ANCIENT CORINTH - 2007

Ancient Corinth. ΕΡΓΟΣΕ. The ΛΖ’ ΕΠΚΑ (previously the Δ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports the following discoveries during the construction of the high-speed railway line across the plain north of Ancient Corinth and Ancient Sikyon (fig. 1).

1. A Geometric cemetery extending over some 1,200m² containing graves with rich offerings of gold and bronze rings, daggers, figurines and vases. There is no evidence of later activity.

2. A 12m-long stretch of the western branch of the long walls between Corinth and Lechaion, as well as Classical-Byzantine graves with few offerings.

3. Two parallel walls, probably part of a drainage system, built of large dressed limestone blocks with a fill of stone, mud and tile.

4. Twelve Archaic larnax burials (two of children), with no consistent orientation and mostly without goods.

5. Twelve Classical graves (11 limestone sarcophagoi and one pit) , eight of which contained grave goods.

6. A section of ancient paved road with wheel ruts running southeast-northwest.

7. A Mycenaean tomb: a pit in the floor contained offerings including an early prochous and two LH II pithoid amphorae (fig. 2).

8. An Archaic cemetery initially reported as having 73 tombs, 39 of which had no offerings (see now 4337 for a detailed report) .

9. A two-roomed building with strong walls on three sides.

10. Part of a grave monument, oriented north-south, which continued beyond the excavation area to the south.

11. Some 160 graves of different types, including four chamber tombs, four funerary monuments, a drainage facility, and a building complex with 14 rooms. Chamber tomb III and funerary monument ΠΙ have on their west side a curved wall. Five rooms, 20 tombs, and part of the walls linked with water management (3 above) relate to this wall.

12. Part of a funerary monument with a three-stepped limestone krepis linked to walls.

13. In Sikyon, 30 Mycenaean rock-cut chamber and double cist graves were found, along with 42 fifth- to fourth-century pit graves. A retaining wall defined the cemetery on the southwest side. Ancestor cult was practiced at most of the chamber tombs from Late Protogeometric to Early Hellenistic times. (fig. 3).