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The
OSU Excavations at Isthmia - 1994 Preliminary Report
Fieldwork at Isthmia
sponsored by The Ohio State University took place from May 3 to
August 12. Thanks are due to Mrs. F. Pachygianni and Mrs. Z. Aslamatizdou
of the Fourth Ephoreia of Classical Antiquities and to Mr. Ioannis
Daglis of the Department of Conservation of the Ministry of Culture,
for unfailing support and encouragement.
Our primary
focus this year was the continued conservation of the monochrome
mosaic in the Roman Bath, discovered in 1976 and lifted in 1990.
Relaying of the mosaic had begun in 1992 and, by the end of the
1993 season, 69 of a total of 148 sections had been restored to
their original location. Conservation this year began on May 17
and ended on June 16, although detailed work was carried out until
the end of August. This work was directly supervised by Ioannis
Daglis, with the assistance of Vasilis Marinos and Panagiotis Elias
of the Fourth Ephoreia. Conservation this year proceeded rapidly
and a total of 35 sections was re-laid, bringing the grand total
in three seasons to 104 sections. A particularly time-consuming
aspect of this work was the identification and conservation of the
sections of mosaic lifted in 1980. No plan of these sections existed
and many of the pieces were in bad condition, requiring considerable
work and care. Nonetheless, work proceeded well and we hope that
the task of relaying the whole mosaic will be completed during the
1995 season.
Restoring
the Mosaic, Summer 1994.
Further fieldwork
was carried out in the area of the Roman Bath, where we began a
process of removing dumped material from previous excavations, and
in the East Field, between the Temenos of Poseidon and the Byzantine
Fortress (see enclosed plan). This latter area had been excavated
between 1970 and 1972 by Paul Clement but he was unable to prepare
a final report on those excavations before his death in 1986. We
therefore have initiated a program to study all the architectural
features and context material (pottery and other finds) from this
area. The East Field contains a veritable maze of walls of poor
quality, clearly representing more than one period of construction.
These walls seem to be from small buildings (houses or other small
establishments) with facilities for water and the preparation of
food. The earliest of the walls seem to date from the second century
after Christ, although most of the ceramic material appears to date
from the third century and later. In all, there are objects from
over 700 individual stratigraphic units in approximately 30 trenches.
We were able this year to investigate the detailed stratigraphy
in two of these old trenches. Most important of these was one in
the central part of the area (Trench 94-3) where we were able to
identify two successive floor levels and associate them with their
appropriate walls. This provides an important fixed point for an
understanding of this complex area, in terms of both its architecture
and chronology. Examination in 1994 confirms that there was considerable
activity in the East Field in the third century and it sheds light
on the architectural environment of the so-called cult tunnel in
the area.
In addition
to these investigations, we continued study of the architecture
and finds in the area of the Roman Bath. Progress toward publication
of this important monument is well under way, under the supervision
of Jeanne Marty (University of North Carolina at Asheville), Fikret
Yegul (University of California at Santa Barbara), and the present
writer. We also began the study of a large pottery dump left near
the site by our predecessors in the 1970's. Examination of this
material will help to provide a picture of the total artifact assemblage
recovered from exploration of the site in earlier years. This, in
turn, will offer a valuable data base for the study of trade connections
and site use in the ancient past. Only a very preliminary examination
of this material was possible this year, but we did identify some
72,153 sherds, weighing a total of 2,828.40 kg. These dated almost
exclusively to the second to the fourth centuries after Christ and
included many examples of the so-called Aegean amphoras, micaceous
water jars, and various pieces of Eastern Sigillata wares. Further
study is necessary before the full importance of this material will
be realized.
An important
new initiative was a conservation assessment study carried out with
a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. This was the first
year of a two-year pilot program to evaluate the conservation needs
and resources of the Ohio State Excavations. This program was carried
out by Margaret Little of the University of Delaware and the Winterthur
Museum and Katherine Holbrow of the Smithsonian Institution and
the Winterthur Museum. The goal was to investigate all aspects of
object storage and conservation needs, considering both individual
excavated objects and architecture in the field. The primary purpose
of this project was thus to assess current conservation considerations
and to devise a plan that will be implemented over the next few
years. In addition, some limited object conservation was carried
out by Katherine Holbrow: in total 23 ceramic vessels and 3 metal
coins were treated in 1994. Eight of these vessels were desalinated,
and six were filled with new plaster. Initial steps were taken for
the establishment of a conservation working space for the OSU Excavations,
and this should be available for use in future seasons. Equipment
and supply needs were assessed, and a small quantity of supplies
left at the site for use next year. A supplier in the area was identified
for the purchase of further materials, and a tentative order list
prepared for purchases next spring. Much additional conservation
time was expended on discussion and planning for related conservation
concerns, including: architectural conservation, excavation and
treatment of specialized material such as waterlogged bone and fresco,
organizational concerns such as obtaining laboratory equipment and
supplies, and establishing appropriate data retrieval systems.
During the 1994
season the Ohio State University Excavations also conducted a Summer
Seminar for College Teachers, sponsored by the National Endowment
for the Humanities. As participants in this seminar 12 teachers
from colleges and universities in the United States took part in
the work of the Excavation and learned about practical field archaeology
in Greece. They worked largely with the records from previous excavations
and they considered how classical archaeology can fit into their
own individual research and teaching. This Seminar was part of the
OSU Excavations' plan to make its records and resources available
to a broader scholarly public and to encourage greater awareness
and utilization of archaeological material.
Timothy E. Gregory
October, 1994
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