6th Season Preliminary Report to the 7th Ephoreia of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Olympia and to the 5th Ephoreia of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Antiquities, Sparta on the Results of Museum Study June 2-July 14, 1996.

By

Jack L. Davis

Director

The sixth season of PRAP was conducted in late May, June, and early July, 1996 with a skeleton crew, consisting of the following team members:

Jack L. Davis

Ann B. Harrison

Yiannos G. Lolos

Cynthia W. Shelmerdine

Sharon R. Stocker

The goal of the season was to complete study of pottery collected in the three seasons of fieldwork sponsored by PRAP (1992-94). The artifacts are all currently stored in the Hora Museum in the third apotheke, with the exception of a few more valuable finds that have been entered into the Hora Museum inventory systems (e.g., coins; a Mycenaean seal). Study of PRAP finds was conducted exclusively on tables behind the second apotheke, under direct supervision of museum guards.

Between June 2 and June 20 (Harrison) and between June 2 and June 23 (Shelmerdine) study of all finds collected in the vicinity of the Palace of Nestor and at the site of Kanalos was completed. Between June 18 and June 25, Middle Bronze Age pottery from Blegen excavations at the Palace of Nestor was restudied by Stocker and approximately 300 profiles were drawn by Davis. From July 3-14, all Middle Bronze and early Late Bronze finds from PRAP were reexamined by Lolos and Stocker. Approximately 200 ceramic finds were drawn by Davis.

Samples of pottery were removed from Hora for petrographic analysis in accordance with terms of UPPO/SUNT/F44/177/4688/25-1-96 and are being analyzed at the University of Wisconsin. The samples were conveyed to Davis by Ms. Litsa Malapani as representative of the Olympia Ephoreia and a protocol was issued to Davis recording the transfer. On 8/7/96 Davis escorted Ms. Malapani and Ms. Maria Antoniou, at their request, to several sites in the region that are threatened by new construction. On 5/7/96 Claireve Grandjean of the French School at Athens inspected coins from PRAP and offered comments on them.

A general book summarizing the results of PRAP in the context of overall Messenian history and prehistory (entitled Sandy Pylos: An Archaeological History from Nestor to Navarino) has been completed and, after review, has been accepted for publication by University of Texas Press. We anticipate its publication in 1998. Two more technical manuscripts (ca. 100 pages each) have been submitted to Hesperia and are under review. Blegen's excavations at Derizioti Aloni have been republished by Stocker as an M.A. thesis accepted by the University of Cincinnati (1995).