Skip to main content.
Open today 10 am – 5 pm

Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project (SHARP)

Curatorial Section

Mediterranean

Research Discipline

Archaeology

Dates

2007 - 2012

Expand Global Research

Over more than a century, we’ve opened up endless exploration across six continents. New field work endowments will ensure our continued leadership in national and international field research and discovery.

Give Now

Saronic Harbors Archaeological Research Project (SHARP) focuses on Kalamianos, a Mycenaean harbor town of the 13th century BCE, unique for the extensive surface preservation of architectural foundations and walls. Kalamianos may have been Mycenae’s main Saronic harbor, and is perhaps the Eionai listed in the Homeric Catalogue of Ships.

Location Information

Kalamianos is located on the Saronic Gulf coast, near the village of Korphos in southeastern Corinthia province in southern Greece.

Time Period Studied

The site of Kalamianos was occupied through much of the Bronze Age (ca. 3200–1100 BCE), but the built harbor town falls mainly in the 13th century BCE, the last century of the Mycenaean palatial period.

Researcher(s)
  • Thomas F. Tartaron, University of Pennsylvania
  • Daniel J. Pullen, Florida State University
Project Overview

SHARP investigates a recently discovered urban Mycenaean harbor site and its larger setting within the Saronic Gulf region. The foundations and walls of more than 50 buildings, some of them monumental, are preserved on the modern surface over 8 hectares. Architectural and artifactual studies allow us to securely date the construction and use of the harbor to the 13th century BCE, the peak of the Mycenaean palatial period. Finds from Kalamianos and other sites demonstrate that Kalamianos anchored a significant center of Mycenaean activity, and there is reason to believe that Kalamianos was Mycenae’s main harbor on the Saronic Gulf.

Additional Sponsors

People Associations

Research Access to the Collections

The Penn Museum welcomes and encourages researchers to make use of its collections, including objects from all over the world, as well as extensive photographic, film, and document archives.

Find Out How