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George Finlay's Contributions to the Discovery of the Stone Age in Greece1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2011

Curtis Runnels
Curtis Runnels
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, Boston University
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Abstract

In 1869, the historian George Finlay published a small pamphlet in Greek, entitled Παρατηρήσεις ἐπἰ τῆς ἐν Ἑλβετίᾳ και Ἑλλάδι Προϊστορικῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας (Observations on Prehistoric Archaeology in Switzerland and Greece), describing the discovery of Neolithic artefacts from Greece. This pamphlet is largely forgotten today, and the discovery of the Greek Stone Age is usually accorded to twentieth-century prehistorians (see e.g. Tsountas's excavations at Sesklo and Dimini). This article discusses Finlay's publication, and presents for the first time the transcription of the original English manuscript, upon which Παρατηρήσεις (Observations) was based. This material sheds light on the early stages of Aegean prehistory, and especially of Finlay's pioneering role.

To 1869, ο ιστορικός George Finlay δημοσίευσε στην ελληνική γλώσσα ένα ευσύνοπτο φυλλάδιο, με τον τίτλο «Παρατηρήσεις ἐπἰ τῆς ἐν Ἑλβετίᾳ καί Ἑλλάδι Προϊστορικῆς Ἀρχαιολογίας», όπου περιέγραφε την ανακάλυψη στον ελλαδικό χώρο ευρημάτων του Νεολιθικού πολιτισμού. Το φυλλάδιο αυτό έχει γενικώς σήμερα ξεχαστεί, ενώ η ανακάλυψη της εποχής του λίθου στον ελλαδικό χώρο, κατά κανόνα ταυτίζεται με του μελετητές της ελληνικής προϊστορίας, οι οποίοι έδρασαν τον 20ο αιώνα (βλέπε ανασκαφές Τσούντα στο Σέσκλο και το Διμήνι). Το εν λόγω άρθρο πραγματεύεται τη δημοσίευση του Finlay και παρουσιάζεται για πρώτη φορά η μεταγραφή του πρωτοτύπου αγγλικού κειμένου, επάνω στο οποίο βασίστηκαν οι παρατηρήσεις. Το υλικό αυτό διαφωτίζει τα πρώιμα στάδια της Αιγιακής προϊστορίας, αναδεικνύοντας συγχρόνως τον πρωτοποριακό ρόλο, που διαδραμάτισε ο Finlay.

Type
Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 103 , November 2008 , pp. 9 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 2008

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References

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