Famous as the homeland of Odysseus, Ithaca has been a preferred research area for archaeologists. However, the archaeology of Ithaca has been severely biased by its Homeric focus. As a result, Late...Show moreFamous as the homeland of Odysseus, Ithaca has been a preferred research area for archaeologists. However, the archaeology of Ithaca has been severely biased by its Homeric focus. As a result, Late Archaic and Classical Ithaca remains poorly understood. This biased research agenda combined with the lack of visible remains of monumental public architecture have created the impression that Classical Ithaca was an isolated backwater. This thesis aims to partially redress the balance. At Polis valley, northern Ithaca, relatively rich deposits of Late Archaic and Classical occupation have come to light. Six assemblages of fine ware pottery, Ithacan and imported, provide important insights on the hitherto unknown local pottery production and development, its relations to the Western Greek pottery tradition as well as the influences from the well-known pottery production centres of Athens and Corinth. The contexts of behaviour in which the pottery participated likely represent activities of communal feasting in the open and during daylight, followed by an arranged exposure of the leftovers on the surface. The social significance of the pottery is then investigated and it is argued that the local elite largely regulated pottery production and imports of foreign ceramics as strategies for maintaining the established social hierarchy. Furthermore, the depositional practices of the pottery may reveal a complex negotiation of social behaviours and concepts, such as insularity, acculturation, identity and connectivity. The final conclusion is that the local widely-connected seafaring elite deliberately cultivated a culture of austerity and traditionalism in order to maintain its power over the community, and the manipulation of fine ware pottery played a major role in the success of this strategy.Show less
This thesis tries to account for the high amount of kantharos-shards in the archaeological context of the Greek province of Boeotia. The kantharos is a drinking cup with a distinguishable shape....Show moreThis thesis tries to account for the high amount of kantharos-shards in the archaeological context of the Greek province of Boeotia. The kantharos is a drinking cup with a distinguishable shape. High incurving handles, an upper and lower body divided by a narrow offset and a high stem and foot are some of its characteristics. There is no consensus about why this cup was so important and well used in the Archaic and Classical periods in Boeotia. This thesis tries to uncover the reasons for being used so well in this region by focusing on several viewpoints, such as the kantharos’ origin, the link to mythology and several typologies. The still largely unpublished datasets from the Boeotia survey Project are being used here for the amounts of kantharoi and their contexts. This information is ultimately compared to other surveys and excavations from several regions of Greece, to see whether Boeotia actually was unique in this respect. With these viewpoints this thesis not only tries to answer the research question, but also tries to give an overall view on the research on kantharoi in general.Show less
