Voulkano Monasteries - 2015

Voulkano Monasteries. Gkeli Fragkou reports the following:

In 2015, during work for the “Restoration of the Church of the New Monastery of Voulkano” project, trial trenches were dug close to the foundations of the monastery church, revealing, at a relatively small depth, architectural remains of the Early Bronze Age, which had been partially destroyed by the construction of the church in the early 18th century. Located on a plateau on the eastern slope of Mount Eva, the site controls the Makaria plain as well as the Messenian and Arcadian mountain ranges. Situated near a water source, this newly identified Early Helladic site supervised the fertile plain and functioned as an observatory, dominating the surrounding area. Excavations brought to light the stone foundations of a building constructed of large and smaller semi-worked stones. The associated pottery comprises EH II pithoi and coarse wares. A clay bull figurine suggests religious practices and reflects the livestock-based economy of the EH II period. Future research will probably reveal more similar sites in Messenia, belonging to a period of population growth and settlement expansion.