Site details

Sotirianika: Hoard

PK	C106
TITLE	Sotirianika: Hoard
WGS84	36.969114° N, 22.179528° E
Accuracy	200 m.

LAT/LON	36.969114, 22.179528
LON/LAT	22.179528, 36.969114

DMS

36° 58' 8.8104" N

22° 10' 46.3008" E

W3W	swindled, hurdled, surpluses
UTM	34 S, 604994.27, 4092096.09
EGSA87	337799, 4092706

Elevation m	283
Elevation feet	928.5
Region	Messenia

GENERAL SITE TYPE Artifacts

TYPE

1.    Artifacts.   Simpson [1957], 239    ' ... the discovery 'south of Kalamata' of three gold cups and other gold objects by some peasants, ... '
2.    Hoard.   Simpson [1981], 133    may have been a tomb robbers hoard
3.    Hoard.   Ålin [1962], 88    ' ... einige goldene Tassen und andere Goldgegenstände ... '
4.    Hoard.   Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 165    'A hoard of gold objects was found in a barren and rocky area ... '

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. Middle Helladic: (2000 BC - 1600 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1957]: 239, ' ..., and their shapes have M.H. antecedents in clay.'

2. Late Helladic I: (1700 BC - 1635 BC)
    a.    Simpson [1981]: 133, 'LH I?', ' ... good parallels with the Mycenae Shaft Grave material, and are likely to have come from an important tomb, ... '
    b.    Ålin [1962]: 88, ' ... aus SH I ... '
    c.    Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 165, 'LH I?'
    d.    Simpson [1957]: 239, 'The gold cups have been dated to the L.H. I period, ... '

NOTES

1.  Simpson [1981] 133 lists the finds as a Kantharos, two smaller mugs, and fragments of a headband or similar ornament.

2.  Simpson and Dickinson [1979] say of the finds: " ... a fine kantharos, two smaller mugs, and fragments of a probable head band or similar ornament, have good Shaft Grave parallels (a sword-hilt and, less credibly, a statuette of gold are also reported as (a)mong the original finds) and are likely to have come from an important tomb, perhaps a tholos, ... "

3.  The fullest description may be in Simpson [1957] 239. With respect to the location Simpson says this "The site is on the immediate left of the road from Kalamata to Kambos, near the eleventh kilometre stone from Kalamata. The story is that the discovery was made by men who were clearing stones from the fields beside the road, or alternatively, that the 'tomb' was disturbed by the building of a lime-kiln. The place is about 3 kilometres from the upper turning from the main road to Abia, and about 1 kilometre to the north of the turning to Sotirianika ..., near a disused lime-kiln, a few paces from the road."

The upper turning of the main road to Abia is at 36.974330° N, 22.161840° E. Three km. to the south on that road is 36.966284° N, 22.182254° E
The turning to Sotirianika is at 36.964149° N, 22.184840° E. One km. to the N from there is 36.969213°, N 22.177103° E
The two overlap for a distance of about 626 m. and I take it that the site is somewhere in this overlap. Some of this route is too steep on the left (coming from Kalamata) to house the site as described. So the usable area of overlap begins about here: 36.968966° N, 22.179358° E and continues to 36.966284° N, 22.182254° E - a distance of about 420 meters.
I have placed the marker for this site at the northern end of this usable overlap.

rhc

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Ålin [1962]: Ålin, Per. Das Ende der mykenischen Fundstätten auf dem griechischen Festland. Carl Bloms Boktryckeri A.-B., Lund, 1962., 'Sotirianika', pg. 88.

2. Messenia III: McDonald, William A. and Richard Hope Simpson. ‘Further Explorations in Southwestern Peloponnese: 1964-1968’, American Journal of Archaeology. Vol. 73, No. 2 (Apr., 1969), pp. 123-177., '80A. Ayios Yeoryios (Mandhinia)', pg. 160. Online here.

3. Simpson [1957]: Simpson, Richard Hope. ‘Identifying a Mycenaean State’, The Annual of the British School at Athens, 52, 231-259. 1957., 'Sotirianika', pg. 239. Online here.

4. Simpson [1981]: Simpson, Richard Hope. Mycenaean Greece. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Press, 1981., 'F 135 Sotirianika', pg. 133. Online here.

5. Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: Simpson, Richard Hope and O.T.P.K. Dickinson. A Gazetteer of Aegean Civilization in the Bronze Age, Vol. I: The Mainland and the Islands. Paul Åströms Förlag, Goteborg. 1979., 'D 144 Sotirianika: Near 11th Km. Mark', pg. 165. Online here.