Honouring the Dead in the Peloponnese - University of Nottingham

Marioanna Louka
From Aigion, the Geometric period is represented by rare burial finds,
such as the pithos burials which were unearthed to the south-west of the
Mycenaean habitation. Especially noteworthy are the tiny objects made from
semi-precious stones and the leaf-shaped fibulae, typical of the period, whose
centre is engraved with horizontal incisions (FIG. 2).
FIG. 2. Archaeological Museum of Aigion. Finds from the Late Geometric
period.
Close to the Achaean village of Drepanon, south-east of Rio and at the
foot of a natural elliptical mound, 50 m from the cemetery of the Dormition of
the Virgin, a group of funerary pithoi came to light. Their rich late Geometric
finds included many bronze fistulae and pins with spherical ends –the finds
from pithos 2 (Π1416) are especially noteworthy: the dead woman was placed
in a crouched position and was adorned with a necklace of eighteen biconical
beads. At the height of her chest were found two unusual bronzes, 5 cm in
diameter: each was formed by two concentric perforated circles and with a
loop at the back, apparently used to adjust the beads on the garments (FIG. 3).
Examples from the Geometric period are not missing from the
municipality of Elis. One can for example mention the site of Kalyvia, where
cleaning and irrigation works brought to light an important number of cist
graves as well as funerary pithoi. Among the finds, note the biconical beads,
the fragmentary pins and fibulae, typical of the Geometric and Late
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