Anastasia Papathanasiou, William A. Parkinson, Daniel J. Pullen, Michael L. Galaty and Panagiotis Karkanas (eds). Neolithic Alepotrypa cave in the Mani, Greece. In honor of George Papathanassopoulos (original) (raw)
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Stable Places and Changing Perceptions: Cave Archaeology in Greece, BAR IS 2558, 2013
Caves are natural underground chambers formed by a variety of processes that range from microorganisms to a combination of chemical and other factors, chiefly tectonic forces and water erosion. The great majority has been formed in limestone landscapes by dissolution. Availability of space and size vary greatly (Figs. 2). Rockshelters are shallow cavities that commonly lack the formation of speleothems and the characteristic conditions of cave environments (Fig. 3). Several living species are endemic to caves since they represent particular ecological niches. Karstic environments usually present undisturbed records of landform evolution (Strauss 1997, 6), where climatic and past environmental conditions as well as human activities are preserved (Fig. 4). According to Geoff Bailey and Nena Galanidou, the latter typically occur in the form of low resolution palimpsests resulting from low rates of sedimentation and mixing by natural and anthropogenic processes (Bailey and Galanidou 2009, 215). Caves are considered as important elements of world cultural heritage, having been actively used by man, with significant scientific, historical, archaeological, and anthropological value. However, it is not only their unique value, regarding these aspects, that makes caves particularly important. Even when they do not preserve any human or other traces (e.g. palaeontological), they constitute exceptional natural monuments, sometimes of a rare beauty, and are therefore protected by public or international authorities like UNESCO (see also a relevant introduction by Stavroula Samartzidou-Orkopoulou 2005, 10-13). An extended list of cave uses varying through time and space can be provided, however, the list would never be full: places for permanent or periodical residence, production or storage, dump places, water sources, mines/quarries, pens or shelters for animals, cult or burial sites, spots for execution, refuges from danger or refuges for outlaws, outcasts and victims of epidemics as well as places for biological, environmental, palaeontological, archaeological, anthropological or other scientific research, touristic destinations etc. Some of the above mentioned uses of caves, such as refuges or places of exile or isolation, are characteristic of marginal landscapes and, in this sense, caves in some cases, share common characteristics with other marginal environments, like seascapes.
List of illustrations vii List of tables xi List of colour plates xiii List of contributors xiv Memories of Alepotrypa Cave, Diros (George Papathanassopoulos) xvi
A. Sarris, E. Kalogiropoulou, T. Kalayci, L. Karimali (eds.), Communities, Landscapes and Interaction in Neolithic Greece, Proceedings of the International Conference, Rethymno 29-30 May, 2015. International Monographs in Prehistory, Archaeological Series 20, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 247-260.247-260, 2017
This paper dwells on the role of Drakaina Cave, located within the steep gorge of Poros, a small village on the coast of southeastern Kephalonia. Elements pervading recent approaches to insularity and the cultural landscape were incorporated in the evaluation of the general significance of the site, emphasizing the fluidity and mutually constitutive nature of the social milieu and the perception of landscape features. More specifically, the location of the cave is seen as conducive to its use for communal gatherings. This inference is grounded in the following attributes: the gorge, where Drakaina Cave is situated, combines a natural harbor and a passage from the coast toward the inland areas, serving as a place of contact between the local communities and interregional partners. The cave itself is secluded and located on steep cliffs amidst a powerful landscape. As was the case in the recent past, for both these reasons the cave and the gorge could have been embedded in cosmological and mythological narratives of the local Neolithic groups. However, the special status of the cave in the realm of local oral tradition in turn influences and shapes facets of human activity that have centered on the cave through time. We propose that this is reflected in the material culture sequence of the cave’s prehistoric use. The persistent utilization of the cave for knapping and projectile point manufacture, the frequent processing of red pigment, and the construction of lime plaster surfaces are elements that point to repetitive gatherings that involve some symbolic connotations. The locality of the cave was important in the reciprocal relation between the articulation of a local identity and the value of interregional networks. Changes in the configuration of those parameters could have influenced the cultural perception of the site, a fact perhaps evidenced in the changes documented after the end of the Late Neolithic I period.
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Dark caves are lit by flickering flames, and the reflection of water dances upon the ceiling, where stalactites hang, dripping with condensation. Such are the images one encounters when thinking about cave sites in the ancient world as places for potential religious experience. Cave and Worship in Ancient Greece. New Approaches to Landscape and Ritual edited by Stella Katsarou and Alexander Nagel contains an assortment of essays on the topic of ancient Greek cave shrines. According to the editors, the goal of this volume is "to situate the ancient Greek cave shrine KATSAROU, STELLA & NAGEL, ALEXANDER (eds.