Carl Blegen excavated at Korakou, a hill overlooking the Corinthian Gulf and Lechaion harbor, in 1915 and 1916. With this pioneering work he formulated the mainland Bronze Age tripartite chronological division based on the stratigraphy at the site and the pottery finds from it.
The ASCSA is hosting a conference to take place at Cotsen Hall in September 4th and 5th, 2015, to celebrate 100 years since Blegen’s excavations and to offer thanks to the Institute of Aegean Prehistory for the grant that purchased the land in 2013.
The conference will assess the impact of studies on material culture from the site, discuss new research that has since taken place, and locate Korakou in its wider setting vis-a-vis new excavations that have uncovered parts of Mycenaean Corinth as well as research on the Saronic Gulf.
Academic researchers from Greece, Europe and USA will discuss Blegen’s pioneering excavation methodology, material culture from the site that has been used to define chronologies, typologies, technological groups and styles. The site’s role in Bronze Age Greece, in the crossroads of trade routes and resources, the question of its dominance by Mycenae, Aigina and/or its independent political organization will also be discussed.
Participants will tour prehistoric sites in the Corinthia on September 6th, 2015, at the conclusion of the conference.
Presentations will be in Greek and English. The conference is open to the public.
PROGRAM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
Cotsen Hall, ASCSA
Welcome
Session I: Early Helladic
9:00-9:20 Clare Burke, Peter Day, Anno Hein, and Vassilis Kilikoglou: Scale and Diversity: Examining Early Helladic Ceramic Production and Distribution in the NE Peloponnese, Greece
9:20-9:40 Lorenz Rahmstorf: A Spool-shaped Potential Balance Weight from Korakou
9:40-10:00 Malgorzata Siennicka: Textile Implements from Early Helladic Corinthia
10:00-10:20 Nathalie Thomas: An Overview of Helladic Abrasion Stone Tools and Whetstones Based on the Field Research in Archaeological Settlements of Peloponnese
10:20-10:40 Discussion
Session II: Middle Helladic
10:40-11:00 Walter Gauss: How Similar / Different? Korakou and Kolonna were in EBA III and MBA
11:00-11:20 Michael Lindblom: Marks and Makers Revisited: Aeginetan Potters’ Marks in the Light of Recent Work at Kolonna
11:20-11:40 Iro Mathioudaki: The Mainland Polychome Matt-Painted Pottery Style of Korakou
11:40-12:00 Discussion
12:00-12:30 Coffee break
Session III: Late Helladic Korakou
12:30-12:50 O. T. P. K. Dickinson: The Korakou Sequence, the Definition of Early Mycenaean Pottery Phases, and their Historical Significance
12:50-13:10 Jack Davis and Natalie Abell: Before and after Blegen: The State of LH I Studies Today and Then
13:10-13:30 Jeremy Rutter: The Floor Deposits of LH IIIC Early at Korakou: Some Unconventional Approaches to Ceramic Analysis Made Possible by More Fully Preserved Pots
13:30-13:50 Debra Trusty: Counterfeit Cooking Pots: Imitating Aegina at Korakou
13:50-14:10 Discussion
14:10-16:00 Lunch Break
Session IV: Late Helladic Corinth and Korakou
16:00-16:20 Kostas Theodoridis: The “Unknown” Mycenaean Presence in the City of New Corinth (In Greek: Η “Άγνωστη” Μυκηναϊκή Παρουσία στην Πόλη της Νέας Κορίνθου)
16:20-16:40 Vasilis Tassinos: Mycenaean Corinth (In Greek: Μυκηναϊκή Κόρινθος)
16:40-17:00 Yiota Kassimi: The Tholos Tomb of Corinth and Korakou (In Greek: Ο Θολωτός τάφος της Κορίνθου και το Κοράκου)
17:00-17:20 Daniel J. Pullen and Thomas F. Tartaron: The Ports of Mycenae: Kalamianos and Korakou in the LBA Mediterranean
17:20-17:40 Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst: Korakou, Port City of Mycenaean Corinth
17:40-18:00 Discussion
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
Session V: Later Life, Methodology, New technologies
9:00-9:20 Guy Sanders: “The Nameless τις” or Άρχοντες at Korakou? The Perspective from a Study of Well Documented Historical Periods
9:20-9:40 Nancy Bookidis: Korakou: After the ‘End’
9:40-10:00 Lisa Wace French and Ann French: Excavation Methodology and Recording
10:00-10:20 Jim Wright: After Korakou: Blegen at Nemea, Phlius, and Zygouries and the Extension of his Stratigraphical Inquiries beyond Coastal Corinthia
10:20-10:40 Michael Boyd and Ioulia Tzonou-Herbst: Korakou’s Enclosure Wall: Geophysical Survey and Archival Data
10:40-11:00 James Herbst: Happy Birthday Korakou: New Technology on Old Ephyra
11:00-11:30 Discussion
11:30-12:00 Coffee break
12:00-13:00 General Discussion and Final Remarks.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015
Trip to Corinth 9:00-17:00 (transportation provided for participants).
Visit prehistoric sites in the Corinthia: Aetopetra, A. Gerasimos, Korakou, Yiriza, Gonia, Zygouries, Tsoungiza, A. Irini, Phlius, Petri.
Lunch at Nemea (Courtesy of Jim Wright)
