Halos Excavation 1912
Excavation: Research excavation
Heuzey said to have partially excavated tumulus H, Othrys Archaeological Society of Halmyros made trial excavations on E, Mr. Despotopoulos excavated F partially for scavenging purposes, and peasants opened G. BSA excavation made on largest tumulus (A). As a sequel to the researches of Messrs. Wace and Thompson in Thessaly, some experimental work was undertaken at Halos. The excavations were confined to a funereal tumulus and a group of tombs, the latter situated close to the city walls. The tombs except one, which was circular in plan and may have once been a tholos, were rectangular cists built of rough slabs. They are similar both in construction and contents to those which have been found in Skyros and at Theotokou. The vases found belong to an early phase of the Geometric style, in which the vases, although decorated with geometric designs, recall in type those of the preceding Bronze Age. The only metal object found was a bronze pin with a rolled head. The tumulus, which forms one of a group of ten, about twenty minutes outside the city walls to the north, was found to be composed of earth packed up with large river-worn stones. It concealed sixteen burnt graves or pyres. Each pyre was covered by a cairn of very large unhewn slabs and beneath these in a disorderly mass was a heap of burnt potsherds, fragments of bone, iron weapons and bronze fibulae. Pottery occurred in all the pyres, but six of them also contained small iron knives, and bronze fibulae and bracelets. In all the other pyres were swords, spear-heads, and long knives of iron. Thus the six seem to be those of women, while the other ten were those of men. A warrior's equipment seems to have been one long sword, a spear, and two or more long knives. The only traces of human remains found were small fragments of burnt bones. All the pyres seem to have been of the same date, as no distinction could be seen in the pottery from any two. All the vases were of the Geometric style, but of a more developed period than those of the cist tombs.
Active from 23 Apr 2012 to 04 May 2012.
Wace, Mr Alan John Bayard
Thompson, Mr Maurice S. O.B.E.
Wace, Alan J. & Thompson, Maurice S. 1911. Excavations at Halos. BSA 18: 1-29. Direct link