Mount Aigaleo - 2011

Mount Aigaleo. Alexandra Mari (Ephorate of Paleaoanthropology – Speleology, Athens) reports the following:

Hymettus constitutes, from a speleological point of view, the best large Attic mountain area explored so far. Recently, however, two new monuments under the jurisdiction of the Ephorate of Paleoanthropology - Speleology were discovered on Mount Aigaleo and Penteli, respectively.

In the summer of 2011, the low and invisible entrance of the small Lydia Cave was found inside the fenced Naval Fort Scaramanga, on the western slopes of Aigaleo. Its downhill entrance and the first space / room were clogged by the inflow of clastic sediments, with the result that the embankment of its other two halls has been kept undisturbed. From the surface of their floors were collected pottery of the Late and Late Neolithic, of the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval times.

In December 2012, the main entrance of the Ekali Cave was located above the settlement of Ekali (at the foot of Penteli). A brief salvage investigation of the disturbed embankments proved that the use of the cave dates back to the Late Neolithic, Early Late Neolithic, Classical, Roman, Late Roman and Middle Byzantine periods.

The findings of the two sites are under study with the aim of revealing the manner and duration of use of the identified caves and their correlation with the organization and operation of nearby Neolithic settlements.