Vrulia ( Greek Βρουλιά , Latin Vroulia ) is an ancient fortified city on Rhodes that existed in the geometric period (650–550 BC). The ruins of the city are located on the southernmost tip of Rhodes , on a low hill [1] , 2 kilometers northeast of Prasonisi [2] [3] . It originated in the territory belonging to the city of Linda , together with the beginning of the Lyndian-Rhodian colonization to the west, simultaneously with the foundation of Gela , the first Greek southern Sicilian colony at the mouth of the Gela river by the Greeks from Rhodes and Crete in 689 BC. er [4] and with the beginning of the movement of the Rhodians in Daphne . Vrulia reaches its greatest prosperity during the reign of Psammetichus I in Egypt and ceased to exist after a short time, simultaneously with the end of the colonization period [5] [6] .
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It is one of the most ancient settlements with an orderly layout in ancient Greece . Vrulia existed for a short time. Finds from the necropolis, located outside the city walls, date from 650-550 years BC. er The anchorage sites of Vrulia are on the way, firstly, between Lind, Crete and Sicily, where in 689 BC er Gela was founded, and, secondly, between Egypt, Syria, Cyprus and Ionia , northern Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea. Here, and especially in the strait between Karpathos and Rhodes, from June to September uninterrupted trade winds blow, facilitating sailing navigation [6] . Vrulia held a strategically important position as a military outpost because it was the last stop for ships in front of the open sea, going from the Archipelago to the eastern Mediterranean , to the mouths of the Nile or to Syria [7] and the first port after the open sea for travelers from the island of Cyprus , from Phenicia and Syria [2] .
It was founded as a military and colonization western outpost of Lind for the withdrawal of the colony to Gela in Sicily and the gathering of colonists for sailing. The emergence of Vrulya, according to the observations of the Danish archaeologist [8] , is due precisely to the western orientation of Rhodes, because it arose on the way from Lind to Gela and simultaneously with Gela. Just from here, there was an ancient trade route from the east to Sicily: from the island of Cyprus , from the shores of Asia, with a stop on Rhodes and beyond, leaving Crete on the right, to the island of Kithira , west of Cape Maley . Kitira served as a stop for ships sailing from west to east and from east to west. Most likely to associate the appearance of Vrulia with this first stream of colonists who were going to Gela. From here, from the harbor of Vrulia, the Antifema sailed with the detachments gathered from everywhere. Vrulia was also a transit point in the relations of Rhodes with its Sicilian colonies, as well as with Africa and Crete [5] .
In the early Christian period a basilica with mosaic floors was built near the sea. Currently, a small bay Vrulija is used as a safe haven by fishermen of the island [2] .
Excavations
The excavation of the settlement conducted in the years 1907-1908. Karl Frederick Kink, a member of the Danish archaeological expedition, which at that time was actively conducting significant excavations on the island, including the Linda Acropolis and the Exohi ( “Εξοχή” ) excavations in the village of . Kink published the results of his research and the classification of ceramics found in Vrulia in the book Vrulia ( Vroulia , Berlin, 1914) [8] , which today is the only monograph for the Vrulia settlement [2] .
In the beginning, Vrulia was not fortified, but then, probably, to defend against the attack of the pirates, they built fortifications, which Kink studied in detail [6] . Preserved most of the peribola length of 300 meters. In contact with the wall is a row of houses, similar to a megaron , with two rooms and a courtyard, and a second row of houses is built next to the first row. Two rows of houses are divided by a wide street. Part of the houses and the walls collapsed into the sea [1] .
The street led from residential buildings to the top of the hill, where there was a public place. This is a spacious area where there was an open market and the main sanctuary of the settlement. With a sanctuary nearby, there is a rectangular wall tower with intricate stonework, which has survived to a height of 2 meters. The tower is located next to the only preserved hole in the wall, where there was a gate leading to the cemetery and an open space [1] .
Outside the gate, on the northeastern slope of the hill, is the necropolis of the settlement. About 80 graves were examined, of which 43 were childish: in vessels, two burials and 30 cremated adults. The presence of children's and women's burials indicates that this is not a military object, as previously assumed, but an early settlement located in a secluded place on Rhodes, with a short life span and an unknown cause of abandonment [1] .
The inspection of the graves gave important information about the settlement and burial rites, while the clay vases found in the tombs were attributed to a certain type of pottery - “Vully” [1] . Analyzing the sitelles found in Daphne, Kink discovered a close connection between them and a special type of jugs and amphoras found in Vrulia. The striking similarity of the pattern and the method of ornamentation, the uniformity of the vegetative ornament ( palmettes and lotus ) led Kink to the conclusion that both the Sittles Daphne and the Sittles of Vrulia represented the products of the Rhodes potters. In the excavations of the Yalissan necropolis, Giulio Iacopi found in two burials two Sittles, even more strikingly similar to the similar vessels Daphne. In those and others, the overall composition of the ornament completely coincides [9] . The ceramic finds of Daphne and the necropolis of Vrulia, Jalis and Kamira suggest the existence of Daphne and Rhodes trade links in the 7th century BC. er [7]
The antiquity of Vrulia is confirmed by the finds of very early figured images [10] .
Near the small harbor, there is a small double temple in the antes, in the northeastern part there are the ruins of an early Christian basilica with mosaic floors [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Φιλήμονος-Τσοποτού, Μελίνα. Ρουλιά. Περιγραφή (Greek) . Πουργείο Πολιτισμού και θλητισμο (2012). The appeal date is April 13, 2019.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Φιλήμονος-Τσοποτού, Μελίνα. Ρουλιά. Ιστορικό (Greek) . Πουργείο Πολιτισμού και θλητισμο (2012). The appeal date is April 13, 2019.
- Νότια Ρόδος - Γεωμετρική και ρχαϊκή Περίοδος (Greek) . Δήμος Ρόδου . The appeal date is November 13, 2017.
- ↑ Kolobova, 1951 , p. 169.
- ↑ 1 2 Kolobova, 1951 , p. 172.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Kolobova, 1951 , p. 205.
- ↑ 1 2 Kolobova, 1951 , p. 206.
- ↑ 1 2 Kinch Karl Frederik. Vroulia. Fouilles de Vroulia (Rhodes). - Berlin: G. Reimer, 1914. - 275 p.
- ↑ Kolobova, 1951 , p. 203.
- ↑ Kolobova, 1951 , p. 318.
Literature
- Kolobova, Ksenia Mikhailovna . From the history of the early Greek society: (O. Rhodes IX-VII centuries. BC) / Leningrad. state Order of Lenin un-t them. A. A. Zhdanov. - L .: Publishing House Leningrad. state University, 1951. - 340 p.