Site details

Sykia/Sukia

PK	C1979
TITLE	Sykia∕Sukia
WGS84	38.325984° N, 22.525904° E
Accuracy	Unknown

LAT/LON	38.325984, 22.525904
LON/LAT	22.525904, 38.325984

DMS

38° 19' 33.5424" N

22° 31' 33.2544" E

W3W	witnessed, pure, description
UTM	34 S, 633378.77, 4243086.18
EGSA87	371001, 4242725

Elevation m	298
Elevation feet	977.7
Region	Phocis

GENERAL SITE TYPE Settlement

TYPE

1.    Fort.   Muller [1992], 496    'La fortification qui englobe une surface modeste sur le promontoire escarpé de l'acropole ... '
2.    Settlement.   Sideris et al. [2017], 272    '... a fortified settlement and a chamber tomb ...'
3.    Tomb.   Muller [1992], 496    'La tombe mycénienne qui a permis de l'identifier ... '
4.    Tomb.   Phialon [2011], 120    'La tombe mycénienne de Sykia, ... '

PERIOD (High Chronology)

1. Late Helladic II: (1635 BC - 1410 BC)
    a.    Muller [1992]: 496, ' ..., son type la place sans doute à l'HR II.'
    b.    Phialon [2011]: 120, ' ..., peut-être de l'HR II, ... '

2. LH IIIA2: (1375 BC - 1320 BC)
    a.    Sideris et al. [2017]: 280, '... the chamber tomb in Sykia ... It was originally used from LH IIIA 2 ... '

3. LH IIIB: (1320 BC - 1190 BC)
    a.    Sideris et al. [2017]: 280, '... from LH IIIA 2 to LH IIIC Middle ... '

4. LH IIIC: (1190 BC - 1060 BC)
    a.    Sideris et al. [2017]: 280, '... from LH IIIA 2 to LH IIIC Middle ...'

NOTES

1. Additional bibliographic source: Dasios, F. (2015) Fortified settlement of the Mycenaean - Geometric periods in the Bay 'Sykia' of the Itea Gulf, Arkheologiko Ergo Thessalias kai Stereas Elladas 5 (2012-2014), Volos 2015, (forthcoming, in Greek).

2. In connection with Sykias we hear of three things:

a. A mycenaean tomb discovered by Dassios [2005]; Müller, p. 496; Phialon, p. 120
b. A settlement, Sideris [2017], p. 272; Aristeia Project (loc. cit.)
c. A fort/ress, Müller 496; Sideris [2017], p. 272 (who speaks of a 'fortified settlement')

I have no certain information on the location of these three (two?) entities. I suppose that the fortified entity was located where I have placed the marker but any inhabitants must have exploited both the sea and the little plain just below and to the N where the present village of Sykia is located. I would expect the tomb to be somewhere down the slope. At least part of Sykia's significance would lie, as Müller suggests, in the fact of its being a transportation node.

For more information the reader should consult Dassios (Dasios) to whose articles I do not have access:

F. Dasios [2005], 'Sykia Desfinas, location Katafygi, field of Ch. Chiropoulou' ('Συκιά Δεσφίνας, θέση Καταφύγι, αγρός Χ. Χηρόπουλου'), ΑrchDelt (60), 459 (Greek language).
F. Dasios [1992], 'Contribution to the topography of ancient Phokis' ('Συμβολή στην τοπογραφία της αρχαίας Φωκίδας'), Fokika Khronika (4), pp. 18-97 (Greek language).

The Aristeia Project puts the chamber tomb at the center of the valley with a settlement on the slopes above. Their pages should be consulted here and here.

rhc

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Muller [1992]: Müller, Sylvie . ‘Delphes et sa région à l'époque mycénienne’, Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique (116-2) 445-496. 1992., 'Addendum', pg. 496. Online here.

2. Phialon [2011]: Phialon, Laetitia. L'Émergence de la Civilisation Mycénienne en Grèce Centrale. Peeters, Leuven - Liege. Belgium. 2011., 'I.3.1.7. Du mont Parnasse aux baies d'Antikyra et d'Itéa', pg. 120.

3. Sideris et al. [2017]: Sideris, Athanasios and Ioannis Liritzis, Brady Liss, Matthew D. Howland, Thomas E. Levy. ‘At-Risk Cultural Heritage: New Excavations And Finds From The Mycenaean Site Of Kastrouli, Phokis, Greece’, Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, (17:1), pp. 271-285, 2017., '1. Location', pg. 272. Online here.