Reconstructing mid-to-recent Holocene paleoenvironments in the vicinity of ancient Amarynthos (Euboea, Greece)

Abstract

This article examines the shoreline evolution and human occupation in the vicinity of the important archeological site of Amarynthos (Euboea Island, Greece) over the last six millennia. Archeological evidence indicates a continuous occupation of the site from the Bronze Age to the Roman period and the site is well-known, thanks to the existence of a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Based on the study of four boreholes, a paleogeographic reconstruction of the coastal landscape is proposed. Facies were determined based on mollusc identification, and sedimentology based on grain-size measurements (hand sieving for the fraction above 2 mm and LASER technique for particles below 2 mm) and loss-on-ignition. In addition, a series of 12 AMS radiocarbon dates define a reliable chronostratigraphy. Results suggest the presence of a fully marine environment from the early Holocene to ca. 2600-2400 cal. BC, which developed into a brackish environment from ca. 2600-2400 cal. BC to ca. 750 cal. BC due to the deltaic progradation of the nearby stream (Sarandapotamos River). From ca. 750 cal. BC onward, coastal swamps prevailed in the study area. Human-environmental interaction is discussed and particular attention is paid to the paleolandscape configuration of Amarynthos.

Geoarchaeology: Where Geosciences Meet the Humanities to Reconstruct Past Human–Environment Interactions. An Application to the Coastal Areas of the Largest Mediterranean Islands

“…The palaeoenvironmental data, based on borehole chronostratigraphy, is of great importance from a geoarchaeological perspective and can deliver valuable information about general coastal landscape configuration during a period of flourishing human activities. In a major finding, the exact location of the sanctuary of Artemis at Amarynthos was confirmed thanks in part to the palaeoenvironmental results obtained [48] before its unambiguous discovery [50]. The case study of the island of Euboea and the presence of associated sanctuaries to Artemis highlights obvious Human-Environment interactions, both in a coastal landscape and in a regional context, and underlines another aspect of coastal geoarchaeology.…”

“…From an archaeological perspective, this specific landscape configuration has only rarely been taken into consideration to precisely locate some of the temples associated with the goddess. Furthermore, little attention had been paid to reconstructing the coastal landscape configuration until recent studies [48,49]. Most of the deltaic environments where sanctuaries of Artemis were first mentioned by ancient writers and later rediscovered (sometimes only very recently [50]) have been investigated in terms of environmental history using coring.…”

Recent research at the Sanctuary of Artemis Amarysia in Amarynthos (Euboea)

“…132). The results of the geoarchaeological study show that however large the sanctuary was, its southern and southwestern limits can not extend beyond the four cores that delimit the coastal swamps that existed from the Archaic to the Late Hellenistic period (Ghilardi et al 2012).…”

“…The coastal area of the lower basin consists of Holocene alluvial deposits, clayey-sandy materials with cobbles. The geoarchaeological study of the area, which included coring, resulted in a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the landscape (Ghilardi et al 2012). From the Early Holocene to ca.…”

Geomorphic Evolution of the Lilas River Fan Delta (Central Evia Island, Greece)

“…This marine layer indicates that the sea reached the area of the present apex of the fan delta probably after the quick rise of the sea-level that followed the end of the last glacial period. This inundation possibly took place around 5000-5500 years BP when the rate of sea-level rise slowed down, as it can be assumed by the sea-level change curve proposed for the area of Eretria, which lies 12.5 km east of the Lilas fan delta [64,65]. The marine layer is overlaid by fluvio-torrential deposit which constitutes the recent Holocene sediments of the Lilas River.…”