen, und die Besiedlung dürfte deswegen bis in IIIC hinuntergehen.'

NOTES

1.  An old photograph of the Gonia site in Blegen [1920] 6 is here.

2.  Simpson and Dickinson [1979] 63 'A 57 Gonia' say "The LH remains, however, were often eroded."

3.  And see the photos of finds, etc. from Gonia hosted by the website of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens here.

rhc

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. BCH Online: Archaeology in Greece Online/Chronique des fouilles en ligne, 'GONIA - 2003', no. 4504. Online here.

2. Ålin [1962]: Ålin, Per. Das Ende der mykenischen Fundstätten auf dem griechischen Festland. Carl Bloms Boktryckeri A.-B., Lund, 1962., 'Gonia', pg. 57.

3. Blegen [1930]: Blegen, Carl W.. ‘Goniá’, Metropolitan Museum Studies (3:1), pp. 55-80. 1930., 'Goniá', pg. 55. Online here.

4. Blegen [1920]: Blegen, Carl W.. ‘Corinth in Prehistoric Times’, American Journal of Archaeology, Second Series, xxiv, 1920, pp. 1-13, '8.', pg. 6. Online here.

5. Morgan [1999]: Morgan, Catherine. Isthmia VIII; The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary . The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Princeton, New Jersey, '13 Gonia', pg. 474.

6. Simpson [1981]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press, 1981., 'A 57 Gonia', pg. 34. 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., 'A 57 Gonia', pg. 63. Online here.