The House of the Tub in Hellenistic Halos was built around 302 BCE and suddenly abandoned after an earthquake about three decades later, leaving much of the household inventory in situ. The detailed recording and analysis of artefact distributions—including ceramics, metal and stone artefacts, faunal and botanical remains—made it possible to identify the range of activities carried out in each room and to assess patterns in the use of space.
The results indicate a high degree of multifunctionality: most rooms and the courtyard contained combinations of storage vessels, cooking equipment, tableware, and food remains, demonstrating that spaces were not assigned single, fixed functions. No evidence for genderspecific areas was identified; artefacts typically associated with women, such as loom weights or cosmetic vessels, were dispersed throughout the house.
The assemblage reflects a household of comparatively high socio-economic standing, with substantial storage capacity and material wealth exceeding that of other excavated houses at New Halos. The presence of a bronze horse bit, weaponry, and numerous Macedonian royal coins are clear indications that the inhabitants were connected to military service, specifically to the Macedonian cavalry. The authors therefore identify this as a horseman’s household.
Preface 7
1. Introduction 17
1.1 New Halos: the site and its surroundings 17
1.2 The foundation and abandonment of New Halos 23
1.3 Excavating New Halos 30
2. Aims and Methods 33
2.1 Reconstructing domestic activity 33
2.2 Spatial studies in practice: Halieis and Olynthos 35
2.3 Domestic activity in New Halos 48
2.4 Reconstructing domestic activity 50
3. Architecture 63
3.1 Structure 64
3.2 Internal layout 75
4. The find assemblage 81
4.1 Pottery 81
4.2 Bath Tub 103
4.3 Ceramic artefacts 103
4.4 Stone artefacts 109
4.5 Metal artefacts 111
4.6 Inscriptions 114
4.7 Coins 116
4.8 Animal remains 126
4.9 Plant remains 130
5. From artefacts to activities 135
5.1 Storage of food stuffs 135
5.2 Food preparation 139
5.3 Cooking 143
5.4 Consumption 144
5.5 Personal hygiene and bodily care 150
5.6 Lighting 151
5.7 Textile production 154
5.8 Administration 156
5.9 The handling of coins 157
5.10 Ritual activities 159
5.11 Leisure 160
5.12 Sleeping 163
5.13 Fighting and hunting 163
5.14 Arable farming and animal husbandry 165
5.15 Mollusc collection and fishing 168
5.16 Domestic life in the House of the Tub 174
5.17 Military operations in New Halos 179
Conclusion 187
Afterword 191
Appendix 1. Overview of the House of the Tub in 2010 and plan of the excavated area (House of the Tub and House of Agnostos, 2007-2011) 193
Appendix 2. Distribution of the artefacts over the rooms of the House of the Tub 197
Appendix 3. Tables House of the Tub 209
Appendix 4. Finds from the House of Agnostos, Street 11, and the North, East and South House 219
References 235