The Survey of Thisve, Geophysical survey 2006-2007: Season 2007
Survey: Geophysical survey
During a 4-week season in August and September a team from Birmingham University continued to record all visible features of the urban site of Ancient Thisve and Byzantine Kastorion, now in collaboration with the 23rd EBA (represented by Dr E. Gerousi) in succession to the 1st EBA, and in continuing collaboration with the 9th Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. The Ephoreias resumed and extended the cleaning of the upstanding fortifications (Mycenean to Frankish) and of Byzantine churches; continued the search for Byzantine architectural sculpture presumed to have been .transferred to public collections; and began to investigate the definition of Conservation Areas within the village (modern Thisve) which overlies much of the urban site. The team from Birmingham: F. Kondyli and C. Coils (geophysicists); K. Coils and C. Mavromatis (topographers); C. Hewitson (3-D Laser scanner operator); M. Cassedy (volunteer assistant) continued to assist Dr A. Dunn with the topographical, architectural, and geophysical surveys, all of which were facilitated by the cleaning programme. Resistivity survey was carried out at the sites of four visible monuments all churches (constituting three survey areas), to further explore their ground-plans and immediate contexts: 'Agia Triada', 'Agios Loukas', and two contiguous structures one Early Byzantine, the other medieval, around which magnetometer survey wa~ effected with encouraging results in 2006. Two EDMs were used to create a new topographical map of the Lower Acropolis ('Neokastro') and of Ancient Thisve's two rock-cut necropoles; to record the multi-phase Upper Acropolis ('Palaiokastro'); to complete the survey of remains of the intermediate city walls; and to correct any imperfections detected in last year's results. New or additional surveys at four monuments completed our 3-D Laser scanning programme: at the Middle Byzantine churches of 'Agios Loukas' and 'Panagia', at a Byzantino-Frankish donjon, and on the Hellenistic walls of the Lower Acropolis. The importation into our digitised base maps of Thisve and its hinterland of the re-checked results of intensive artefact sampling by the Ohio State Thisve Basin Survey (whose survey zone overlaps with, and extends far beyond, our urban survey zone) began in collaboration with Dr W. Caraher (American School of Classical Studies).
Active in 2007.
Dunn, Dr Archibald W.