Jesper Blid - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Books by Jesper Blid

Labraunda 5. The Andrones., 2019

This is the final publication of the two Hekatomnid Andrones at Labraunda. The older of these (th... more This is the final publication of the two Hekatomnid Andrones at Labraunda. The older of these (the Andron of Maussollos or Andron B) was built by the satrap Maussollos (377/6–353/2 BC). This is shown by the dedicatory inscription on the architrave. The other andron (Andron A) is clearly later and was probably built by Idrieus (351/0–344/3 BC), the brother and successor of Maussollos as satrap of Karia. This building has the same kind of dedication, but the name of the commissioner is not preserved. These two buildings are unique both for their size, temple-like front, and high degree of preservation and for their Ionic-Doric mixed order, the function as banqueting halls, and the large niche at the back of the inner room.
In the publication the architecture of the two buildings is systematically presented together with plans and elevations of the ruins and reconstructions. The walls are of local gneiss, the fronts and the entablature of marble. From the Andron of Maussollos (Andron B) 130 blocks from the antae, the columns, and the entablature are preserved. A catalogue of those blocks, and a large collection of photographs and drawings are included. From Andron A the blocks are less numerous, but on the other hand the gneiss walls of the building stand to a height of up to c. nine metres, which equals the original level of the column capitals on the front.
In the volume are also included some relevant surrounding structures such as the Annexe rooms to the north of the Andron of Maussollos, the Hellenistic so-called Andron C, and the Terrace House just east of Andron A, the roof of which formed part of the terrace in front of the andron.

This study focuses on a quantitative analysis of Late Antique remains that have been recorded at ... more This study focuses on a quantitative analysis of Late Antique remains that have been recorded at the sanctuary of Labraunda from 1948 to 2011, and that date mainly to the period c. AD 300-600. The studied sample comprises of all the diagnostic material from Late Antiquity found at the site, including architecture, architectural sculpture, ceramics, glass, inscriptions/graffiti, coins, organic remains, and various other small finds. The architectural remains include two church complexes, a residence with a tetraconch bath, and several rebuilt structures within the ancient temenos.

Papers by Jesper Blid

Opuscula, 2024

The aim of this article is to present the first results of a project investigating the hitherto u... more The aim of this article is to present the first results of a project investigating the hitherto unexplored site of Pergamos, located on a hill known as Koules/Alonaki just to the south of modern Moustheni in the Pieria valley. The site has a long history, with the earliest traces of human activity dating to the Late Bronze Age and the first visible architectural remains—impressive and well-preserved fortifications built in a stack-work technique—originating in the Late Archaic period. Following this, surface finds testify to activity and habitation throughout the centuries until a substantial strengthening of the defensive walls during Late Roman or medieval times, before the site was abandoned at a currently unknown point. To achieve the aim the article begins with an introduction to the site and its surrounding landscape. Following this, the results of a survey of the visible remains are presented, focusing on the fortifications and two architectural fragments. The site is then discussed within its spatial and chronological context, suggesting that Pergamos was an important settlement in the area, exhibiting traits of a polis, in particular during Archaic and Classical times before it fell within the sphere of influence of the Roman colony Philippi.

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2021

This paper presents the results of an architectural survey of the foundations of a Classical temp... more This paper presents the results of an architectural survey of the foundations of a Classical temple, presumably that of Demeter Chthonia, located inside the chief sanctuary of the ancient city of Hermione. It also studies ancient architectural members built into the walls of the Taxiarches
Church situated on top of the temple foundations. By analysing these
material remains and connecting them to the observations of 19th-century
travellers to Kastri (Hermione), the paper draws conclusions about
the original size and appearance of the Temple of Demeter Chthonia.

