The Ancient City of Tenea Brought to Light

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Greece’s Ministry of Culture announced on 13^th November 2018 that archaeologists believe that they have located the remains of the city of Tenea - an important discovery since ancient authors record that Tenea was founded by settlers who fled their home on the island of Tenedos following the sack of Troy.

 

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Under the direction of Elena Korka, who has been excavating in the area for the past 5 years, this year’s excavation season of September and October yielded building foundations and walls, with some of the buildings having marble or stone floors in addition to the more usual packed earth.

Until now, Korka’s team had been excavating in the cemeteries around the city of Tenea. That there were rich burials in the area had been known for some time – the so-called Kouros of Tenea was discovered in 1846 and in 2010 looters had illegally excavated two 6^th century kouroi, attempting to sell them for 10 million euro.

The cemeteries, located near the modern village of Chiliomodi, are still being excavated.  Nine more burials were brought to light this year, dating from the 4^th century to the Roman period, and with finds including ceramics, jewelry of gold, copper and bone, and coins. The grave goods reflect the wealth of the city which was on an important route in the north east of the Peloponnese, between the cities of Corinth and Argos. The ‘Teneatic gate’ marked the beginning of the road that led from Corinth to the city.

Examination of the pottery so far has shown some distinctive local shapes, and it is hoped that these will help shed light on the history of the city as, according to Korka, the forms show eastern influences. This neatly fits with the legendary origins of the city preserved in ancient literature which claims that the inhabitants were from the island of Tenedos off the coast of Asia Minor.

Pausanias, in his Description of Greece, states “The inhabitants say that they are Trojans who were taken prisoners in Tenedos by the Greeks, and were permitted by Agamemnon to dwell in their present home. For this reason they honour Apollo more than any other god.” 2.5.4

Strabo also records this relationship: “And it seems, also, that there is a kinship between the peoples of Tenedos and Tenea, through Tennes the son of Kyknos, as Aristotle says; and the similarity in the worship of Apollon among the two peoples affords strong indications of such kinship.”

The island of Tenedos is mentioned in both the Iliad and in Virgil’s Aeneid. In the Aeneid the island is where the Greeks hid their fleet in order to trick the Trojans into believing that they had sailed for home, and so to take the Trojan Horse, that they had left on the beach, inside their city.

Strabo’s Geography tells us of the part played by citizens of Tenea in the founding of Syracuse in 734/733 BC, noting that “most of the colonists who accompanied Archias, the leader of the colonists to Syracuse, set out from there.” Syracuse was a Corinthian foundation under the leadership of Archias. It was normal practice from colonists to be from more than one city, and we can imagine that in the case of a great colonizing city state such as Corinth the extra manpower was very welcome and important.

Kouros of Tenea 

Strabo continues his history of the city, noting a close relationship between Tenea and Corinth until the Roman period: “Tenea prospered more than the other settlements, and finally even had a government of its own, and, revolting from the Corinthians, joined the Romans, and endured after the destruction of Corinth.”

That Tenea flourished in the Roman period is evidenced by the finds from the new excavations. The city seems to have been abandoned during the Slav invasions of the 6^th century CE.

Finds from previous excavations may be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. However, the most famous discovery connected with the city is now in the Munich Glypothek. It is a Kouros dating to around 560BC found near the village of Athikia in 1846. The statue, made of Parian marble, is a marvelous example of a 6^th century kouros with the enigmatic ‘archaic smile’, and would have served as a grave marker. The magnificent statue bears witness to the glory of the ancient city, and it is to be hoped that the ongoing excavations will yield more information about this important ancient settlement.