Early Bronze Age urbanization at Helike in Achaia

The Early Bronze Age settlement (dating to the middle and late 3rd millennium BCE) at Helike in Achaia displays the defining characteristics of a proto-urban center: the organization and expansion of public space, multi-roomed private buildings, and architectural structure that reflects authority or authorities. An emblematic two-storey building with central spaces and storage areas (a Corridor House) incorporates advanced principles of structural engineering and planning.

The ceramic assemblage is characterized by mass production and standardization. Pottery constituted the principal and most abundant equipment of the buildings. The continuous rebuilding of the settlement until the end of the 3rd millennium BCE resulted in significant disturbance of earlier ceramic phases, whereas the vessels of the final occupational phase remained intact in situ and were recovered during excavation. These assemblages include cooking vessels, cups, pyxides, jars, amphorae, and large pithoi, located in food-preparation areas (kitchens), dining spaces, and storage rooms.

The emergence of the household (oikos) as the core unit of social organization becomes clearly visible, and possibly also as a locus of an elite society. Vessels for food and drink play a dominant role in domestic assemblages, both functionally and symbolically. They suggest that feasting had become an institutionalized practice and contributed to the consolidation of the social status of the elites. Exotic elements within this assemblage include a tall handled cup (depas), comparable to examples from Troy, indicating that status and authority were also shaped through cosmopolitan networks and long-distance cultural affiliations.

The Ancient Helike research program

2022, V. Xanthopoulou, I. Iliopoulos, D. Katsonopoulou, S. Katsarou, Standardized patterns in the ceramic craft at Early Bronze Age Helike, Achaea, Greece, Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 14(8): 154 (pages 29). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-022-01621-3

2018, M. Kormann, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, G. Lock, On roof construction and wall strength: Non-linear structural integrity analysis of the Early Bronze Age Helike Corridor House. In: M. Matsumoto, E. Uleberg (eds.), CAA 2016: Oceans of Data. Proceedings of the 44th Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (Oslo, 30 March-3 April 2016), pp. 421-432. Archaeopress.

2017, M. Kormann, D. Katsonopoulou, S. Katsarou, G. Lock, Methods for developing 3D visualizations of archaeological data: A case study of the Early Bronze Age Helike Corridor House, STAR. Science & Technology of Archaeological Research 3(2), pp. 478-489.

2017, M. Kormann, D. Katsonopoulou, S. Katsarou, The Digital Helike Project: Further insights from archaeological and geological data in the Early Helladic period through combined modelling, 3d reconstruction and simulation. In: G. Vavouranakis, M. Katsianis, Y. Papadatos, M. Mouliou, P. Petridis (επιμ.), Digital Pasts for the Present. Proceedings of the 2nd Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology, Greek Chapter (CAA_GR) (Athens, 20-21 December 2016), pp. 69-75. Department of History and Archaeology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.

2017, D. Katsonopoulou, S. Katsarou, Mainland cosmopolitanism and the rise of personal prestige: new evidence from the coastal Early Helladic town of Helike, north-west Peloponnese, Greece, BSA 112, pp. 1-32. doi:10.1017/S0068245417000041

2016, M. Kormann, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, G. Lock, Structural Integrity Modelling of an Early Bronze Age “Corridor House” in Helike of Achaea, NW Peloponnese. In: S. Campana, R. Scopigno, G. Carpentiero, M. Cirillo (eds.), CAA 2015: Keep the Revolution Going. Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 2015 (University of Siena, Siena, 30 March -3 April 2015), pp. 825-836. Oxford. Archaeopress.

2016, D. Katsonopoulou, I. Iliopoulos, S. Katsarou, V. Xanthopoulou, Craftsmanship of big storage pithoi in the Early Helladic settlement of Helike, Achaea. Στο: E. Photos-Jones (eds.), in collaboration with Y. Bassiakos, E. Filippaki, A. Hein, I. Karatasios, V. Kilikoglou, E. Kouloumpi, Proceedings of the 6th Symposium of the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry (Athens, 16-18 May 2013), pp. 13-20. Oxford. Archaeopress. BAR International Series 2780.

2016, M. Kormann, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, G. Lock, Creating Interactive 3D visualizations of archaeological data: A Case Study on the Early Bronze Age Helike Corridor House, 41st International Symposium on Archaeometry-ISA 2016, Kalamata, 15-21 May 2016 (Organizer: Laboratory of Archaeometry, University of the Peloponnese).

2016, M. Kormann, D. Katsonopoulou, S. Katsarou, The Digital Helike Project: further insights from archaeological and geological data in the Early Helladic period through combined modelling, 3d reconstruction and simulation, 2nd CAA-GR Conference, University of Athens, Athens, 20-21 December 2016.

2016, M. Kormann, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, G. Lock, On roof construction and wall strength: Non-linear structural integrity analysis of the Early Bronze Age Helike Corridor House, CAA 2016: Exploring Oceans of Data. The 44th Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 2016, University of Oslo, Oslo, 29 March-2 April 2016.

2015, M. Kormann, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, G. Lock, Structural Integrity Modelling of an Early Bronze Age “Corridor House” in Helike of Achaea, NW Peloponnese, CAA 2015: Keep the Revolution Going. The 43rd Annual Conference on Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology 2015, University of Siena, Siena, 30 March-3 April 2015.

2013, D. Katsonopoulou, I. Iliopoulos, S. Katsarou, V. Xanthopoulou, Craftsmanship of big storage pithoi from the Early Helladic settlement of Helike, Achaia, 6th Symposium of the Hellenic Society for Archaeometry, Athens, Acropolis Museum, 16-18 May 2013 (Organizer: Hellenic Society for Archaeometry).

2013, V. Xanthopoulou, S. Katsarou-Tzeveleki, D. Katsonopoulou, I. Iliopoulos, Petrographic and geochemical characterisation of Early Bronze Age ceramic artifacts from Helike, Northwestern Peloponnese, Greece, EMAC 2013. 12th European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics, Padova, 19-21 September 2013.

2011, S. Katsarou-Tzeveleki, Morphology and distribution of pottery at the Early Helladic settlement of Helike, Achaia. In: D. Katsonopoulou (ed.), HELIKE IV – Ancient Helike and Aigialeia. Protohelladika, The Southern and Central Greek Mainland, pp. 89-126. Athens. The Helike Society.

2010, S. Katsarou, D. Katsonopoulou, I. Iliopoulos, V. Xanthopoulou, Ceramic technology of houseware and storage pithoi in the Early Helladic settlement of Helike, Achaia, Archaeological Research αnd New Technologies ARCH_RNT, 2nd Symposium, Kalamata, 21-23 October 2010 (Organizer: Laboratory of Archaeometry, University of Peloponnese).

2007, S. Katsarou-Tzeveleki, Morphology and distribution of pottery at the Early Helladic settlement of Helike, Achaia, HELIKE IV – Ancient Helike and Aigialeia, Nikolaiika, Agion, 1-3 September 2007 (Organizer: The Ancient Helike Society).