Δευτέρα 23 Νοεμβρίου 2015

A major archaeological excavation in Kythera

A devotional Peak Sanctuary of the Goddess Athena has been discovered in Paliokastro, by Professor Giannis Petrochilos

            On October 30, 2015, at a lecture given by our compatriot professor Giannis E.Petrochilos titled "The excavation in Paliokastro Kythera and the divinity of the peak", revealed that during a recent excavation in Paliokastro Kythera and NW of position of the church of St.George, pulled the stone slab with a votive inscription to deity with special relationship with the peak, i.e. the goddess Athena as a goddess of peaks and citadels. The inscription in Doric dialect says "Athanaiai anethike" (=dedicated to Athena) without other items because the remaining part of that obviously was  referring to the name of the applicant in the Godhead has been destroyed.
            This lecture (revelation) was made within the context of the series of lectures "Sanctuaries and Deities" organized in the Archaeological Museum of Piraeus, the  26th Classical Antiquities Ephorate of West Attica, Piraeus and Islands.
The fine speaker was prefaced by the Head of Inspectorate madam Stella Chryssoulaki, reporting on Miss, in his studies, his scientific training, his thesis, the educational duty at the University of Ioannina (taught Classical Archeology) and the excavation work and outside Kythera (Thira, Amorgos, Spata, etc.) and invited him to step.
            Giannis Petrochilos mentioned in excavation work in Paliokastro, highlighting especially the location of the unknown original ancient Sancturary, near the church of St. George (which is structured with ancient limestone). He was the first archaeologist who excavated in St. George, initially with surface surveys and with the early incisions in 1998-1999 on the western slope and 2000 eastern aisles of the peak, where the area is inaccessible, dry and exposed to the "eye" of the weather while the bushy vegetation (shrubs adventitious) hindered excavation.
            In 1999 began the first findings and as he pointed out, these were vessels, metals, bisala etc. The year 2000 the excavation continued and the 2001 where fragments of vessels of the Geometric Era were discovered, while the finding of the year (2001) was the female figurine. Peer has looked up to Kythera and today located in the British Museum (see Newspaper KYTHERAISMOS, December 2009). In 2002 stated, "we discovered the entire devotional building, vessels early 7th century BC, stressing columns from flint, ensfragista with the inscription "holy" (IEROI) and ended in 2003-2004 we have come back to the place we had in 1999, and 2004 we spotted the existence of a rectangle building that was elongated 27m. length and 6m. width".
            Recently in K3 building with rectangular pedestal low height notes, we spotted the above inscription dedicated to the Goddess Athena, a goddess with a special relationship with the peak, the goddess of Citadels, as was the case in all areas of the Spartan Doric, during the 7th and 6th century B.C.
            Of course Giannis Petrochilos, after this discovery of the sacred Peak of Athena in Paliokastro, stressed that scientific announcements will follow for the new findings, after researching further and will continue excavations, something that we think is necessary all of us to help to bail the effort will yield many benefits for the place to enrich its history and development of its future.
            Many of our compatriots were between the people that watched the apocalyptic lecture by Giannis Petrochilos while answered questions. Followed by a small reception offered by the Kytherian Brotherhood of Piraeus-Athens and chairman Vrettos Kypriotis was there while the Kytherian Association of Athens was represented and other Kytherians associations too.
            We congratulate Professor Giannis Petrochilos for the great revelation of the archaeological excavation and the vivid, eloquent, precise and comprehensive speech, which occurred with the modesty that distinguishes him and the use of   documentary evidence. For the record, noting that very few sanctuaries of Athena in Greece have identified and inscribed with a anathimatos pedestal. While, we believe that with this discovery opens a new chapter in the history of our homeland and a new beginning to stimulate the interest of candidates for our island visitors with large ramifications for archaeological research.


(PS:) For the record, here are two short excerpts from the speech of Giannis Petrochilos at 1st International Conference on Kytherian Studies in Kythera, in September 2000, entitled "Ancient Sanctuary in Paliokastro”:
            1. ... It is about the finding out of the residues of an ancient temple, unknown and unexplored by researchers by the official archeology.
            2. ... .All the data gathered so far refer to the worship of a deity, possibly female established in that place very early and practiced for centuries. The impressive is the peculiarity and specificity of place, as the location is central with free horizon and commanding view, such as those that were selected in various places by the ancients to establish sacred and  which were not unrelated to the nature of the honoured deity.

            The prophetic words of dear Giannis Petrochilos in the conference of Kythera (2000) were simple clues. These specific findings and mainly the anathematiki inscription constitute tangible evidence that they fully justified his estimations.
            We congratulate him for the discovering as Kytherians and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for the good he does on our homeland (his homeland) and we will be constantly close to him for support and aid, so soon to begin new excavations and to come to light and other ruins of the first Capital of the island, the ancient Kythera. The Institute of Kytheraismos in Greece, as well as its branches outside Greece, especially in Australia, will be next to him as it does to any scientist, researcher of our small homeland.

Elias Marsellos