ASSIROS: the transition to the Iron Age: Phases 5-3
Since the beginning of archaeological research in Macedonia it has been assumed that the Iron Age marked the arrival of new peoples with northern affinities, from perhaps as far away as the alpine region. The presence of a new type of pottery - 'Danubian' or channelled ware - at Axiochori (formerly known as Vardaroftsa) in the excavations there in the 1920's seemed to confirm this. One of the aims of the continuing excavation at Assiros was to determine as far as possible whether this view had any archaeological basis.
It was apparent from early in the excavation that the similarities between the pottery of the two periods were much greater than than any innovations. The ware was very similar - hand made and brown burnished, with the principal difference the higher firing temperatures used for the iron age pottery which allowed the manufacture of vessels with much thinner walls. Bronze age styles of incised decoration with a paste infilling went out of use to be replaced by sharply incised or jabbed patterns, sparsely applied. Angular twisted handles on jugs and jars are the hallmark of iron age fine wares but were never as common as plain varieties while the channelled ware was extremely rare as Assiros (though a little more common at Axiochori and Kastanas. Parallels with the regions to the north and east could be detected but they were rather unspecific and nothing suggested any direct influence or imports.
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The close relationship between the pottery styles of the Bronze Age and those of the Iron Age is well illustrated by this pair of vessels: from the Phase 6 destruction level (below) and the Phase 2 destruction level (right) |
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The Bronze Age version of the 'pistol grip' jar is undecorated while the Iron Age example (above) has an additional angle and grooving on the handles. |
It was only in the final seasons of excavation, however, that levels and structures were found which showed that there was no stratigraphic break in the sequence, although the techniques and quality of the building changed at this point. The stone footings of the Phase 4 walls, the first such in the history of the site, were built immediately above the mud brick walls of Phase 5, and the street deposits between show no interruption or change in character from the one phase to the next.
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The street of Phase 4 (Iron Age) continues the same alignment as that of Phase 5 (Bronze Age) and reuses the same walls on either side.
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Some kind of change in the nature of occupation of the site is to be seen in the greatly increased quantities of animal bone in the iron age levels in contrast to the bronze age. A broader change, at least in inland Macedonia, can be seen in disappearance of the Mycenaean style pottery which had previously been made in a number of local centres.
The second building phase of the iron age (phase 3) provided a rather more coherent view of the settlement at this period than could be seen in the fragmentary remains of phase 4. Large rectangular rooms with mud brick walls established the plan which can be better seen in phase 2. Little change can be seen in the pottery repertoire with the passage of time represented by phases 4-2, perhaps 150 years.