2/ The history of Kythnos begins on this little promontory, over 10,000 years ago!
Excavations here at Maroulas have revealed one of the only Mesolithic settlements in the Aegean, some of the earliest human activity in the whole region!
3/ The dwellings, burials, ancient garbage found at Maroulas tell us that the earliest inhabitants of the island lived well on the island, eating plenty of fresh fish!
Taking a walk around the site today reveals plenty of obsidian & quartz for tool production.
4/ While Kythnos was not a major center of the Cycladic civilization it boasts some of the earliest copper production in the Aegean!
A visit to the highest point in the island, Profitis Ilias, brings you face to face with some of these early mines!
5/ Unlike nearby Kea, Kythnos seems to have had little activity in the Middle & Late Bronze.
By the Archaic Period, occupation centered at the ancient city of Vriokastro. Recent excavations have shown this to be an incredible site, worthy of its own thread later this weekend!
6/ The city prospered for about a millenium, from the Geometric period until the Romans came into control of the Cyclades.
It’s inhabitants participated in some of the most important events of the ancient Greek world, like the Battle of Salamis during the Persian War.
7/ Like many Aegean islands, pirate raids and other factors caused cities on the coast to be abandoned in favor of more defensible sites on cliffs or in the mountains.
In the 7th century, life on Kythnos shifted to the incredible site of Oria on the north of the island!
8/ Oria remained the capital of Kythnos when the island came under Venetian control after the 4th Crusade.
The island’s new rulers transformed the site into a living castle, with a small dense urban footprint & 19(!) churches. One even preserves some incredible 14th c. frescoes!
9/ Hundreds of churches are still found across the landscape of Kythnos, dotting the islands terraced agricultural landscape.
The most important is found in the small village of Panagia Kanala, where we’re staying for #SCIP2021, featuring a masterpiece icon by Skordilis!
10/ Today, life has shifted to the two main villages of the island, the port, & the dozens of beautiful beaches that dot the coastline of Kythnos.
How does our research on the Small Cycladic Islands Project impact this history? You’ll have to follow our progress to find out!
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2/ We met up with Alexandros Mazarakis Ainian & his team from @uth_gr who have been excavating the ancient city of Kythnos since 2002.
Combining survey, excavation, & underwater archaeology, they’re doing some of the most interesting work on the Greek islands today!
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3/ The ancient city flourished from the 10th century BCE all the way until the 7th century CE, making it an incredibly long-lived site with fascinating archaeology.
Just offshore, the little island of Vryokastraki even has evidence for Early Cycladic & Mycenaean settlement!
2/ Today, we’re boating out of Panagia Kanala on Kythnos to visit the island of Piperi, 9km to the southeast.
From afar, the Piperi seems like a steep rock sticking out of the sea, w/ little vegetation, water, or evidence of human activity. I’m sure we’ll find something, though!
3/ Every day on #SCIP2021 begins with a ride like this! We throw all of our equipment in dry bags and hop on a RIB for what must be the best commute in the world!
We have wonderful boating weather this morning, but it might get hot out there when we’re surveying!
For 2,300 years, aqueducts have carried fresh running water to the city of Rome. You know these marvels of Roman engineering as long arched bridges or underground tunnels, but what are they like on the inside?
2/9 Unlike the other aqueducts in Rome, the Aqua Traiana begins at the volcanic Lago Bracciano to the city’s northwest.
Commissioned by the emperor Trajan, the 33km aqueduct began delivering water to Rome in 109 CE, an event that was commemorated on one of Trajan’s coins!
3/9 The aqueduct brought water to Rome’s Janiculum hill, where it powered a series of industrial water mills & public fountains.
After centuries of neglect, Pope Paul V renovated the aqueduct in 1612. The spectacular Fontanone celebrates this return of clean water on the hill!
The Via Appia Antica, or Appian Way, is one of the earliest examples of a Roman highway. Beginning in the Roman Forum, it runs southeast all the way to the southern Italian city of Brindisi on the Adriatic Coast!
But we’re starting our walk much closer to home!
Even though Rome’s strict #COVID lockdown has been partially lifted for a few short days, we’re still not permitted to leave the commune.
That means our trip along the Appian Way has to begin at the inconspicuous Capannelle Station, as far afield as we’re allowed!
When we got word of the impending lockdown, I was on Crete with the @ASCSAthens for a whirlwind tour of the islands incredible archaeology (& beaches).
We had only covered one half of the island when we had to pulled plug and hoped on the next ferry back to Athens...
March 2020: Athens enters full lockdown & the city is silent for the first time in my memory. No one had any idea how #Covid_19 was transmitted and it felt like the whole city was working together to make sure that the Greek health wasn’t overwhelmed...and it was working!
We’re all familiar with Ancient Greek sculpture missing arms, legs, or heads. But why do these busts look like they’ve been battered, broken, & burned? Let’s explore some peculiar Hellenistic sculpture from Kalydon in this #THREAD!
2/ You may know about Kalydon from its mythological boar hunt. Before the Trojan War, Artemis sent a legendary boar to ravage the Aetolian countryside. The local hero Meleager was joined by some of the most famous heroes in Greece, and the huntress Atalanta struck the first blow!
3/ The myth of the Kalydonian boar hunt has been famous since the time of Homer, and has always been a favorite scene for artists. Representations abound: from Archaic vase painters, to Roman sculptors, and even the 17th c. workshop of Peter Paul Rubens!