AGIOI THEODOROI - Anc. Krommyon - 2002

Agioi Theodoroi (ancient Krommyon), Soures. V. Tassinos (Γ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports the discovery of 125 tombs in rescue excavation for the construction of a gymnasium. Most date to the eighth-fifth centuries, with three of the Roman period, and preserve their contents (bones and offerings).

Eighth-seventh century. Two cist tombs of the eighth century (LIX, IC) contained adult inhumations: LIX had a pair of 0.62m-long bronze pins. A limestone sarcophagus of the late eighth/early seventh century (LXX) contained a child burial (probably of a girl) with kalathoi, bronze fibulae and bronze rings. A late seventh-century cremation in a bronze vessel (XLIV) was accompanied by a kylix, skyphos, aryballos and small skyphos. On stratigraphical grounds, four adult burials in fissures, without goods, are likely to date to this first phase (XLVII, XLIX, LI, LXXXI).

Sixth century. Of the 28 sixth-century burials, 25 were in limestone sarcophagi, with one cist grave (LXXX) and two enchytrismoi in kraters (LXXIX, LXXXIX). The sarcophagi mostly contained adult inhumations, but only 12 had grave goods (Corinthian vases, usually aryballoi, oinochoae, skyphoi and pyxides). Exceptions are LXXII, which contained 28 Corinthian vases, and LXXIII with 15 (including an exaleiptron) of the mid sixth century. In the northeast part of the plot (sector B) was a group of nine graves without goods, isolated from the rest of the cemetery and including sarcophagi, pits and cists. A sixth-century date is proposed on typological and stratigraphical grounds.

Fifth century. The 78 fifth-century tombs all contain inhumations (of adults and children) with grave goods: 53 (34 adults and 19 children) were in limestone sarcophagi slightly larger than the sixth-century examples, and with a white coating inside (occasionally extending over the lip into a band or zigzag on the exterior). In a few instances a stone packing filled the gap between the sarcophagus and the walls of the pit in which it lay. Nine tile graves (three of adults and six of children) were formed of cover tiles, with two infant burials made in sections of terracotta water channel (VI, XIV), and three instances of fissures (covered by terracotta plaques) which were found empty. Six free burials were made in natural fissures - only one (CXXII) had a cover slab. Three enchytrismoi were found, noting a fifth-century preference for placing such burials in contact with adult graves. Two cist graves contained respectively an adult (XXX) and a child (LXII) burial.

Favoured grave goods for adults were lamps, vases (oinochoae, skyphoi, lekythoi, and less commonly pyxides, olpae and kylikes), strigils, iron pins and alabastra. Sarcophagus XCVIII contained, in addition to vases, a fifth-century Corinthian silver coin, and in CV, a piece of textile is preserved on an iron strigil. Child graves usually contained lekanides, figurines (toys), strigils, miniature vessels, alabastra and knucklebones. Sarcophagi XXI and VIII also contained bronze jewellery and XL had a necklace of gilded beads. The free burial LXXVII had, in addition to pottery, a figurine of a donkey, two bronze rings and an iron strigil. A number of tombs contained eggshells and bird bones, and in four instances, almonds (child burial CXIII had at least ten eggs).

Roman period. Three burials were found close together in the northwest part of the plot. Only one, CVIII, was a new tile grave: in the other two cases (CIX and CVI) fifth-century sarcophagi were reused after the primary burial was displaced. Grave goods include glass lachrymateria, bronze coins, lamps, and a pair of gold earrings. No other evidence of this period was found.