Thermon: the Prehistoric Settlement
Mycenaean Pottery
The earliest Mycenaean pottery at Thermon belongs to the LH IIA period (16th C). Most is imported to the region but there are locally made Vapheio cups present. By the LH IIIB period (13th C) there is a wide range of different fabrics in use suggesting imports from a number of neighbouring areas as well as local production. One of the distinctive characteristics of the Mycenaean repertoire is the quantity of bowls and stemmed kylikes which are entirely coated with slip rather than carrying one of the typical stylised Mycenaean motifs. While Mycenaean pottery becomes more frequent it is always much rarer than the local handmade fabrics.
There are several very fine Mycenaean vessels including a bridge spouted jar and a ovoid rhyton decorated with double axe motifs from the earliest levels and very large kraters decorated with birds and warriors (in the same style as the Warrior Vase from Mycenae) from the 13th and 12th Centuries. The presence of these unusual types suggests that the Thermon in the prehistoric period was already an important centre, perhaps even a sanctuary.