Karia and the Dodekanese: Cultural Interrelations in the Southeast Aegean I Late Classical to Early Hellenistic, eds. Birte Poulsen, Poul Pedersen & John Lund, Oxford, 107-119., 2021

In this paper, we explore the construction of antae at Labraunda in the Hekatomnid building progr... more In this paper, we explore the construction of antae at Labraunda in the Hekatomnid building programme of the 4th century BC. We discuss both the appearance of the anta wall end and its capital in three Doric buildings with square symmetric antae, four Ionic buildings in antis with rectangular symmetric antae (“structurally meaningless” in current understanding), and one Ionic in antis building with square symmetric antae. The Ionic antae at Labraunda draw on the Archaic tradition of Asia Minor and the eastern Aegean, while, at the same time, they are subject to artistic experimentation. We also investigate the spread of the rectangular “Labraunda type of anta” in the region of Karia and the Dodekanese and argue that the single occurrence of a square Ionic anta in Andron A at Labraunda may be the earliest known example of this anta type, which became the common Hellenistic Ionic anta in Asia Minor.

Life and Death in a Multicultural Harbour City: Ostia Antica from the Republic through Late Antiquity (Acta Instituti Romani Finlandiae, vol. 47), edited by Arja Karivieri, Rome: Institutum Romanum Finlandiae/ Edizioni Quasar., 2020

ROMA 2020 e x c e r p t

Dahlén, Ashk (ed.), Achaemenid Anatolia: Persian Presence and Impact in the Western Satrapies 546–330 BC: Proceedings of an International Symposium at the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, 7–8 September 2017, Boreas 37, Uppsala, 2020

When Maussollos became a satrap of Karia in the early 370s, he initiated an ambitious building pr... more When Maussollos became a satrap of Karia in the early 370s, he initiated an ambitious building programme at the local sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda. The programme included a ritual banquet building (andron), whose façade displayed an experimental and innovative combination of Doric, Ionic and Achaemenidising elements. This article proposes a new interpretation of the Achaemenidising sphinx akroteria of Maussollos' andron and their significance for the building and its dedicator.

Restituer les couleurs. Le rôle de la restitution dans les recherches sur la polychromie en sculpture, architecture et peinture mural, ed. M. Mulliez, Bordeaux, 113–122, 2019

This article explores old and new discoveries of architectural polychromy in the Hekatomnid build... more This article explores old and new discoveries of architectural
polychromy in the Hekatomnid building programme at Labraunda
in Karia. It addresses the use of painted plaster and marble
mouldings, while also scrutinising the abundant decorative
role of bronze. I argue that the polychromy of the Hekatomnid
buildings, like the architectural design itself, drew on both Asia
Minor Ionic and Greek Doric practices. It thus exemplifies the
experimental and innovative features of the building programme
at large.

This article presents a single fragmentary folio that was recently uncovered in excavations at th... more This article presents a single fragmentary folio that was recently uncovered in excavations at the Monastery of St Antony (Egypt). This folio was discovered in a secondary deposit below the foundations of a church which was in all likelihood constructed in the 1230s. A radiocarbon dating of the folio has returned a date of 1160-1265. Together, these two data make this fragmentary folio the earliest securely datable specimen of an Ethiopic manuscript. This find, thus, provides a new foundation for the analysis of the paleography of the earliest Ethiopic manuscripts, including the gospel manuscripts from Ǝnda Abba Gärima, which contain paleographic features that seem to predate this fragmentary folio. In addition, this find has implications for the regnant periodization of Ethiopic literature and more specifically the history of Ethiopic monastic literature, especially the Zena Abäw. Finally, this folio is among the earliest surviving Aethiopica for the entirety of Egypt and thus provides new information on the relationship between Ethiopic and Coptic Christianity.

This paper discusses the results from recent archaeological investigations at the Monastery of St... more This paper discusses the results from recent archaeological investigations at the Monastery of St Antony in Egypt, including the remains of a number of building phases predating the current church, locally produced pottery, and manuscript fragments written in Coptic, Arabic, Hebrew, and Ge'ez.

