Case Studies - Iron Age

Nomikos Koulias plot

A new burial site was discovered at the Nomikos Koulias plot, at the junction of P. Tsaldaris and El. Venizelos streets, on the western side of the Seragia Hill in the town of Kos, where the Italian Archaeological Mission had excavated an extensive part of the Geometric necropolis. Rescue excavations carried out by the 22^nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in the plot in 2000 revealed four adjacent primary cremation burials, founded in earlier Mycenaean layers. Apart from the cremations, a geometric cist tomb and a pot burial without any offerings (possibly dating to the same period) were also discovered. All four primary cremation burials belong to the same type of pit with rounded cavities at the corners with variants. This type is known from previously published material from the Dodecanese (Rhodes and Kos). They consist of a long rectangular pit with a central air channel at the botton connected in an X-shape with four circular, smaller pits at the corners. Inside the pits there were also designated earthen supports-‘footings’ on the long sides. Burnt human remains were traced in the area of the central rectangular pits. Vessels (e.g. kraters, amphoriskoi, lekythoi), whorls, iron and bronze pins, an iron spearhead and stone axes were found within the central channels, on the footings as well as in the corner pits. Based on the findings, the primary cremation pits date to the Middle and Late Geometric period.

References

Bosnakis, D. and Skerlou, E. (2022), New evidence on primary cremations from the Early Iron Age Kos. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Meeting of the NECROPOLEIS RESEARCH NETWORK (NRN), The Study of Cremations, October 12-13, 2022, ‘Ioannis Drakopoulos’ Amphitheatre Main Building (Propylaea) of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Skerlou, Ε. (2000), Πόλη Κω. Σεράγια, συμβολή των οδών Π. Τσαλδάρη και Ελ. Βενιζέλου (οικόπεδο Ν. Κουλιά). Αρχαιολογικόν Δελτίον 55, Χρονικά Β΄2: 1153-1154.