Mycenaean Building Uncovered on the Summit of Aegina, Greece

On the the summit of the highest mountain of the Greek island of Aegina a Mycenaean building and dozens of ceramic vessels were uncovered, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture.

The findings on the summit of Mount Ellanio were discovered near the Temple of Zeus Hellanios where a 13th-century Byzantine church now stands.

The Temple was dedicated to Zeus, the most powerful of all gods. Having been erected three generations before the Trojan War, it is the oldest temple ever revealed by archaeological research in all of Europe.

The ruins of the Temple of Zeus reflect the magnificence of the ancient constructions. There remain two huge terraces, some cisterns, and a staircase next to a Hellenistic wall. The temple gives an amazing view of the Saronic Gulf.

A Greek-Swiss archaeological mission is currently conducting excavations on the summit to find traces of the mountain’s prehistoric occupation, in addition to finds associated with the Temple of Zeus Hellanios.

Mycenaean building and vessels discovered on Aegina

In a press statement issued by the Greek Ministry of Culture, the mission has discovered a Mycenaean building measuring 4.5 by 3 meters, in which they also uncovered over thirty ceramic vessels within the building’s interior.

Based on the form and style of the vessels, the researchers suggest that they date from the decline of the Mycenaean palatial system, a period of destruction between 1200–and 1050 BC.

The cause of the destruction has long been the subject of academic debate, with some theories suggesting a series of natural disasters, or a period of conflict – evidenced by a building program of defenses around major population centers.

As a result of this turmoil, specific regions in mainland Greece witnessed a dramatic population decrease as Mycenaean refugees migrated to Cyprus, the levant, and several of the Greek islands.

According to the archaeologists, the people on Aegina likely settled on the summit as a refuge and for protection, as the mountain was already known to them as a place of worship.

To understand the surrounding landscape, the mission also conducted a surface survey which revealed traces of human occupation from the prehistoric period until the mid-20th century, including retaining walls, an ancient tower, quarries, rock inscriptions, and several abandoned settlements.

The earliest history of Aegina, Greece

Aegina, according to Herodotus, was a colony of Epidaurus, to which state it was originally subject. Its placement between Attica and the Peloponnesus made it a site of trade even earlier, and its earliest inhabitants allegedly came from Asia Minor.

The most important Early Bronze Age settlement was Kolonna, a stone-built fortified site. The main connections were with the Greek mainland, but there were found also influences from Cyclades and Crete.

Minoan ceramics have been found in contexts of c. 2000 BC. The famous Aegina Treasure, now in the British Museum is estimated to date between 1700 and 1500 BC.

The discovery on the island of a number of gold ornaments belonging to the last period of Mycenaean art suggests that Mycenaean culture existed in Aegina for some generations after the Dorian conquest of Argos and Lacedaemon.