Traces of commercial activity at the site of Loutros Pallene in the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods: the bronze and lead object
Abstract
The present article concerns the study of the bronze and lead objects (coins, tokens, commercial weights, loom weights, clothes weights) of the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods that were discovered during the rescue excavations carried out by the former 2nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities for the construction of the “New Free Stavros-Rafina Highway” in the area of Loutros in the modern deme of Pallene during the years 2002-04. Through the study of these few metal objects and their comparison with similar assemblages discovered in the Attica’s chora, a preliminary interpretive approach to the residential remains in the area is attempted. Nevertheless, it is difficult to determine to which ancient Attic deme the structures uncovered in the Loutros site belonged, as well as to ascertain their precise function. Awaiting for the study of the remaining large quantity of clay objects, the Athenian coins and mainly the trade weights point to a form of commercial activity operating at a local level. This interpretation is further supported by the site’s location within an extensive road network, as well as the storage facilities of the excavated structures, which could probably indicate their market-oriented function.
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