Notes from Kitriani with an emphasis on its metallurgical remains
Abstract
The islet of Kitriani is located to the south of the southern edge of Siphnos, creating an important marine passage as indicated by written sources as well as shipwrecks in the area. Two surveys conducted on the islet revealed multiperiod human presence on the islet, beginning in the Final Neolithic/Early Bronze Age period until modern times, including the church of Panagia Kypriani, terrace wall systems, a possible tower, used as a threshing floor, a cistern, prehistoric obsidian concentrations and the prehistoric site at Fteno. Regarding the metallurgical remains, lead slag and litharge fragments have been located in many localities from Panagia towards Fteno, suggesting that cupellation, the process during which silver is extracted from argentiferous lead metal and the result of which is litharge, and a second slag-producing process were taking place. The similarities macroscopically, as well as in microstructure and chemical composition of the litharges from Kitriani to those from the Early Bronze Age site of Akrotiraki on Siphnos, could be suggestive of the early dating of the remains of Kitriani, as well, highlighting the role of the area of Siphnos in metallurgical production within the Early Bronze Age Aegean.
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