Archaeology Research

Aghia Kyriaki Surveys 1998 & 1999

False-colour satellite image courtesy of Silver and Barytes Mining Co, Athens showing the gullied terrain of Aghia Kyriaki in the extreme SW of the image.

The 1998 The Aghia Kyriaki Survey

In 1997, following our introduction to the island by Guy Sanders, American School of Archaeology in Athens,  generous funding was obtained from the Silver and Barytes Mining Co., Athens for the Aghia Kyriaki survey project. The project was made possible through the support and collaboration of the Greek Archaeology Service (Mrs I. Triandi and KA 'Ephoria' of the Cyclades) and the British School at Athens. A preliminary topographic, archaeological and geological study was completed in May 1998 by a Glasgow University research team including Gary Tompsett, Avril McRobb and Arbory McNulty (Cottier).

We concluded that here it was likely that rather than bentonite, the industrial minerals, alunite, alum and/or sulphur may have been processed. Interpretation of the site was particularly difficult because of the unusual geological setting of the abundant archaeological remains.

Details of the topographic survey, archaeology and geoarchaeology are given on separate pages.

References

Photos-Jones, E., Hall, A.J., Atkinson, J.A., Tompsett, G., Cottier, A. and Sanders, G.D.R.  1999. The Aghia Kyriaki, Melos, Survey: prospecting for the elusive earths in the Roman period in the Aegean.  The Annual of the British School at Athens.  94.  377-413.

Hall, A.J., Photos-Jones, E., McNulty, A., Turner, D. and McRobb, A. 2003. The geological and geothermal setting of the Roman site at Aghia Kyriaki, Melos, Greece.  Geoarchaeology. 18. 333-357.

Solfatara at Aghia Kyriaki; ground heat is being used for evaporation experiments

The 1999 Aghia Kyriaki Survey
'Establishing Roman Industrial Mineral Production on Melos'

The 1998 topographic survey of the Aghia Kyriaki site was extended and pottery concentrations were quantified. This was accomplished with the help of 3 students  (Michail Malamos -Glasgow; Yiannis Sideris - Leicester; and Stuart Dunn - Durham).

The ’Loulos I’  site NE of Aghia Kyriaka, potentially related to Industrial Minerals production, was earmarked for future excavation.  Building remains and pottery have been revealed here in a recent small quarry (see section on Melian Earth).

All the underground features (caves, tunnels, mines, burial chambers at Aghia Kyriaki, were recorded in the search for sources of industrial minerals.  About 24 'tunnels' were located and included a man-made cave within the extinct volcanic caldera of Fyriplaka to the NW of Aghia Kyriaki.  This was, apparently designed with the purpose of extracting 'alum' and/or sulphur from active subterranean fumaroles.

The environmental setting and evolution of the Aghia Kyriaki site was assessed by Jim Hansom, geomorphologist, Department of Geography, University of Glasgow.  This led to our greater appreciation of the complexity of the development of the site during a long period of human occupation.  The study demonstrated the need for quantitative dating evidence for the sequence of depositional, erosional and occupation events which could well be inter-related and possibly partly influenced by mineral mining and production.

The potential use in antiquity of fumaroles and hot ground in the evaporation of alum from solution was assessed experimentally in the field (see above image).  This was dramatically successful using modern lekane-shaped pottery basins and alunogen freshly collected from the newly discovered cave at Fyriplaka.

The results of these surveys concern the local topography, archaeology and geoarchaeology of the Ag. Kyriaki area.