Mt Lykaion - 2022

Mt Lykaion. Anna Karapanagiotou (National Archaeological Museum),  David Gilman Romano and Mary E. Voyatzis (ASCSA / Arizona), and Dr Konstantinos Kissas (Ephorate of Antiquities of Arkadia), report on the fifth of its five-year series of excavation seasons for the Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project, from June 12 to Aust 1, 2022.

The team workd at the southern peak of the mountain excavating the altar of Zeus and in the lower sanctuary, on the excavation of several buildings and structures including the Sanctuary of Pan.  

Trench Z: Altar of Zeus (Fig. 1)
At the southern limit of the trench area ZIIIS, what is likely to be the continuation of the rubble retaining wall of the altar that has been defined to the west was found. Pockets of EH pottery were discovered in ZIIN IE and ZIIN IIE, the area immediately to the south of the heavy concentration that was excavated in 2019.  In ZIS IE two deposits of LH and EIA fineware were found and one in ZIS IIE. An impressive and nearly complete wide mouthed jar of likely MHIII/LHI date was uncovered in a dump area to the east of the architectural platform, confirming the continuous nature of activity at the site between MH and LH that likely involved cooking on the mountaintop.

Trench EEW: Ionic Building (Fig. 2)
Excavations exposed the foundation courses of the building on three sides, including the stylobate and two courses of the stereobate and to the west and east, the lower foundations.  One of the marble Ionic column bases was discovered close by the front stylobate of the building. 

Trench UU – Exploratory trench (Fig. 3)
Trench UU was a new exploratory trench located on the rise to the south and above the Sanctuary of Pan. At the bottom of the trench a large cache of roof tiles, mostly Laconian, together with clumps of mudbrick were discovered together suggesting the possibility of a roof collapse of a building or structure.

Trench PP – Sanctuary of Pan (Fig. 4)
Survey identified a painted terracotta from a deep level in the trench that includes the name of ‘PAN’ suggesting that this is the location of the Pan Sanctuary described by Pausanias.  Work was concentrated in the central and southern areas of the large trench.  In the center, several water pipes and a water outlet were discovered suggesting the introduction of water into a low pool.  On the upper slopes of this depression, more limestone and marble was found, mostly rectilinear slabs.  Deep in the area adjacent to the pool were discovered a number of black glaze sherds and a black glaze skyphos, ca. 500 B.C.  In the southern aspect of the trench a rubble stone wall E-W that had been discovered in 2019 was further excavated and now is exposed to a length of ca. 8 m.

Trench LL – Administrative Building (Fig. 5)
Excavation exposed several fieldstone interior walls of the building, one north-south 11 m long, another east-west 1.95 m long and a third, 6 m long. Several architectural features were discovered including a large Doric capital.  Large blocks from high levels at the southern aspect were removed of the trench. Hellenistic pottery and some late Classical pottery was recovered from the lower levels of the trench.

Trench N – Corridor (Fig. 6)
The corridor that once was the passageway for athletes to move from the heart of the lower sanctuary to the competition areas, including the stadium and hippodrome, came to be used as a a refuse pit from the 3rd century to the 1st century B.C.  More large quantities of tile were found this season, including some stamped tiles, Hellenistic pottery and iron nails.  

Trench RR – Dromos (Fig. 7)
Excavation in the dromos continued to expose the low wall on the east side of the passageway as it approaches the arch at the north end of the corridor from the north.  The wall on the west side is largely underneath a walnut tree and is a part of the walnut grove in this area.  The depth of the trench approaches 4 m.  At the eastern extent of the trench, excavation discovered the low wall on the western side of the passageway and also the ends of the low walls with returns to the north and to the south from the western and eastern walls, respectively forming the entrance to the sanctuary from the north.  Large quantities of Classical and Hellenistic pottery were recovered from the floor levels of the dromos.