Papers by Yannis Maniatis
Tambakopoulos, D., and Maniatis, Y., 2017, The marble of the Cyclades and its use in the Early Bronze Age, In Early Cycladic sculpture in context (eds. M. Marthari, C. Renfrew, and M. J. Boyd), 468–82, Oxbow, Oxford, Oxford and Philadelphia.
Archaeometry, 2002
A black depositional layer on the inner surface of a Neolithic carinated vessel from the archaeol... more A black depositional layer on the inner surface of a Neolithic carinated vessel from the archaeological site of Dikili Tash in Eastern Macedonia was examined scientifically. The layer was initially considered as decomposed organic matter and interest was focused on identifying the original organic contents. The scientific investigation, which included FTIR spectroscopy, analytical SEM examination and optical microscopy, revealed that the black substance was not organic but a pure iron oxide layer deposited on the vessel's inner surface, and reduced in places to black iron oxides, during a destructive fire. The conclusion is that this layer represents the remnants of the vessel's original content, which was a red hematite pigment. This unexpected find provides, for the first time, a missing link in the evidence of pigments used in Neolithic times, previously attested to only by finished products.
The European Physical Journal Plus, 2012
Akrotiri was a flourishing prehistoric settlement on the Cycladic island of Santorini (Thera) unt... more Akrotiri was a flourishing prehistoric settlement on the Cycladic island of Santorini (Thera) until its life was ended by a huge volcanic eruption in the LCI period. There is much debate as to when this final destruction occurred. Based on the Egyptian historical dating this happened around 1540-1530 BC, while, based on radiocarbon and other scientific data, around 1640-1600 BC. This work is an attempt to date with radiocarbon the whole settlement's life starting from the earlier phases of occupation but focusing in the sequence of the latest events. The samples, coming from the deep shafts dug in the site for the pillars of the new shelter, are pieces of wood and charcoal from house architectural elements and other constructions, including the final earthquake victims temporary camps. Therefore, the dates obtained represent the beginning of the different cultural phases plus the latest events. The results provide novel absolute dates for the commencement of the LMC and LCI Phases at Akrotiri, giving mean ranges around 1820-1790 BC and 1775-1722 BC, respectively, while the final destruction is dated around 1622-1548 BC. These results show that the LCI phase started about 100 years earlier than estimated with the Egyptian Historical chronology while the final destruction around 60 years or less earlier.
Classical Marble: Geochemistry, Technology, Trade, 1988
The remains of a wooden construction, recovered in the 1970s at the northwest sector of the walls... more The remains of a wooden construction, recovered in the 1970s at the northwest sector of the walls of the ancient city of Amphipolis (northern Greece), have been recognized as foundation remains of a wooden bridge described by Thucydides in his description of the events that took place at Amphipolis in 424-422 BC, during the Peloponnesian War. Frequent repairs in the Roman, Byzantine, and even Ottoman periods are very probable. In the last 10 yr, conservation has been done to enhance this unique monument. This work involves systematic investigation with radiocarbon dating of all the verified or suspected phases of this wooden bridge. The dating results reveal the beginning of construction most probably in the Archaic period and confirm beyond a doubt that the major construction phase took place in Classical times. Successive phases, related to repairs rather than to major reconstructions, have been detected during the Hellenistic, Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine periods as well as the Ottoman era. The combined archaeometric and archaeological evidence leads to the remarkable conclusion that this bridge was functioning for about 2500 yr.
Recent archaeological investigations, still in progress, of the prehistoric deposits of Drakaina ... more Recent archaeological investigations, still in progress, of the prehistoric deposits of Drakaina Cave at Poros on Cephalonia has contributed significantly to the enrichment of our data concerning the prehistory in this region. These data combined with the radiocarbon results of stratigraphically controlled charcoal samples, actually permit the establishment of a safe chronological framework for the early phases of the Late Prehistory in the Ionian region, more precisely for the periods belonging, according to the conventional archaeological terminology, to the Late Neolithic (or Late Neolithic I) and Chalcolithic (or Late Neolithic II or Final Neolithic). In his way, more knowledge is acquired concerning the late phases of the Neolithic in Western Greece, which are still rather unknown.
Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference of ASMOSIA, Rome, 21-26 May 2012, 2015
Ten samples of sculptures from the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière (France) were examined an... more Ten samples of sculptures from the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon-Fourvière (France) were examined and analysed in order to determine the provenance of their marble. The ten works belong to the major group of sculptures discovered in the centre of the ancient city of Lyon and represent: a Minerva, a Nike (victory), a Caryatid, a Siren, a young girl sitting on a rock, two sarcophagi, a Roman portrait, and two heroes. All of them belong to the period between the 1st and the 3rd century AD and are of great historical interest. The scientific investigation was carried out using the techniques of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR), Stable Isotope analysis (IRMS), Maximum Grain Size measurement (MGS) and Optical Examination. The results showed that the provenance of the marble for the majority of the sculptures is from Greek and Anatolian quarries, such as, Paros, Proconnesos, Thasos, Afyon (Dokimeion), with only one being from Carrara.
The provenance question of the marbles used for making the sarcophagi of local production of Thes... more The provenance question of the marbles used for making the sarcophagi of local production of Thessaloniki in the Roman period had been posed by archaeologists in the past. The hypothesis was that the material came mainly from the quarries of Thassos Island. This paper presents the scientific analysis of 23 characteristic samples from selected sarcophagi at the Museum of Thessaloniki, using three different techniques: electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, stable isotope analysis and maximum grain size measurements, plus in-situ examination. New combinations of parameters were used in order to resolve fully the provenance of all samples. The results showed that the vast majority of the objects were indeed made in Thassian marble but from three different quarries, namely Vathy/Saliara (dolomitic marble), Aliki (calcitic marble) and Acropolis/Phanari (calcitic marble). The calcitic marbles from Aliki and to a lesser degree from Acropolis/Phanari are met in all the basic types of sarcophagi (framed type, plain type, garland sarcophagi). The use of the better quality and snow-white dolomitic marble from Vathy/Saliara quarries is relatively restricted and is often found in works that are above the average regarding the quality of their workmanship. In addition, two sarcophagi were made in Pentlelic marble and one in Proconnesian. The scientific analysis results provide a good confirmation of the archaeological estimates and, furthermore, the conclusions constitute henceforth a secure basis for the study of the entire sculptured works of Thessaloniki.
Interdisciplinary Studies on Ancient Stone, Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference of ASMOSIA, Rome, 21-26 May 2012, 2015
The discovery of two sarcophagi fragments in Saint-Romain-en-Gal, incited the archaeological serv... more The discovery of two sarcophagi fragments in Saint-Romain-en-Gal, incited the archaeological service of the Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal and Vienne to investigate for the first time the origin of the Late Antiquity sarcophagi of these two sites. This investigation included scientific analysis for the provenance of marble, performed on 19 of the most significant roman funeral marble artefacts. The techniques used were: Maximum Grain Size (MGS) measurements, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR) and carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis (IRMS). In addition, the quality of the marble crystallization, as it appears under the stereoscopic optical microscope, and the transparency, using a special light source, were also determined in order to clarify any dubious provenance cases, compared to the laboratory’s database. The results show that Carrara and Proconnessos marble were mostly used for the Late Antiquity sculptures in the area, but for some of them Penteli marble was used too.
Documenta 23, 2012
The use of marble in prehistory and in particular in the Early Bronze Age is clearly evident in t... more The use of marble in prehistory and in particular in the Early Bronze Age is clearly evident in the Greek Cycladic islands where the famous Cycladic figurines appeared and spread all over the Aegean. However, the absence of quarrying traces in that period and the abundance of marble outcrops in most of the Cycladic islands makes the creation of reference databases very difficult and hence the determination of provenance of prehistoric artefacts quite demanding.
To approach this problem we surveyed systematically the marble outcrops in the Cyclades in several campaigns. A large number of samples was collected from Naxos, Keros, Ios, Syros, Nikouria, Schinoussa and Iraklia and analysed using MGS, EPR and IRMS. These updated and completed the database of the Cyclades that had been created by previous surveys over the past 20 years. The new database is presented here and some earlier provenance results of prehistoric objects are being reconsidered.
