THOURIA - 2012

Thouria. X. Arapogianni (ASA) reports on continued excavation of the Doric temple dedicated to Asklepios and Hygeia. The partial removal of an Early Christian wine press covering part of the west side of the temple exposed the krepis of the southwest corner of the monument. The press had been built above a thick layer of ash containing much Early Hellenistic pottery with traces of burning. The press contained architectural spolia from ancient buildings in the area, including a large orthostat block (1.31 x 0.98 x 0.19m), and two fragments of epistyles (one Ionic with triple tainia probably from the Ionic colonnade of Building B, the other Doric, most likely belonging to the temple of Asklepios and Hygeia).

A trial trench inside the southwest corner of the temple sekos revealed the euthynteria, consisting of a series of rectangular blocks (height 0.53m), stylobate (height 0.24), and the first step of the krepis (height 0.24m). A ramp at the entrance of the temple (length 3.03m, width 1.34m) was constructed from two large rectangular blocks with smaller slabs placed vertically at the edges (Fig. 1).

To the right of the temple entrance, two intact limestone statue bases were in situ (Fig. 2), their upper surfaces carrying cuttings for the feet of bronze statues, perhaps of children judging by their size. One of the bases bears a votive inscription by two parents, Damophantos and Nikandria, dedicating to Asklepios and Hygeia statues of their two sons, Damothales and Euthymos. The second base has much carved decoration, but the inscription is not preserved (Fig. 3). In front of first base are two stele bases, one cylindrical but not preserved, the second the lower part of a rectangular Herm stele (Fig. 4) preserving an inscribed dedication to Hermes in five lines.

In the area before the two bases and higher than the level of the ramp were found a large number of architectural members, the majority of which come from the Ionic colonnade of Building B, as well as three sections of fluted columns and two Ionic column capitals.

Investigation revealed the southeast corner of the pronaos of the temple, containing three parts of Ionic columns in secondary use, two placed sideways and one vertically, which probably formed a seat or support, just as the two Ionic epistyles placed at the southwest corner of the pronaos had been used.

On the stylobate of the southeast corner, between the Doric columns, parts of Ionic columns had been set vertically (two at the south side and three to the east), probably to wall off the intercolumnar gaps, creating a closed area at the pronaos (Fig. 5).

The whole east side of the temple was exposed, as well as the pebble pavements which surrounded the monument. A strong layer of burning covered the krepis of the temple outside the southeast corner, and there was also evidence of fire damage to the krepis itself. The layer of burnt earth and ash (around 0.4m thick) contained a large number of burnt Early Hellenistic sherds, animal bones and shells.

The plan of the temple can now be described: the length was 9.4m at the stereobate and 8.8m at the stylobate; the width 6.1m at the stereobate and 5.5m at the stylobate. The whole height of the two-stage krepis on the long sides was 0.46m (Fig 6). The length of the pebble paving or walkway was 11.4m at the long sides, 8.1m at the narrow, while its width was 0.98m.

Ca 2.95m east of the ramp, a later makeshift wall ran northwest-southeast (length 6.8m, height 0.8m) which included many damaged ancient architectural members in secondary use: two parts of geisons, one Ionic column capital, and four parts of Ionic fluted columns. This wall was probably from some later embankment retaining the slopes which rise at the east of the sanctuary.

A rectangular limestone altar was found 4.5m south of the end of the ramp (Fig. 7) and parallel to the façade of the temple. Its entire surface was coated with white mortar, with traces of blue colour on the crowning. The southwest part of the altar lies beneath the foundations of the church of the Panagitsa and for this reason its full exposure was not possible.

0.4m further west of the altar was a smaller stone cylindrical altar with rectangular base (Fig. 7). In front of the altar was a thick layer of ash and burnt earth, with a large amount of pottery and animal bone.

The portable finds comprised principally Hellenistic ceramics (fourth- to second-centuries BC), prominent among them being many moulded bowls (Fig. 8) of excellent quality, fragments of antefix, two bronze coins (one Messinean of the third century BC), a few bone astragaloi and one in glass (Fig. 9), and a black-glaze sherd with an incomplete graffito: . . ΛΑΠΙ, probably from ΑΣΚΛΑΠΙΩΙ (Fig. 10).