Die geometrische Keramik von Kap Kolonna

The Protogeometric and Geometric pottery presented in this volume was mainly found on the Colonna hill, a cape standing out into the sea in front of the island of Aegina, bearing a settlement from Neolithic times onward. The very big quantities of Protogeometric pottery indicate that the acropolis of Cape Colonna which has been abandoned during the Late Mycaenean times was resettled in the 10th century B.C. The inhabitants of Aegina had close relations to Athens from the beginning on, independant of their transmitted Doric descent, for the decorated ceramic fine wares have been almost exclusively imported from there. The shapes are typical equipment of dining and drinking feasts, so as cups, drinking and mixing vessels, oinochoai and amphorae for the delivering and storing of wine. More than twohundred years the people of Aegina have been using Attic vessels when celebrating their common drinking rituals, taking place under the patronance of local rulers and/or a Phratry, which are very likely to be an early form of the cult of Apollon. From the middle of the 8th century B.C. onward the Athenian monopoly was broken first of all by the increasing importance of the Corinthian ceramic products, later also by Argive and Cycladic pottery, so that we can presume an enlarged network of trade relations and social contacts of Aegina to the Aegean already for the late 8th century B.C. Additional we can realize a differentiation of society on the pottery of this time which did not exist before. Different social groups participated at the rituals, less privileged but also a new aristocratic class which we can recognize by a refinement of dining customs.