ANCIENT CORINTH - 2004

Ancient Corinth. ΕΡΓΟΣΕ excavations. The ΛΖ’ ΕΠΚΑ reports on continuing excavation for the construction of a high-speed railway line between Corinth and Kiato.

Lekka-Gotsi property (km marker 1717). Thirty-seven limestone sarcophagi from an Archaic cemetery were found, seven without cover slabs, with no consistent orientation. Most contained no offerings, although two (17 and 18) were well-appointed. Offerings included Corinthian skyphoi, trefoil-mouthed oinochoae, amphoriskoi, pyxides, phialae and aryballoi. A bronze lebes found beside tomb 25 contained pomegranate seeds, a piece of matting and Corinthian aryballoi.

Rota property (km marker 0+200). Seventy-three tombs were found in continuing excavation of the area of the Geometric cemetery. No consistent orientation was observed. They comprised: 58 Roman tile graves, some containing ceramic and glass lachrymateria and bronze coins (the rock-cut foundation of a funerary monument and two enchytrismoi also date to this period); seven pit graves and six larnakes (all but three covered with stone slabs) of the ninth century BC. Two larnakes had grave markers on the south side: to the south of the marker was an offering trench. Of the total of 73 graves, 35 contained no goods, while the rest had oinochoae, aryballoi, amphorae, skyphoi, bronze rings, gold earrings, a sword and an iron dagger,

Deli property (km marker 2153). Continuing excavation revealed 62 Geometric-Roman tombs with no consistent orientation. Grave types comprise larnakes (all but two with cover-slabs), 32 pits graves (21 of which had cover-slabs), 14 tile graves and an enchytrismos. Offerings included figurines, aryballoi, cups, skyphoi, oinochoae, amphorae, lamps, kotyles, alabastra, lachrymateria, lekanides and unguentaria, gold spirals, strigils, bronze fibulae and mirrors.

Soukouli property (km marker 0+474). Excavation of a Roman building complex revealed no further building remains south of those previously exposed. