Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T15:46:33.885Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Euesperides 2005: Preliminary Report on the Spring 2005 season

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2015

Andrew Wilson
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
Paul Bennett
Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
Ahmed Buzaian
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Garyunis, Benghazi, and Omar al-Mukhtar University, al-Beida, Libya
Ben Found
Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
Kristian Göransson
Affiliation:
Institutionen för arkeologi och antikens historia, Lunds Universitet, Sweden
Abby Guinness
Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
James Hardy
Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
James Holman
Affiliation:
Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury, UK
Alette Kattenberg
Affiliation:
Institute of Geo- and Bioarchaeology, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Archaeological Centre, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Geoffrey Morley
Affiliation:
MOLES Archaeology, Crabble, Kent, UK
Musbah al-Mugasbi
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Garyunis, Benghazi, Libya
Keith Swift
Affiliation:
St Peter's College, Oxford, UK
Alys Vaughan-Williams
Affiliation:
Geography Department, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
William Wootton
Affiliation:
The Queen's College, Oxford, UK
Eleni Zimi
Affiliation:
Department of History and Archaeology, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece

Abstract

This paper is a preliminary report on the Spring 2005 season of the excavations at Euesperides (Benghazi). Work continued in Areas P and Q, and on the processing of finds from the 2005 and previous seasons. In Area P a series of domestic deposits dated to the last quarter of the fourth or first quarter of the third century BC was excavated, including a hearth, a probable domestic altar and associated votive deposits, and a series of post-holes perhaps connected with furniture and a loom. Two small external yard areas seem to have been used for purple dye production. In Area Q late occupation to the west of the street is dated to the late fourth century BC; to the east of the street, the latest stratigraphy appears to have been truncated and the occupation levels so far excavated here date from 470 down to 300 BC.

Selected finewares from the excavations are presented, ranging in date from the sixth to the third centuries BC. Work on the coarse pottery and amphora assemblages has begun to distinguish products of different production centres within Cyrenaica. Besides demonstrating the quantities of imported coarsewares from Corinth, the Aegean and the Punic world, we can now recognise four classes of Cyrenaican amphorae, including exports present at Punic Sabratha. The study of the wall plaster, environmental remains and other finds are also briefly discussed.

Euesperides is a site both of archaeological importance and of considerable scientific interest for its rare wetland vegetation, but both of these aspects remain vulnerable to ongoing damage as a result of urban development, uncontrolled rubbish dumping and a lack of effective protection of the site.

Type
Archaeological Reports
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Libyan Studies 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agora IV = Howland, R. H. 1958. The Athenian Agora, vol. 4, Greek lamps and their survivals, Princeton, N.J.Google Scholar
Agora XII = Sparkes, B. A. and Talcott, L. 1970. The Athenian Agora, vol. 12, Black and plain pottery of the 6th, 5th and 4th centuries BC, 2 vols, Princeton, N.J.Google Scholar
Agora XXIX = Rotroff, S. I. 1997. The Athenian Agora, vol. 29, Athenian and imported mheelmade tableware and related material, 2 vols, Princeton, N.J.Google Scholar
Anderberg, A.-L. 1994. Atlas of Seeds: Part 4, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Uddevalla, Sweden.Google Scholar
Amyx, D. A. 1958. The Attic Stelai: Part III, Vases and other containers. Hesperia 27.3: 163254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barone, G., Crupi, V., Galli, S., Longo, F., Majolino, D., Mazzoleni, P. and Spagnolo, G. 2004. Archaeometric analyses on ‘Corinthian B’ Transport Amphorae found at Gela (Sicily, Italy). Archaeometry 46.4: 553–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, F. T. and Berggren, W. A. 1980. Lower Tertiary Biostratigraphy and Tectonics of Northeastern Libya. In Salem, and Busrewil, 1980: 163–89.Google Scholar
Batziou-Efstathiou, A. 1993. Οικόπεδο Κωνσταντίνας Κατσωνη. Αρχαιλογικον Δελτιον 48. B1: 230.Google Scholar
Berggren, G. 1981. Atlas of Seeds: Part 3, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Arlöv, Sweden.Google Scholar
Boardman, J. and Hayes, J. 1966. Excavations at Tocra 1963–1965. The Archaic Deposits, vol. 1 (British School of Archaeology at Athens Suppl. 4), London.Google Scholar
Buzaian, A. and Lloyd, J. A. 1996. Early Urbanism in Cyrenaica: New Evidence from Euesperides (Benghazi). Libyan Studies 27: 129–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corinth VII.5 = Risser, M. K. 2001. Corinth vol. 7, part 5, Corinthian conventionalizing pottery, Princeton.Google Scholar
Corinth XIII = Biegen, C. W., Palmer, H. and Young, R. S. 1964. Corinth, vol. 13, The North Cemetery, Princeton.Google Scholar
CVA, Greece 4 = Pipili, M. 1993. Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, Greece, vol. 4, Athens National Museum, Fascicule 4. Attic Black-Figure Skyphoi. Athens.Google Scholar
Cyrene II = Schaus, G. P. 1985. The East Greek, Island and Laconian Pottery. The Extramural sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at Cyrene, Libya. Final Reports, vol. 2, Philadelphia.Google Scholar
Dore, J. and Keay, N. 1989. Excavations at Sabratha 1948–1951, Volume II: The Finds, Part 1: The amphorae, coarse pottery and building materials. Society for Libyan Studies Monograph 1. (eds. Fulford, M. and Hall, M.), London.Google Scholar
Johnston, A. W. 1979. Trademarks on Greek Vases. Warminster.Google Scholar
LIMC = Ackermann, H. C., Gisler, J.-R. and Kahil, L. (eds). 1981-. Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae. Zürich.Google Scholar
Lawall, M. 1998. Ceramics and positivism revisited: Greek transport amphoras and history. In Parkins, H. M. and Smith, C. J. (eds), Trade, Traders and the Ancient City. London and New York: 75101.Google Scholar
Lederer, Ph. 1931. Symbole der Aphrodite Urania. Zeitschrift für Numismatik 41: 4754.Google Scholar
Loeblich, A. R. Jr. and Tappan, H. 1974. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part C: Protista 2, Sarcodina chiefly “Thecamoebians” and Foraminiferida, vols 1 and 2. Lawrence, Kansas.Google Scholar
Mangafa, M. and Kotsakis, K. 1996. A new method for the identification of wild and cultivated charred grape seeds. Journal of Archaeological Science 23.3: 409–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maniatis, Y., Simopoulos, A., Jones, R. E., Karakalos, Ch., Whitbread, I. K., Williams, C. K. and Kostikas, A. 1984. Punic Amphoras found at Corinth, Greece: an investigation of their origin and technology. Journal of Field Archaeology 2: 205–22.Google Scholar
Megarisi, M. and Mamgain, V. D. 1980. The Upper Cretaceous—Tertiary Formations of Northern Libya. In Salem, and Busrewil, 1980: 6772.Google Scholar
Moore, R. C. and Teichert, C. (eds). 1971. Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, Part N, Mollusca 6, Bivalvia. Boulder, Colorado.Google Scholar
Morel, J.-P. 1981. Céramique Campanienne: Les Formes. Rome.Google Scholar
Pelling, R. and al Hassy, S. 1997. The macroscopic plant remains from Euesperides (Benghazi): an interim report. Libyan Studies 28: 14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Py, M. 1978. Quatre siècles d'amphore massaliète. Essai de classification des bords. Figlina 3: 123.Google Scholar
Riley, J. A. 1979a. The coarse pottery from Berenice. In Lloyd, J. A. (ed.) Excavations at Sidi Khrebish Benghazi (Berenice) vol. 2 (Supplements to Libya Antiqua 5), 91467. Tripoli.Google Scholar
Riley, J. A. 1979b. The petrological investigation of Roman and Islamic ceramics from Cyrenaica. Libyan Studies 10: 3546.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rivera Núñez, D. and Walker, M.J. 1989. A review of palaeobotanical findings of early Vitis in the Mediterranean and of the origins of cultivated grape-vines, with special reference to new pointers to prehistoric exploitation in the Western Mediterranean. Review of Paleobotany and Palynology, 61: 205–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, D. M. 1946. Excavations at Olynthus, vol. 12, Domestic and public architecture (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Archaeology 36), Baltimore.Google Scholar
Robinson, D. M. and Graham, J. W. 1938. Excavations at Olynthus, vol. 8, The Hellenic house. A study of the housesfound at Olynthus with a detailed account of those excavated in 1931 and 1934. (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Archaeology 25), Baltimore.Google Scholar
Roby, T. 2004. The reburial of mosaics: an overview of materials and practice. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 6: 247–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenzweig, R. 2004. Worshipping Aphrodite: Art and cult in Classical Athens. Ann Arbor.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salem, M.J. and Busrewil, M. T. 1980. The Geology of Libya, vol. 1. London.Google Scholar
Smith, H. and Jones, G. 1990. Experiments on the effects of charring on cultivated grape seeds. Journal of Archaeological Science 17.3: 317–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stace, C. 1997. New Flora of the British Isles (2nd ed.). Cambridge.Google Scholar
Stewart, J. 2004. Conservation of archaeological mosaic pavements by means of reburial. Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites 6: 237–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stibbe, C. M. 1989. Laconian Mixing Bowls. A history of the krater Lakonikos from the seventh to the fifth century BC. Laconian Black-glazed Pottery, Part 1 (Allard Pierson Series—Scripta Minora 2), Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Stibbe, C. M. 1994. Laconian Drinking Vessels and other Open shapes. Laconian Black-glazed pottery, Part 2. (Allard Pierson Series—Scripta Minora 4), Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Stummer, A. 1911. Zur Urgeschichte der Rebe und des Weinbaus. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien 41: 283–96.Google Scholar
Tite, M. S. and Kilikoglou, V. 2002. Do we understand cooking pots and is there an ideal cooking pot? In Kilikogolou, V., Hein, A. and Maniatis, Y. (eds), Modern Trends in Sdentific Studies on Ancient Ceramics: Papers presented at the 5th European meeting on andent ceramics, Athens 1999 (BAR International Series 1011). Oxford: 18.Google Scholar
Tocra I = Boardman, J. and Hayes, J. 1966. Excavations at Tocra 1963-1965. The Archaic Deposits I. Athens.Google Scholar
Van der Veen, M. 1995. Ancient agriculture in Libya: a review of the evidence. Acta Palaeobotanica 35.1: 8598.Google Scholar
Vickers, M., and Gill, D. 1994. Artful Crafts: Ancient Greek Silverware and Pottery. Oxford.Google Scholar
Whitbread, I. K. 1995. Greek Transport Amphorae: a penological and archaeological study (BSA Fitch Laboratory Occasional Paper 4). Athens.Google Scholar
Wilson, A. I., Bennett, P., Buzaian, A. M., Fell, V., Göransson, K., Green, C., Hall, C., Helm, R., Kattenberg, A., Swift, K. and Zimi, E. 2001. Euesperides (Benghazi): Preliminary report on the Spring 2001 season. Libyan Studuies 32: 155–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, A. I., Bennett, P., Buzaian, A. M., Buttrey, T., Göransson, K., Hall, C., Kattenberg, R., Scott, R., Swift, K. and Zimi, E. 2002. Euesperides (Benghazi): Preliminary report on the Spring 2002 season. Libyan Studies 33: 85123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, A. I., Bennett, P., Buzaian, A. M., Buttrey, T., Fell, V., Found, B., Göransson, K., Guinness, A., Hardy, J., Harris, K., Helm, R., Kattenberg, A., Morley, G., Swift, K.Wootton, W. and Zimi, E. 2003. Euesperides (Benghazi): Preliminary report on the Spring 2003 Season. Libyan Studies 34: 191228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, A. I., Bennett, P., Buzaian, A. M., Buttrey, T., Fell, V., Found, B., Göransson, K., Guinness, A., Hardy, J., Harris, K., Helm, R., Kattenberg, A., Tébar Megias, E., Morley, G., Murphy, A., Swift, K., Twyman, J., Wootton, W. and Zimi, E. 2004. Euesperides (Benghazi): Preliminary report on the Spring 2004 Season. Libyan Studies 35: 149–90.Google Scholar