Tsikalario
| PK | C2501 |
| TITLE | Tsikalario |
| WGS84 | 37.06448° N, 25.462292° E |
| Accuracy | Exact |
| LAT/LON | 37.06448, 25.462292 |
| LON/LAT | 25.462292, 37.06448 |
| DMS | 37° 3' 52.128" N | , | 25° 27' 44.2512" E |
| W3W | modern, impresses, retaliated |
| UTM | 35 S, 363291.88, 4103131.21 |
| EGSA87 | 629855, 4102737 |
| Elevation m | 337 |
| Elevation feet | 1105.6 |
| Region | Cyclades |
| Subregion | Naxos |
GENERAL SITE TYPE Cem
TYPE
1. Artifacts. Simpson and Dickinson [1979], 334 'Two KS stone objects are reported to be from here.'2. Buildings. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015], 'A building situated at the NE of the necropolis (sector A) and a complex of rooms, at the SW of the necropolis (sector B),were linked to funerary and chthonic cults by the excavator.'
3. Cem. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015], 'Tsikalario: Necropolis'
4. Cem. Charalambidou [2008], 57 'The ancient cemetery of Tsikalario ... '
5. Cem. Mermoz [2010], 46 'Tsikalario est une vaste nécropole géométrique, qui occupe un plateau rocheux culminant à un peu moins de 400 m, entre la forteresse vénitienne d'Apano Kastro et le village de Chalki.'
6. Cem. Charalambidou [2011], 139
7. Pottery. Charalambidou [2008], 57 'The pottery from the cemetery includes a variety of wheelmade and handmade vessels.'
PERIOD (High Chronology)
1. Keros-Syros: (2600 BC - 2200 BC)
a. Simpson and Dickinson [1979]: 334, 'Two KS stone objects ... '
2. Geometric: (900 BC - 700 BC)
a. Mermoz [2010]: 47, ' ..., et peut-être même déjà au IXe siècle.'
3. Middle Geometric: (850 BC - 760 BC)
a. Charalambidou [2011]: 139, 'A significant number of Tsikalario's funerary structures can be placed in the Middle Geometric (MG) period, but more sporadic burials and offerings were deposited in the necropolis area at least as late as the Late Archaic - Early Classical period.'
b. Charalambidou [2008]: 57, ' ... the Middle Geometric (MG) wheelmade painted pottery from Tsikalario ... '
c. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: , 'Chronological Period: From MG to EA'
d. Mermoz [2010]: 47, ' ..., ils datent du GM, ou du GR ... '
4. Middle Geometric I: (850 BC - 800 BC)
a. Charalambidou [2008]: 58, ' ... a flat pyxis ...,can probably be dated to the MGI period.'
5. Middle Geometric II: (800 BC - 760 BC)
a. Charalambidou [2008]: 58, 'The majority of the material from the funerary structures at Tsikalario belongs to the MG period, particularly the MGII period, ... '
6. Late Geometric: (760 BC - 700 BC)
a. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: , 'Chronological Period: From MG to EA'
b. Mermoz [2010]: 47, ' ..., ils datent du GM, ou du GR ... '
7. Archaic: (700 BC - 480 BC)
a. Charalambidou [2011]: 139, 'A significant number of Tsikalario's funerary structures can be placed in the Middle Geometric (MG) period, but more sporadic burials and offerings were deposited in the necropolis area at least as late as the Late Archaic - Early Classical period.'
b. Charalambidou [2008]: 58, ' ... sporadic burials still continued in the necropolis area as late as the Archaic period ... '
c. Mermoz [2010]: 47, ' ... et sont encore en activité au VIe siècle av. J.-C. ... '
8. Early Archaic: (700 BC - 600 BC)
a. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: , 'Chronological Period: From MG to EA'
9. Classical: (480 BC - 323 BC)
a. Charalambidou [2011]: 139, 'A significant number of Tsikalario's funerary structures can be placed in the Middle Geometric (MG) period, but more sporadic burials and offerings were deposited in the necropolis area at least as late as the Late Archaic - Early Classical period.'
NOTES
1. Site contributed by Dr. Sarah Murray, University of Toronto.
2. Additional bibliography for Tsikalario:
- Zaphiropoulou, Ph., "La necropoli geometrica di Tsikalario a Naxos", Magna Grecia(18:5-6) (1983) 1-4.
- Zaphiropoulou, Ph., "The Tumulus Necropolis at Tsikalario on Naxos", Annali di Archeologia e Storia Antica(n.s. 15-16) (2008-09) 49-55.
3. From the Venetian castle (Apano Kastro) at F6361 it is 300 m in a straight line at an angle of 147.43 degrees to the Geometric cemetery called Tsikalario C. These immense circular structures (clearly visible in Google Earth) shelter either cist or other graves and are scattered around a large area wherever there are suitable places for tomb construction. Tsikalario A is about 100 m. to the E (F3141) and Tsikalario B is about 220 m. to the S (F3142). Seventeen G graves were excavated here of which all but two had been robbed.
Fiedler called the site 'Trymalia' in his Reise durch alle Theile des Königreiches Griechenland [1840] where he found some marble objects. He describes the location (313) as " ..., so befindet sich unweit der Ebene von Trymalia ein altes venetianer Schloss mit machtigen Ruinen, ... ". Fiedler may be consulted here.
For more on the marble objects discovered there see the description and the drawing (Fig. 7) in Bosanquet [1896] 64 here. Some similar objects from Amorgos are in Plate V, nos. 3 and 4 of that same work. There is an interesting user-submitted photograph of plaster replicas of these figures (at the Ashmolean) here. The originals from Tsikalario were thought by Bosanquet to be in Dresden but given the horrific events of WW II I cannot be certain that this is still the case. Perhaps my readers will know. At any rate there are some more objects of this type in English collections.
4. The relevant pages for Tsikalario on the Aristeia Project website are here and here.
5. For photographs of this cemetery and the region in general see this.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Charalambidou [2011]: Charalambidou, Xenia. ‘Quantitative Analysis Of The Pottery From The Early Iron Age Necropolis Of Tsikalario On Naxos’, In Verdan et al. [2011] pp. 139-147., 'Introduction', pg. 139.
Online here.
2. Charalambidou [2008]: Charalambidou, Xenia. ‘The pottery from the Early Iron Age necropolis of Tsikalario on Naxos: preliminary observations (2008-2009)’, AION (=Annali dell'Istituto Universitario Orientale di Napoli), nos. 15-16 (2008-2009), 57-69., '', pg. 57.
Online here.
3. Mazarakis-Ainian ed. [2015]: Mazarakis Ainian, Alexander . Η Κοινωνική Αρχαιολογία του Ελληνικού Κόσμου κατά την Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου και την Πρώιμη Αρχαϊκή περίοδο (The Aristeia Project: The Social Archeology of the Greek World during the Early Iron Age and the Early Archaic period), 'Tsikalario', Online here.
4. Mermoz [2010]: Mermoz, Julien. La vie religieuse des Cyclades de l'HR IIIC à la fin de la période archaïque. Thèse de doctorat en Langues, histoire et civilisations des mondes anciens; Universite Lumiere Lyon 2. 2010, '4) Tsikalario, un lieu de culte des ancêtres et d'une divinité de la fertilité-fécondité', pg. 46.
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., 'Trymalia', pg. 334.
Online here.
6. Verdan et al. [2011]: Verdan, Samuel and Thierry Theurillat, Anne Kenzelmann Pfyffer. Early Iron Age Pottery: A Quantitative Approach. Proceedings of the International Round Table organized by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece (Athens, November 28-30, 2008)., '',