Lappaio - Episkopi - 2015

Lappaio - Episkopi. Niki Tsatsaki (Ephorate of Antiquities of Rethymno) reports on the discovery of new archaeological sites in west Rethymno (Fig. 1,2).

At the Church of Agia Paraskevi, previous excavations had indicated that a rock-cut Roman chamber tomb had been converted into a small Christian church in the post-Byzantine periods. A small S wing had been added to the tomb, and a small courtyard was also added.

The tomb had two separate chambers, with a niche on the N side. On the N side, the wall of the church has been added on. In the wall between the two chambers, there had been space for a sarcophagus. Three architectural members were found here: a capital, a base, and a third rectangular member. Broken pieces of rock and ceramic all dating to the Roman period were found inside here.

The pottery from the courtyard was more varied in date, including a leg from a large tripod of the Minoan or Geometric periods.

In the plot S of the yard, some pottery (mostly Roman) had been found. To the S of the whole plot two further graves have been discovered, perhaps all once belonging to the same cemetery.