Ancient Tenea - 2024

Corinthia - Chiliomodi - Ancient Tenea. Elena Korka (Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Ministry of Culture) reports on the 2024 excavation season at Chiliomodi.

A monumental Hellenistic funerary structure, in the style of Macedonian tombs was uncovered for the first time in Corinthia (Fig. 1). The finds from both the exterior (Fig. 2) and the interior indicate a continuous use and cultic practices associated with healing. This 'T' - shaped monument consists of two sections: the access corridor, measuring 2.80m × 1.20m, and the main burial chamber, measuring 2.75m × 7.40m. The rectangular burial chamber has its long axis oriented north–south, while the corridor meets the chamber perpendicularly at the midpoint of its eastern long side. Access to the burial chamber is through a relatively narrow corridor running east–west, consisting of an open-air section, and a roofed section, part of whose horizontal ceiling is preserved. Entry into this roofed section was through a doorway that was found sealed externally with a rectangular cover slab. The lintel of the doorway is formed from a reused rectangular architectural block.

A monolithic sarcophagus was found inside the main chamber, as well as five additional rectangular cists, built along the walls. In two graves the cover slabs had clearly been disturbed, while no covers were found on the remaining ones. Of the six total burials, the human remains in the cist graves were found disturbed. Only the sarcophagus preserved an in-situ burial of an adult, likely a woman, and a large quantity of animal bones from both large and small domestic animals, including a turtle shell. A dense layer of animal bones was found both in the fill of the monument and inside the burial chamber, together with vessels dating to the 5th and 6th centuries AD. It appears that the monument was used for burials until the 4th century AD, at which point it was sealed; later, during the Late Roman period, its roof was breached, the burials were looted, and it came to be used exclusively for funerary banquets (perideipna). The finds from the interior of the monument and its graves are rich and date mainly to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Some key finds include a gold ring with an intaglio carved on a semiprecious stone depicting Apollo with a healing serpent, two gold danakes imitating Hellenistic coin types from Sikyon, a votive clay finger, gold leaves from a wreath, a deposit of miniature Hellenistic vessels, a silver tetrobol of Philip III Arrhidaios, iron strigils and an iron dagger, bronze decorative objects, glass beads, bronze spoons, and spindle-shaped and bulb-shaped unguentaria (Figs. 3, 4 and 5).

The ongoing excavation in the area outside of the monument is also of great interest. East of the entrance, part of a stone-paved road running north–south and sloping toward the south was found, while north of the monument a section of an enclosure measuring 6.50m × 4.10m was uncovered. In the fill within this enclosure were found votive offerings, which indicate a healing cult, e.g., clay finger models with suspension holes and part of a clay model of an arm (Fig. 6). Moreover, architectural members were found inside and around the funerary monument: a capital, part of a parapet, part of a doorjamb shaft, as well as portions of a horizontal cornice, which may have belonged to a possible visible superstructure of the monument, such as a small funerary shrine, or may have come from smaller funerary monuments in the cemetery’s immediate surroundings. 

Archaeological investigation also continued within the urban fabric of the city, with the discovery in the upper excavation layers of new Roman and Late Roman structures related to habitation, production processes, and the storage of goods. Among these, the rectangular kiln stands out, preserved in exceptionally good condition (Fig. 7). It has an underground firing chamber and an aboveground baking chamber.