Rock art has been produced by several ancient peoples
all over the world and Greece.
In the region of Philippoi there are projects to study
the rock engravings, which were probably carved
by the Hedones. They were a
Thracian tribe that occupied the lands stretching between the Strymon and
Nestos rivers, and from mountain Panggaio to mountain Rodopi. Here are
presented the engravings found just 2km from Philippoi, and some of them
pre-date the Greek and Roman period. These engravings are of fundamental
importance in terms of understanding the religious exchanges and influences
between the Thracian populations and the urbanised settlers: they preserve
evidence of the Thracian cultural substratum before and during the urban
development of Philippoi, and possible evidence of Greek, Roman and Byzantine
influences on the rural populations.
Most of the archaeological evidence analysed so far
refers to the transitional period between the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages,
when Thracian religious elements were being formed. An initial research
(DRP) undertaken by George Dimitriadis (1998–2000), and financed by the
Municipality of Philippoi, a joint project of cooperation between
HERAC-IISL-ALA was initiated in 2004 and the 'Hellenic Rock Art Documentation
Project' (HRAD) began a full investigation of the rock art in the area of
Philippoi.
Several research has shown that the territory was
inhabited at least since the Neolithic (Renfrew 1971; Todorova 1978;
Koukouli-Chryssanthaki & Romiopoulou 1992; Treuil 1992; Demoule 1994;
Kalogirou 1994), as the settlement of Dikili Tash (5000–3000 BC) proves, and
the area remained settled also during the Bronze (3000–1050 BC) and Early Iron
Ages (1050–700 BC), but periodic cycles of desertion and re-population have
been recognised (Papadopoulos 2002).
The fieldwork was undertaken over three years,
focussing on the areas of Prophet Elias and Mana, to the south east of
Philippoi. A survey of the area was carried out to record essential
environmental data and signs of ancient anthropic activity.
The area was used for open-air ritual activities, and
that the horse and horsemen were the subjects most likely to have been
celebrated. Preliminary interpretation of the rock art suggests that the
symbols of the horse and the human were initially separate, although
associated, and merged as a single symbol in later phases. The symbol
representing horsemen remained in use and became a marker of the local cultural
identity. In the Greek, and then Roman, town of Philippi numerous reliefs
represent horsemen in ritual contexts, including ‘‘hero cults’’ (Collart y
Ducrey 1975; Abrahamsen 1988). Therefore, understanding the origins and
significance of this symbol will be important, not only to help 'decipher' rock
art, but also for our comprehension of later periods.
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