Documenta 22, 2012
Ancient Stymphalos is an archaeological site in the mountains of the northeast Peloponnese, Greec... more Ancient Stymphalos is an archaeological site in the mountains of the northeast Peloponnese, Greece. Provenance investigation was carried out on two fragmentary marble sculptures found in the cella of a small temple on the Stymphalos Acropolis, which has remains from the 6th through to 2nd century BC. These are a Late Archaic Kore and a 4th-century “Temple Boy” housed in the storerooms of the Archaeological Museum in Ancient Corinth. The techniques used are: 1) measurements of Maximum Grain Size (MGS), 2) Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (EPR), and 3) Stable Isotope Analysis (IRMS). The use of the three techniques and the statistical treatment of the results, gave the following assignments for the provenance of the two statues: the Kore is most likely made of marble from Paros, with Hymettos and Penteli less likely candidates, and the “Temple Boy” is made of Parian Lychnites marble. Exposure to fire and subsequent weathering made assignment of origin for the Kore fairly complicated, but the open Parian quarries seem the most likely origin.
The microstructures and chemical compositions of some 15 faience objects from Crete spanning the ... more The microstructures and chemical compositions of some 15 faience objects from Crete spanning the period from Middle Minoan IIIA through to Late Minoan IA are determined using analytical scanning electron microscopy. The Minoan faience is compared with replicate faience beads produced in the laboratory using various combinations of manganese, copper and iron as colorants. The alkali contents of the replicate beads are varied so that the colorants are present both as ions in a glass phase and as particulate oxides. These data are then used to try to infer the original colour of the Minoan faience, the great majority of which has suffered severe weathering during burial. The results suggest that instead of the present day ''hallmark greys and browns'' and ''subtle greens and blues'', Minoan faience originally exhibited a wide range of colours, including bright turquoise blue, purple and violet, and pale yellowgreen and greenish turquoise.
Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 2009
The geochemical conditions that are responsible for the formation of "Chalastraion nitron" in the... more The geochemical conditions that are responsible for the formation of "Chalastraion nitron" in the basin of Lake Pikrolimni (Northern Greece) were investigated in this study. The goal of the study is to confirm Pliny's description: "at Clitae in Macedonia it is found in abundance the best, called soda of Chalestra…" The ionspecific interaction model based on Pitzer's equations showed that the lake brine samples are saturated versus carbonate-bicarbonate sodium and sodium-chloride-sulfate minerals. The results of individual X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses on the evaporative deposits showed that the salts consist mostly of trona, burkeite, thenardite and halite confirming Pliny's description.
Archaeometry, 2002
A black depositional layer on the inner surface of a Neolithic carinated vessel from the archaeol... more A black depositional layer on the inner surface of a Neolithic carinated vessel from the archaeological site of Dikili Tash in Eastern Macedonia was examined scientifically. The layer was initially considered as decomposed organic matter and interest was focused on identifying the original organic contents. The scientific investigation, which included FTIR spectroscopy, analytical SEM examination and optical microscopy, revealed that the black substance was not organic but a pure iron oxide layer deposited on the vessel's inner surface, and reduced in places to black iron oxides, during a destructive fire. The conclusion is that this layer represents the remnants of the vessel's original content, which was a red hematite pigment. This unexpected find provides, for the first time, a missing link in the evidence of pigments used in Neolithic times, previously attested to only by finished products.
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2004
The present work demonstrates the potential of EPR spectroscopy as a useful technique in provenan... more The present work demonstrates the potential of EPR spectroscopy as a useful technique in provenance investigation of archaeological finds of limestone. The case of the small, Cypriote-type limestone statuettes found in most major Archaic sanctuaries of the Eastern Mediterranean is used as an illustrative application.
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Papers by Yannis Maniatis
To approach this problem we surveyed systematically the marble outcrops in the Cyclades in several campaigns. A large number of samples was collected from Naxos, Keros, Ios, Syros, Nikouria, Schinoussa and Iraklia and analysed using MGS, EPR and IRMS. These updated and completed the database of the Cyclades that had been created by previous surveys over the past 20 years. The new database is presented here and some earlier provenance results of prehistoric objects are being reconsidered.
To approach this problem we surveyed systematically the marble outcrops in the Cyclades in several campaigns. A large number of samples was collected from Naxos, Keros, Ios, Syros, Nikouria, Schinoussa and Iraklia and analysed using MGS, EPR and IRMS. These updated and completed the database of the Cyclades that had been created by previous surveys over the past 20 years. The new database is presented here and some earlier provenance results of prehistoric objects are being reconsidered.