The Ayios Vasilios Survey Project. Preliminary Results

The Ayios Vasilios Survey Project is a 5-year project which started in 2015 and consists of three pedestrian survey campaigns, followed by further geophysical research and an ethnographic survey. The main aims of the survey project include a reconstruction of the extent and development of the settlement through time, the refinement of survey methodologies targeting complex prehistoric sites and the understanding of the position of Ayios Vasilios in the political landscape of Mycenaean Laconia. Our investigations focus on the integration of surface and subsurface data stemming from field survey and geophysical measurements, and on assessing artefact survey strategies for urban prehistoric settlements. The preliminary results show that pedestrian survey data and the geophysical data complement one another. They both indicate that the extent of the built-up settlement at Ayios Vasilios did not exceed an area of approximately 5-6 ha in size. Around this built-up zone, a halo of finds was recorded, indicating extramural activities such as craft working, horticulture, burial, refuse and dumping.