The Fortifications of Aigeira

How were Greek fortifications built, and which historical contexts might have initiated their erection? In ancient Greece, warfare among city states was a fairly regular threat; and as opposed to other ancient cultures, the Greek city states were their own entities and were never organized in a large imperium. It is no surprise that nearly all known Greek settlements had mighty fortification walls. Aigeira, a Greek settlement in northeastern Achaia and excavated under the auspices of the Austrian Archaeological Institute, is a perfect case study to pursue this problem. The city has four enceintes from Mycenaean times to late antique or post-antique times, and the preconditions of Aigeira offer a rich set of data: architectural remains of the fortifications, a dramatic landscape with steep cliffs, and historical sources connected with the political and military history. Because Aigeira is the best preserved ancient site in Achaia, the project will also contribute to the understanding of fortified settlements in the region and will focus on the question of polis culture. Aigeiras urban area is dominated by a double acropolis in the south, and steep, nearly vertical cliffs on the west and the east sides border gentle terraces ascending from the acropolis. A narrow isthmus in the south links Aigeira to its hinterland and makes Aigeira easy to defend, but hard to conquer. Although ancient streets have not been identified with certainty, topography leaves only a few possibilities to connect Aigeira with the hinterland. A series of small forts and towers in Aigeiras neighborhood, identified in recent surveys, probably play an important role for Aigeiras defense and communication system and will be integrated in the discussion of the results. Archaeological excavations, architectural analysis, and the study of the historical sources will shed light on the fortifications. In a new approach, a 3D topographical model will be established, using an air borne laser scanning with a RIEGL RiCOPTER drone. The model will be able to display Aigeiras topography without vegetation and will serve as the basis for displaying architectural reconstructions and linking digital data. The project will be based at the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Vienna and will be closely connected with the Athens branch of the institute which holds the excavation license.

The ancient city of Aigeira is situated in eastern Achaia on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. The city sprawls on elevated terrain, with steep slopes bordering its sides. The location affords views of the Corinthian Gulf and the connecting roads leading into the hinterland making it a strategically important site. When Aigeira joined the Achaean League, one of the most significant political-military alliances of the Hellenistic period in Greece, around 260 BC, new public edifices, including a theater and a city wall, were constructed. This FWF project, P30886, represents the inaugural investigation of the chronology, architecture, and topography of these structures. Recently conducted excavations have yielded archaeological evidence that the city was fortified during the mid-3rd century BC. however, the city wall did not encompass the entire city area; the steep slopes to the west and east remained mostly unfortified. In the period around 200 BC, the wall was extended to the northeast. Artificially constructed terraces behind the newly erected fortifications were likely utilized for the deployment of long-range weaponry that had reached a high degree of sophistication during the Hellenistic era. This course of action was undertaken in the wake of a brief incursion into Aigeira in 219/218 BC, during which, according to Polybius' account, extensive damage was inflicted upon the city. In the period preceding the Roman conquest of Corinth by Lucius Mummius in 146 BC, the Aigeiretes once again sought to reinforce their fortifications. They constructed a defensive wall from spolia of a reidential building around the acropolis during the middle of the 2nd century B.C. Thereafter, the utilization of these fortifications is no longer discernible; they were merely employed to uphold the artificial terracing that distinguished the urban landscape of Aigeira. A small new fort of only around 900 m was constructed on the acropolis during the fifth century AD. It is likely that it provided space for a garrison. Early Byzantine graves south of the acropolis, along with pottery from the 4th to 7th century AD from the area of the theater, provides evidence that Aigeira was at least sporadically populated. Aigeira's strategic location in the local area remained a significant factor throughout the Late Antique period. Nevertheless, this research has also illuminated another facet of Aigeira's historical development, namely the extent of the archaic city. Despite the presence of vague literary references to a settlement, the location of this settlement remains unknown. It was assumed that the walls on the acropolis, which appeared to be of a very ancient construction, were the fortifications of the archaic city. However, it has been established with certainty that they are, in fact, part of the late Hellenistic enceinte.