Volume 78, 2003

The Shaft Graves at Mycenae, discovered and excavated in 1876 by H. Schliemann (Grave Circle A) and in 1952-54 by J. Papadimitriu and G.E. Mylonas (Grave Circle B), contained the earliest known ivories from the Greek mainland (MH III-LH IIA). However, these finds have never been thoroughly examined, not even by J.-C. Poursat, who concerned himself closely with the development of Mycenaean ivory carving. Probably this is because of the ivories’ mostly fragmentary character and the presence in these graves of more eye-catching objects of gold and other precious materials.

The article presents a catalogue and discussion of the ivories. Included are illustrations of two representations on pyxis fragments which are published here for the first time: a rearing quadruped by the sea, and the earliest depiction of a chariot on an ivory from the Aegean Bronze Age.

The conclusion is that at the time of the Shaft Graves a strong Cretan stimulus largely determined the use of ivory on the Greek mainland.

An den dorischen Haupttempeln des Mutterlandes im 5.Jh., dem olympischen Zeustempel und dem Parthenon, soll gezeigt werden, daß sich das am Beginn des 5.Jh.s. aufkommende Einheitsjoch und eine einfache Stylobatproportion nicht, wie allgemein angenommen wird, widersprechen, sondern gerade die Verbindung dieser schwer zu verbindenden Architekturteile ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des dorischen ‘Kanon’ ist und nicht zuletzt den besonderen Reiz dieser Architektur ausmacht. Es kann nachgewiesen werden, daß nicht nur der Stylobat des Parthenon im Verhältnis 4 : 9 geplant war, sondern auch der Stylobat des Zeustempels im einfachen Verhältnis 3 : 7 entworfen wurde. Entscheidend für die Planung dürfte die Festlegung des Verhältnisses zwischen Normaljoch und Abstand E (Eckjoch + Achsabstand der Ecksäule) gewesen sein, woraus sich alle weiteren Schritte für die Konzeption des Grundrisses ergeben. Zuletzt wird darauf hingewiesen, daß dieses erstaunliche und bis ins Detail durchdachte proportionale Gefüge auf dem Hintergrund des ‘Gegensatz-Denkens’ der Zeit zu sehen ist.

Rescue excavations on the Bir Massouda site have given important evidence for the urban development of Punic Carthage. The position of a city boundary in the form of ‘casemate’-walls was established. Outside this boundary, an 8th century BC cremation necropolis (the earliest of Carthage) was succeeded by metal working quarters after the mid-7th century BC. In the late 5th century BC, this part of the city was reshaped into residential quarters. A selection of finds of the Punic period both show the range of materials yielded by these excavations and proof the advanced technological skills of the Carthaginian iron workers.

In collaboration with: Morgan De Dapper, Philippe Crombe, Beata-Maria De Vlieger, Patrick Monsieur, Catharina Boullart, Tanja Goethals, Hélène Verreyke, Geert Verhoeven, Izabel Devriendt, Griet Vanheddeghem & Jacques Seme

This contribution presents the third report about the on-going survey project of Ghent University in the Adriatic valley of the River Potenza (Marches, Italy). The project investigates the settlement history of the valley, essentially between 1000 BC and AD 1000. In 2002 substantial results in the whole valley have been obtained with the help of remote sensing techniques, while the field surveys and study of surface finds have focussed on the protohistoric and Roman occupation of the coastal area. The article comprises also an introduction to geo-archaeological investigations and the use of an original GIS and presents some results concerning Stone Age finds.

This article reports on recent fieldwork carried out in three campaigns between 2000 and 2002 by the Groningen Institute of Archaeology on the coast between present-day Nettuno and Torre Astura in South Lazio (Italy). The focus is on the excavation of a late Bronze Age site with evidence for salt production, the investigation of a ca. 120 m long section eroded by the sea that contains evidence for the production of amphorae in the Roman Republican period, and the excavation of a lime kiln of subrecent date.

With contributions by: Abraham van As, Bernd Fitzner, Kurt Heinrichs & Dennis La Bouchardiere, Predrag Gavrilovic, Onno van Nijf & Frits Steenhuisen and Tesse D. Stek & Ellen Thiermann

The Second Campaign at Nemrud Dag concentrated on the preparation and implementation of a restoration and conservation programm. The sandstone slabs at the West Terrace had partly fallen down and all of them show severe damages on the relief surfaces. A snow fence was constructed at their backs that should prevent snow pulling down the remaining stelae. At the East Terrace we experimented hoisting the elements of the limestone colossal statues with a large professional crane. The heads of the five human figures and the four animals were placed in front of the statues as was done with some other fragments. We studied the possibility of stabilisation of the bases and the rocks underneath the statues. These results can be of great profit during the future campaigns that aim at a restabilisation of these statues. The archaeological work focused on the documentation (SIS) and interpretation. Futhermore epigraphic remains were studied with the help of a digital scanner. Artefacts from the monument were sampled and ceramic finds were analysed.

Zebrapatterns are paintings with black and white stripes, usually covering the lower zone of a wall and often divided in panels reminiscent of marble imitation. They were in use in the Vesuvius area, during the second half of the first century AD. Because they mainly appear in passage rooms, they have previously rarely been described and are generally thought to be secondary decoration, restricted to service areas. Thorough study of the pattern within its spatial context however leads to a different point of view: that zebrapatterns were used in the first place to define public or common space.

Après avoir rappelé les difficultés épistémologiques de toute analyse diachronique d’un édifice aussi polyvalent que la basilique, dès lors qu’elle sort de son cadre habituel, celui du forum, l’auteur s’efforce de montrer que les normes mêmes de Vitruve, toujours invoquées au nom d’un fixisme typologique rassurant, sont plus souples qu’on ne l’admet généralement. L’étude des témoignages archéologiques ou épigraphiques relatifs aux ‘basiliques’ de théâtres, de sanctuaires et de thermes permet de mieux comprendre les projets d’Hadrien à Rome comme à Nîmes. Les transferts successifs des ‘basiliques’ dans des contextes où on ne les attendrait pas reflètent les transformations de la ville et la fluidité des lieux de la convergence populaire.

Tra IV e VI sec. disponiamo di documenti che ci permettono di aprire qualche spiraglio sulla committenza dell’imperatore. Si esaminano cinque casi: 1) la basilica del S. Sepolcro a Gerusalemme; 2) la quercia di Mamre; 3) la nuova basilica di S. Paolo fuori le mura a Roma; 4) una basilica dedicata a Maria Theotokos, la cosiddetta Nea, la Gerusa-lemme; 5) la basilica Eudossiana sulle rovine del Marneion a Gaza. In tutti i casi esaminati la prima preoccupazione dell’imperatore è il livello di ricchezza dell’edificio. Indicazioni dimensionali di massima possono incontrarsi, ma ultima preoccupazione è la scelta tipologica dell’edificio. La consuetudine sembra delegare la maggior parte delle scelte propriamente architettoniche alla chiesa locale in collaborazione con i funzionari della corte.

L’insistenza sulla ricchezza delle architetture si accorda con le indica-zioni sulle reazioni e aspettative del pubblico, interessato essenzial-mente allo sfarzo degli edifici. Questo non escludeva ovviamente una lettura più colta e sofisticata, che non era però quella più diffusa. Gli indizi fanno dunque ipotizzare una certa autonomia di scelte nell’ edilizia religiosa da parte delle comunità locali: si dovrà pensare a un sistema che suddivideva la responsabilità delle decisioni a diversi livelli e che prevedeva una serie di interazioni tra centro e periferia per giungere alle scelte tipologiche e artistiche.

There is no abstract available for this review article