The Makrakomi Archaeological Landscapes Project. A preliminary report on investigations carried out in 2010–2012

Abstract

In this article we provide a preliminary report of the work carried out between 2010 and 2012 as part of the Makrakomi Archaeological Landscapes Project (MALP). The programme of research is carried out in co-operation between the Swedish Institute at Athens and the 14th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities at Lamia. The interdisciplinary project started in the summer of 2010, when a pilot survey was conducted in and around the hill of Profitis Elias, in the modern municipality of Makrakomi, where extensive traces of ancient fortifications are still visible. Systematic investigations have been conducted since 2011 as part of a five-year plan of research involving surface survey, geophysical survey and small-scale archaeological excavation as well as geomorphological investigation. The primary aim of MALP is to examine the archaeology and geomorphology of the western Spercheios Valley, within the modern municipality of Makrakomi in order to achieve a better understanding of antiquity in the region, which has previously received scant scholarly attention. Through the archaeological surface survey and architectural survey in 2011 and 2012 we have been able to record traces of what can be termed as a nucleated and structured settlement in an area known locally as Asteria, which is formed by the projecting ridges to the east of Profitis Elias. The surface scatters recorded in this area suggest that the town was primarily occupied from the late 4th century BC and throughout the Hellenistic period. The geophysical survey conducted between 2011 and 2012 similarly recorded data which point to the presence of multiple structures according to a regular grid system. The excavation carried out in the central part of Asteria also uncovered remains of a single domestic structure (Building A) which seems to have been in use during the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods. The combined data acquired through the programme of research is thus highly encouraging, and has effectively demonstrated the importance of systematic archaeological research in this understudied area of Central Greece.

Integrating legacy survey data into GIS‐based analysis: The rediscovery of the archaeological landscapes in Grevena (Western Macedonia, Greece)

“…Artefact density was mapped through separate GPS coordinates for a better understanding of the size and activity of the site (Bevan & Conolly, 2013, p. 14; Bonnier et al, 2013, p. 232; Fachard et al, 2015; pp. 180–181; Georgiadis et al, 2022, p. 6), allowing the collection of information that was missing completely before we started the project.…”

The 2016–2018 Greek-Swedish archaeological project at Thessalian Vlochos, Greece

“…Several archaeological projects within Greece have utilized similar individual methods as VLAP, but few of them have chosen a fully non-invasive approach. Noteworthy examples are ancient Sikyon (Lolos 2011) on the Peloponnese, Olynthos at Chalcidice (Nevett et al 2017), Makrakomi in Phthiotis (Papakonstantinou et al 2013), and Kastro Kallithea 2009;Haagsma et al 2011) and Skotoussa in Thessaly (La Torre et al 2017). from extensive early 20th-century excavations of sites mainly in Asia Minor and Magna Graecia, with additional information from fieldwork at the very large ancient cities of Athens and Corinth.…”

Societies in Transition in Early Greece

“…Since then, survey work has been rather limited, although the Phokis-Doris expedition, focused on the Great Isthmus Corridor Route (Kase et al 1991), included parts of this zone, most notably a summary of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age evidence for settlement in the Spercheios valley (Dakoronia 1991). More recently, intensive survey work has been carried out in the western end of the valley by the Makrakomi Archaeological Landscapes Project (Papakonstantinou et al 2013). The vast majority of our archaeological knowledge of the area comes from the numerous rescue excavations carried out by the Greek Archaeological Service (see, e.g., Dakoronia 1994Dakoronia , 1999Karantzali 2013;Papakonstantinou 2009Papakonstantinou , 2015Papakonstantinou et al 2016).…”