NIKOPOLIS - 2001

Nikopolis, House of Manius Antoninus. K. Zachos and Th. Kyrkou (ΙΒ' ΕΠΚΑ) report on the fourth excavation season which revealed ca 250m² of the northwest part of the building, with eight new rooms, six drainage channels and part of a mosaic pavement. Along the west boundary of the house, a probable kitchen contained a terracotta hearth with traces of burning and animal bones, a lead water channel, and a brick-built workbench. In the southern part of the room two staircases led to the upper floor. The kitchen communicated to the east with a pantry containing domestic pottery (chytres, stamnoi, prochoes, cups etc.) and to the north with a latrine and a secondary staff entrance. The latrine contained three drainage channels linked to a large sewer running off to the west.

North of these adjunct rooms (and immediately behind the large triclinium III) a further room, probably an andron, had a cement floor and traces of wallpainting in white, blue, red and ochre, on the east and west walls. Finds included scattered tesserae, fragments of marble revetment, parts of an inscribed stele, plain domestic pottery and coins of the fourth century AD. Next to the andron in the northwest part of the house, three further rooms probably housed the daily activities of the family and staff. Finds include pieces of marble basin, plain domestic pottery, coins, bronze sheet, millstone fragments, glass vessels and terracotta ornaments and figurines.

A partially excavated room to the north (H1, perhaps a household shrine or store for household memorabilia) contained a terracotta hearth with traces of burning and animal bones. Finds comprise a marble relief depicting a nekrodeipnon, two fragments of inscribed grave stelai, a kioniskos, coins, a floral antefix, and pottery (lamps, phiales etc.).

Excavation of the tetrastyle court was completed, revealing three further drainage channels which continued beneath neighbouring rooms to join an underground drainage network. Northwest of this court was a small room (perhaps a bedroom) with a mosaic floor (2.2 x 0.75m): a spiral meander (Vitruvian cyma) surrounded an eight-point star with rhomboid motifs.