Fountains and water culture in Byzantium, eds. B. Shilling & P. Stephenson, Cambridge, 145–162., 2016

Lars Karlsson, Susanne Carlsson and Jesper Blid Kullberg (eds.), . Studies presented to Pontus He... more Lars Karlsson, Susanne Carlsson and Jesper Blid Kullberg (eds.), . Studies presented to Pontus Hellström. Boreas. Uppsala Studies in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Civilizations 35, Uppsala 2014. 533 pp., with 231 ills., ISBN 978-91-554-8831-4

Published excavations reports by Jesper Blid

Second field report on the Labraunda East Stoa Project by N. Carless Unwin, J. Blid and B. Vergnaud

Labraunda 5. The Andrones., 2019

Opuscula, 2024

Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome, 2021

Karia and the Dodekanese: Cultural Interrelations in the Southeast Aegean I Late Classical to Early Hellenistic, eds. Birte Poulsen, Poul Pedersen & John Lund, Oxford, 107-119., 2021

ROMA 2020 e x c e r p t

Restituer les couleurs. Le rôle de la restitution dans les recherches sur la polychromie en sculpture, architecture et peinture mural, ed. M. Mulliez, Bordeaux, 113–122, 2019

Fountains and water culture in Byzantium, eds. B. Shilling & P. Stephenson, Cambridge, 145–162., 2016

Second field report on the Labraunda East Stoa Project by N. Carless Unwin, J. Blid and B. Vergnaud

Report on the 2018 excavation and survey at and around Labraunda in 2018.

by Olivier Henry, Jesper Blid, Christophe Bost, Naomi Carless Unwin, Görkem Çimen, Ayse Eyigor, Agneta Freccero, Axel Frejman, Elisabeth Goussard, Nicolas Lamare, Frédérique Marchand-Beaulieu, Anna M Sitz, Ivana (Stojanović) Dimitrijević, and Baptiste Vergnaud

Anatolia Antiqua, 2018

in Anatolia Antiqua XXVI, 2018, 209-320.

The main goals of the 2011 campaign were the excavation of the Kepez tower, the West Church and t... more The main goals of the 2011 campaign were the excavation of the Kepez tower, the West Church and the necropoleis. The tower of Kepez was excavated and black-gloss pottery indicates a date in the 3rd century BC. The 2011 excavations in the West Church uncovered three Late Roman and Byzantine building phases. Among the finds from Late Antiquity was a well-preserved glass lamp with a Greek inscription and a marble figurine, possibly representing an apostle or a saint. The excavations in the necropolis uncovered eleven tombs in the Area 5B, located along the Sacred Way, completing the excavation initiated in 2010. New tombs were discovered in the territory east and south of the sanctuary. Finally, the three stone sarcophagi inside the Built Tomb were moved in order to facilitate complete excavation and the cleaning of all the interior space of this monumental tomb. The conservation of architectural marble was continued and included the conservation of an Ionic column capital and an anta capital from Andron B. Thomas Thieme and Pontus Hellström prepared the publication of the andrones.

The Swedish archaeological project at the Karian sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos celebrated, in 2008... more The Swedish archaeological project at the Karian sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos celebrated, in 2008, sixty years of work. The year 2008 was very special, both because of these celebrations, but also because of the important finds that came to light during the excavation of the unusual Roman bath that was discovered in 2007. It is built in the shape of a four-leaf clover (the so-called Tetraconch), and can be dated to the first half of the fourth century AD. A large amount of finds were discovered, including superb pieces of plates in African Red Slip and Late Roman C wares, a water flask, and coloured marble pieces. In the necropolis, we excavated another 19 rock-cut tombs. The finds from these include a golden ring with a cornelian stone and 22 gold appliqués in the shape of rosettes and palmettes. The appliqués had four holes to fasten them to the drapery of the deceased. They are very similar to appliqués found in the burial chamber of the Maussolleion in Halikarnassos. Two coins from before 350 BC show that the burial belongs in the early Hekatomnid period. In the excavations at the Acropolis Fortress Byzantine structures, possibly barracks, dated by the glazed Byzantine pottery to the period between the 11th and the 13th centuries were discovered. At the bottom of the trench
there was a wall belonging to fourth-century BC Hekatomnid
buildings. As every year, time and work were spent on architectural conservation and measures to increase the value of the site for visitors: a roof was erected over the Roman bath, a new wooden fence built at the entrance to the site, new metal shelves were installed in the storerooms, and finally, a re-excavation of the monumental original staircase up to the Built Tomb was initiated.