Kleidi Samikon - Sanctuary of Poseidon - 2023

Kleidi Samikou - Sanctuary of Poseidon. Erofili Kollia (Ephorate of Antiquities of Ilia) and Birgitta Eder (Österreichisches Archäologisches Institut) report on the excavations at Kleidi Samikou, carried out from 22 August to 30 September, as part of a new synergasia research project at the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kleidi Samikou (2022-2026).

This year's work focused on the area of the presumed temple, uncovering the southeast section of the temple, which included the southeast wall of the cella and the pronaos (Fig. 1). A layer of roof tiles inside the temple from an earlier Archaic structure at the site was revealed, which was interpreted as a fill for the construction of the floor. Based on the discovery of a Hellenistic kantharos (drinking cup) within the layer, this construction phase can be dated to 300 BC (Fig. 2).

Underneath this fill, earlier phases of the temple were uncovered. A limestone column base allowed for the reconstruction of earlier phases of the cella and pronaos (Fig. 3). The earlier temple, dated to the sixth century BC, was identified as a hekatompedon (100-foot-long building), with an unusual architectural plan of two cella with axially arranged columns (Fig. 4).