Stamnas - 2010

Stamnas. Maria Gatsi (ΛΣΤ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on discoveries made during construction work on the Agios Ilias Tunnel. 

Two apsidal buildings were investigated (Fig. 1 and 2), in which an abundance of Middle Helladic pottery was discovered (Fig. 3), belonging to a hitherto unknown settlement. 70 graves were excavat-ed from a previously known protogeometric cemetery (Fig. 4), including pithos burials and cists, mostly arranged in small clusters. The graves were not arranged in any sort of regular formation, and most were covered or stopped with stone slabs (Fig. 5). Of the cists, the floors were covered in pebbles and clay vessels placed vertically nearby (Fig. 6). In the pithos burials, grave goods were predominantly ce-ramic, while of the cists the grave goods were mainly metal. Grave goods correspond to common pottery shapes (Fig. 7) from Western Greece. The cists appear to be Middle Helladic and Late Helladic, containing also bronze swords of Naue II type.