ANC. HELOS - 2006

Anc. Helos. A. Themos synthesizes a large quantity of published and unpublished material and textual evidence in discussing the location of Helos. Among the archaeological sites discussed, attention is drawn to the following new or updated information.
Lakka (Vlachioti). A. Themos reports sherds of EH II light painted bowls and sauceboats in a location on the N side of the mod. village.

E part of Plain of Helos. A. Themos reports surface evidence of Neo and Hel settlement from current and previous surveys at Karaousi, Dragatsoula, Keramidiona, ‘Stou Manolaki’ and on the hill of Ai Strati. Karaousi, a hill N of mod. Asteri, has produced finds from the Neo−LH IIIC and from the PGeo−Hel (noting previous excavation here, AR 6 [1959−1960], 9). At Dragatsoula, E of Asteri, mostly PH pottery is visible in the fields around the cemetery: a marble column base (0.3m h.) is built into the porch of the cemetery chapel. At ‘Stou Manolaki’, a widely-cited candidate for the site of Helos, further surface finds of Cl, Hel and Rom pottery were made over ca. 5 ha, noting also PH sherds and obsidian. At Keramidiona, where pithos burials have previously been reported, Hel and Rom sherds were found.

Central part of Plain of Helos. A. Themos reports in the vicinity of Peristeri a LH IIIA2−B1 chamber tomb excavated in the 1930s, and 2 others, found in the 1980s (ADelt 36 B1 [1981], 129) and in 2004 (AR 51 [2004−2005], 30). The last is described (containing multiple burials from LH IIA−SubMyc/EPGeo, including M or Minoanising cups). A SubMyc or EPGeo burial in the fill of the entrance contained an amphora, an oinochoe (with wavy line decoration), bronze pins and a bronze ring. Two further chamber tombs, found by G. Steinhauer in 1976−1977 at the site of Solaki, W of the mod. village, are here reported in full. One was destroyed in the course of the road widening that led to the excavation, but the 2nd was excavated (4 vases are traceable in Sparta Museum), confirming activity in the area from LH IIA−LH IIIC L: Myc sherds were collected just to the W. Slightly further W, from the area of Filisi, an EH pyxis probably comes from a tomb. On the hill of Anemomylos Skalas (the site of the Byz church of Ag. Giorgios) sherds and tile date from the PH−Hel periods. These include EH bowls, a Myc kylix, Cl and Hel bg, and part of a grinding stone. Further N from Filisi, on the E bank of the Evrotas, part of a water channel was located cut into the rock: its course could be followed for ca. 100m running S, parallel to the river, before turning E. In later periods, mills were constructed along its course.