[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
The aim of this volume is to study the architectural networks of the Northern Aegean, understanding the region as a dynamic and multi-directional space rather than focusing on individual monuments or features separately. To this end, the chapters take the island of Thasos and the sanctuary of the Great Gods of Samothrace as the main objects of study, providing the clearest examples of complex regional communication and the relationship between an island and the Macedonian mainland. The contributions in this volume also consider cases studies from other areas, such as Thrace and Macedonia itself, an approach that helps the reader understand the significance of this network in a region marked by cultural dialogue between Greeks, Macedonians and Thracians.
The volume approaches its objective through a broad lens with the contents divided into three main sections: first, the analysis of concrete monument typologies within a broader regional framework; second, the study of designs and techniques, always from the perspective of their Northern Aegean qualities; and third, an approach to “ornamentation” that aims to test whether we can discern an idiosyncratic Northern Aegean character in the iconographic designs. The result is a clear picture of a region that shifts between the perpetuation of recognisable forms and models and the innovation of ancient Greek architectural elements that will later be adopted in other areas.
Part 1 of the volume, focusing on the features and typology of the monuments (such as commemorative monuments, theatres and sanctuaries), successfully aims to establish a pattern that is valid for the Northern Aegean as a whole, reflecting a network connecting the communities across the region. Philip Katz discusses the various monuments dedicated to commemorating the sea. This is a valuable contribution that helps us understand this architectural category more fully by distinguishing between votive ships and ship monuments (including the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace). Scholars have traditionally considered these two types of monuments to be equivalent, linking them as two manifestations of a common topic, the exaltation of the sea, albeit not unproblematically. However, a thorough analysis of the cases in Samothrace, Thasos and Demetrias allows the two types to be separated, with the first reflecting dynastic concerns of the Hellenistic monarchies and the second, the civic institutions engaged in maritime activity. This contribution is complemented by a list of the two types of maritime monuments attested elsewhere in the Hellenistic world, which helps to place the chapter’s analysis in a broader context.
Chryssa Karadima, Costas Zambas, Nikos Chatzidakis, Gerasimos Thomas and Eirini Doudoumi analyse the theatre at Maroneia in depth, examining the component parts and its Hellenistic and Roman phases while offering the reader a broad overview of the architectural history of the building. Stella Drougou addresses the theatre of Aigai, so closely linked to the history of theatre in Macedonia and to important episodes such as the assassination of Philip II, has always been the subject of debate in modern scholarship. Its unfavourable terrain and state of preservation invite questions about possible architectural adaptations to its specific setting. Traditionally, these questions have been rooted in the idea that the theatre was built in stone, a conclusion that Drougou questions.
The final contributions in this first part, by Yannis Kourtzellis and Alice Ognier, deal with regional and Pan-Hellenic connections in the sanctuaries of the Northern Aegean, specifically in the Temple of Messon, Lesbos and in the diverse sanctuaries of Athena—possibly as many as 19, although not all of them are archaeologically attested. The first case study demonstrates the influences on the Messon Temple from sanctuaries in southern Greece and Macedonia, as well as in Asia Minor, including centres such as Ephesus, Halicarnassus and Sardis. The Lesbian temple thus becomes a catalyst for the development of new architectural elements that came to serve as something like prototypes for other structures in the region, such as the temples at Chryse in the Troad and at Teos. Despite the scarcity of the evidence, the authors also argue that the cult spaces of Athena are similar in several ways to examples found in Macedonia, Thrace and the Northern Aegean. While such sanctuaries appear more frequently in southern Greece, where they are associated with “civic identity”, the cults of Athena in the north appear to be linked rather to the Macedonian monarchy, connecting to mythical claims of lineage. In Thrace, shrines dedicated to Athena are even fewer in number, and, as in Macedonia, are predominantly placed near the sea. Kourtzellis and Ognier suggest that these locations may reflect the distribution patterns of the archaic and classical colonies.
Part 2 of the volume focuses on the technical elements that characterise the construction of buildings in the Northern Aegean. Samuel Holzman analyses the logistics behind the extraction of stone that made possible the construction of works the size of Ptolemy II’s Propylon in Samothrace. This monument, through which visitors accessed the sanctuary of the Great Gods, is itself an example of the importance of architectural networks, since it is built with Thasian marble. The lack of this material on the island of Samothrace raises questions about the logistics involved in constructing this building, such as the professionals, tools and means of transport required. The outcome of this case study is a comprehensive overview of how the construction system may have operated within the communities of the northern Aegean, where communication must have been continuous.
The same spirit—logistics and the fulfilment of the basic needs that made building construction possible—pervades the contributions of Andrew Farinholt Ward and Vincent Baillet on water management, and of Marietta Dromain on the use of windows, with both chapters using Thasos and Samothrace as objects of study. In a rugged area with high rainfall, controlling water becomes a necessity for adapting the space to architectural needs, and the chapter deals in depth with the responses to various water-related problems. It also focuses on the civic and religious use of water, as shown by the wells found in Thasos and the channels that cross the sanctuary of the Great Gods. On the other hand, the treatment of windows suggests that the island centres of the Northern Aegean act in a similar way to those of the south (specifically Delos), despite the climatic differences, so there is no characteristic pattern in the Northern Aegean in this particular case.
