Rigaika, Messolongi. Kilometre position 27 + 200 + X.Th 27 + 529-550 - 2010

Rigaika, Messolongi. Kilometre position 27 + 200 + X.Th 27 + 529-550. Maria Gatsi (ΛΣΤ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on discoveries made during construction work on the Ionian Road motorway. 

A cemetery of the Classical / Hellenistic period was discovered, which was found to have more than 250 graves. The cemetery was on the ancient road between Alikyrna and Kalydona, closer to Alikyrna (Fig. 1), on the E side of the road which runs E-SE / W-NW and has been revealed to a length of 350m. Two sides of the ancient road have been shown to have agricultural facilities stationed along them, and it is thought that this road connected a series of sites and baths in the Roman and Late Roman periods.

Most of the graves were pits, while a few were cists made of sandstone or Corinthian clay tiles. They contained mainly adult burials (Fig. 2), while a few child and infant burials were also found. The graves were fairly richly adorned (Fig. 3), including goods of red-figure lekythoi, anthropomorphic and animal figurines, busts of female figures, metal tools, gold jewellery, and coins. To the SW end of the site, a monumental burial precinct was found in the shape of a π, measuring 16 x 5.60 m. Four ‘Macedonian’ type lists were found inside (Fig. 4,5). Most were looted, but lamps and perfume jars of the third and second centuries were found. The burial of a young man was found (FIg. 6), dating to the third century BC.