Monday, January 15, 2024

 Where is Section Pe?


The picture of Pe that Broneer [1966] presents looks like this:[1]




In this picture arrow b shows a left-leaning (to S) branch on a young tree.   Arrow a points to one of the buttresses.

This next picture is labeled in Isthmia VIII as a section of Sp.  [2]





But Simpson and Hagel [3] say that this is mislabelled and is really a photo of Pe.  And that makes sense. The wall in this photo runs up a rather steep slope which we know Sp does not.  Also the buttresses seem to be visible at arrow a.  The right-leaning (to S) branch at arrow b seems to match the left-leaning branch on the other photo.  So if all this is correct Pe is not likely to be where I thought it is.  It's more likely to be further to the E (about 100 m) near 37.913481° N,  22.998581° E where there is a clump of trees.  It looks like this in Google Earth Street View (facing W): 




Here the arrow at 'a' point to a clump of trees in which the first and seconds pictures might have been taken.

This next picture shows what it looks like from the other side and facing E:



I think a candidate for Pe that would match the second photograph is somewhere just beneath the edge of this clump of trees.  It looks like there is a very convenient turnout right next to it.

From above the whole scene looks like this:


Here North is at the bottom.  'P1' and 'P2' in red are the locations of the two Street View scenes.  C7761 (Pe or where I was thinking that Pe might be) is in the center at the blue paddle.  The circle radius is 100 m.  The turn-out in the previous photo is just under the yellow push-pin over the group of trees at the left.

And, not to forget, this section may involve a fall hazard so be careful of your footing.


Footnotes

1. Broneer [1966] Plate 81.
2. Morgan [1999] 434, figure 8.  Labelled incorrectly 'Section Sp'.
3. Simpson and Hagel [2006] 130, fn. 103


Bibliography

Broneer [1966]:  Broneer, Oscar. ‘The Cyclopean Wall on the Isthmus of Corinth and Its Bearing on Late Bronze Age Chronology’, Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (35:4)

Morgan [1999]:  Morgan, Catherine. Isthmia VIII; The Late Bronze Age Settlement and Early Iron Age Sanctuary . The American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Princeton, New Jersey,

Simpson and Hagel [2006]:  Simpson, R. Hope and D.K. Hagel. Mycenaean Fortifications, Highways, Dams and Canals. SIMA vol. 133. Paul Åströms Förlag. Sävedalen, Sweden. 2006.

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