Tony Koželj and Manuela Wurch-Koželj discuss the stoa of the agora of Thasos. Dating to 390 BCE, this building played an important role in the city’s history as a site of reconciliation for Thasian society, a manifestation of local innovation, and a key point of reference within the urban landscape. The final contribution to this section, by Jacques de Courtils, focuses on the technical innovation that first emerged in this part of the Aegean Sea and then spread around the Hellenistic world. Macedonian architecture, the Hypostyle Hall and the Hall of Choral Dancers on Thasos and the Arsinoeion of Samothrace, are examples of large structures with peculiar characteristics and atypical designs, symbolising intense and innovative building activity that may have been a starting point for the Hellenistic architecture that was so widely replicated in other parts of the Mediterranean.
The last part of the volume focuses on possible patterns in ornamentation. Laurence Cavalier considers ornamental features in a broad sense, pointing out the connections and interactions between different places in the region, as well as their distinguishing features. For example, Cavalier discusses the role of Corinthian capitals in making the Northern Aegean a place where Hellenistic designs were first developed under the patronage of the early Hellenistic kings at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 3rd century BCE.
The remaining chapters of the volume focus on the analysis of specific decorative patterns: Vincent Baillet discusses the Lesbian kyma from Thasos; Madeleine Glennon examines the use and iconography of the Gorgon; and Cassandre Mbonyo-Kiefer analyses the bucrania in Samothrace. Despite the risks associated with using stylistic motifs as solid arguments for relative dating, these chapters make a compelling case that all three of these elements spread throughout northern Greece thanks to the network that the volume as a whole seeks to highlight and emphasise. The connection between work—through builders or craftsmen—and resource management in the region helped the spread of decorative forms from a prosperous city such as Thasos or from one of the most popular sanctuaries in the Hellenistic world, the sanctuary of the Great Gods of Samothrace.
To sum up, this volume fulfils its goal by showing how the geographical and political conditions of the Northern Aegean at the beginning of the Hellenistic period made the region a vibrant place, full of fluctuating ideas and intense development. It also provides new perspectives on the particularities of certain sites that continue to be the subject of scholarly debate, such as the sanctuary of the Great Gods of Samothrace, where new architectural elements came into play that responded to the cultic and aesthetic needs of the sanctuary. These outcomes are all accomplished through a focus on the concept of the “network”. However, the volume does not engage with the theoretical foundations of the notion, using the term primarily in a descriptive way. This means that the reader lacks a unifying framework for understanding the coherence of the various contributions at more than a surface level. The intention of the work is to highlight the fact that the Northern Aegean in general—and the islands of Thasos and Samothrace in particular—acted as a hub for interactions among the different communities of the area and with regions beyond. It does not, however, seek to define the precise limits of this network or to contrast it systematically with alternative explanatory models, such as those based on diffusionist patterns. All the same, the focus on the development of Hellenistic design in the Northern Aegean challenges conventional geographic hierarchies in ancient architectural history and pushes scholars to consider “peripheral” regions as places of creative agency and as potential sources for the transmission of patterns and ideas.
In essence, this volume provides a big picture view of a region that was the locus of artistic and technical innovations that shaped the Hellenistic style, such as the consolidation and development of the Corinthian style. The limited number of archaeological excavations in the Northern Aegean sets an unfortunate limit on our understanding of this region. Nevertheless, the chapters collected here offer a firm basis for future theoretical research; explorations of other areas of the region could take the arguments made in this volume as useful start points. While the volume successfully addresses the role of the Hellenistic monarchies as stakeholders in financing and consolidating this new way of both building and expressing themselves, it is at its most revealing when it stresses the processes or fields that do not normally receive the scholarly spotlight, such as logistics, masonry, and the craft of the builder as an agent who intentionally disseminates a pattern throughout a region. The contributors perform a valuable service by combining archaeological evidence, architectural analysis, and historical context to illuminate the reciprocal relationship between design concepts and the practical realities of construction in challenging environments.
Authors and Titles
Bonna D. Wescoat: Introduction: Framing the Inquiry.
Part I. Sanctuaries and Monuments
- Philip Katz: Commemorating the Sea in the Hellenistic North Aegean.
- Yannis Kourtzellis: The Messon Temple on the Island of Lesbos: A Pseudodipteral Ionic Temple of Hera, Zeus, and Dionysos.
- Stella Drougou: The Ancient Theater of Aigai at Vergina: Previous Excavations and New Observations.
- Chryssa Karadima, Costas Zambas, Nikos Chatzidakis, Gerasimos Thomas and Eirini Doudoumi: The Ancient Theater at Maroneia in Thrace.
- Alice Ognier: Sanctuaries of Athena in the North Aegean.
Part II. Technique and Design
- Samuel Holzman: Putting the Marble Back in the Quarry: Visualizing the Thasian-Samothracian Network that built the Propylon of Ptolemy II.
- Tony Koželj and Manuela Wurch-Koželj: Particularities of the Northwest Stoa in the Agora of Thasos.
- Andrew Farinholt Ward and Vincent Baillet: Water Management and Monumentality on Thasos and Samothrace.
- Marietta Dromain: The Window in North Aegean Architecture: Integration of Openings in Thasian and Samothracian Buildings.
- Jacques des Courtils: Technical Innovation and Building Policy in the North Aegean.
Part III. Ornament
- Laurence Cavalier: Architecture and Ornamentation in the North Aegean: Specificities, Connections, Interactions.
- Vincent Baillet: The Lesbian Kyma in Northern Greece.
- Madeleine Glennon: The Gorgon in the Architectural Decoration of the Northern Aegean.
- Cassandre Mbonyo-Kiefer: Bucrania: The Samothracian Origins of a Significant Hellenistic Ornament.