Gla 2444488 221459756 2008-06-24T16:22:21Z Athinaios 498024 /* Location */ added article {{for|the acronym|GLA}} [[Image:Gla nw walls.JPG|thumb|300px|The northwest part of the fortification at Gla seen from the "palace", part of the Kopais plain visible in background]] '''Gla''' (rarely '''Glas''') ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Γλα or Γλας) was an important fortified site of the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] civilization, located in [[Boeotia]], mainland [[Greece]]. ==Location== The site is located on a limestone outcrop or hill that jutted into [[Lake Kopais]] (now drained) or formed an island within it. The flat-topped outcrop rises up to 38m above the surrounding area. It measures circa 900 x 575m (at the widest point). The ancient name of the site is unknown, it is unclear whether is is one of the Boeotian places named by Homer (some scholars suggest that Gla is Homer's ''Arne''). The scholarly designation "Gla" is from the [[Albanian language|Albanian]] word for fortification <ref>Nic Fields & Donato Spedaliere, 2004: ''Mycenaean Fortifications'', Oxford: Osprey Publishing; p. 39</ref>, the modern local population calls the site "Paliokastro" ([[Greek language|Greek]] for "old castle"). ==Size== [[Excavation]] revealed much detail about the fortification walls (which were always visible) and, on the interior, remains of buildings from the Mycenaean period. The fortification encloses an area of nearly 20 hectares, about 10 times as much as the mycenaean citadels of [[Acropolis|Athens]] or [[Tiryns]]. ==Draining of Kopais== Much of the area within the walls is vacant, leading [[archaeologists]] to believe that it served as a refuge for farmers in the area of Lake Kopais in the event of attack. It is suggested that the land dominated by the citadel of Gla served as the "bread basket" of the Mycenaean world. This is supprted by the fact that Lake Kopais, the largest lake in southern Greece, had been drained by a system of dams and canals (one of the most astonishing achievements of [[prehistory|prehistoric]] [[engineering]]) at about the same time as the erection of Gla, producing a large fertile plain. The drainage system collapsed from destruction or neglect at or after the end of Mycenaean Civilisation; in [[Classical Antiquity]], the lake existed again. It was drained a second time in the 19th century. ==Walls== [[Image:Gla se gate.JPG|thumb|300px|The south gate, external view (note ashlar masonry)]] The walls are built of medium-sized limestone blocks, mostly in the [[Cyclopean architecture|Cyclopean]] technique ([[ashlar]] masonry is employed at some of the gates). They have a total length of 2.8 km, are up to 6.75m wide and 3-5m high. In many locations they are built directly on the cliffs that form the limit of the outcrop. It had four gates, an unusually high number for a Mycenaean fortification, in the north, west, south and southeast. Elaborate built ramps led to the gates. The fortification can be dated to early LH III B, that is, circa 1300 BC. ==Interior structures== ==="Palace"=== The most striking interior feature is a large L-shaped building, often described as a "palace". It is in the north of the site, which is subdivided by several internal walls in this area. The "palace" is located on an artificial terrace and consists of three wings. Each of the wings contains mostly very small rooms, arranged in groups of six and accessed by corridors. At the two ends of the L, there are similar arrangements of rooms resembling the [[megaron]] complexes known from Tiryns, Mycenae Dimini and Pylos. Nevertheless, the lack of several typical features of other Mycenaean palaces, namely of a "throne room", a (circular) hearth and a "bathroom" casts some doubt on the designation of the structure as a palace. ==="Agora"=== Two further Mycenaean architectural complexes were found further south, in the area of the so-called "agora", which is separated from the "palace area" by a wall. The two complexes are parallel to each other (north-south orientation) and have similar plans. In each, a long corridor links buildings in the north and south of the complex. They are subdivided into small rooms. There is no scholarly consensus on their function. Suggestions include use as barracks, storage spaces/distribution centres, or workshops. The storage theory is supported by the discovery of large amounts of carbonised grain (probably burnt during the destruction of the site) in one of the buildings. ==Tiles== An interesting feature of the buildings at Gla is the discovery of fired pan and cover tiles, suggesting that some Mycenaean buildings already featured pitched, tiled roofs similar to those known from Classical antiquity.<ref>Ione Mylonas Shear, “Excavations on the Acropolis of Midea: Results of the Greek-Swedish Excavations under the Direction of Katie Demakopoulou and Paul Åström”, ''American Journal of Archaeology'', Vol. 104, No. 1. (Jan., 2000), pp. 133-134 (134)</ref> ==Use in other periods== There is some evidence that human occupation of Gla was not limited to the Mycenaean period. For example, the site yielded pottery from [[Neolithic]] and [[Byzantine]] times. It does not appear to have been occupied during the Greek and Roman periods, though. {{coor title dms|38|29|00|N|23|10|56|E|source:frwiki}} ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==Source of translation== {{Translation/Ref|de|Gla|oldid=35257272}} (incorporating extra information from the previous English language version) == External links == * [http://www.livius.org/a/greece/gla/gla.html Livius.org: Gla] <gallery> Image:Gla. View of Northern Wall from North East.jpg|Looking toward the citadel proper from the northeast corner. Image:North wall below citadel of Gla.jpg|View of Northern wall of Gla from below the citadel Image:On the Main Citadel Looking East.jpg|Standing in the citadel proper looking to the east with a view of the Northern Wall </gallery> [[Category:Mycenaean archaeological sites in Greece]] [[Category:Ancient Greek cities]] [[Category:Citadels in Greece]] [[Category:Archaeological sites in central Greece]] [[de:Gla]] [[es:Gla]] [[fr:Gla]]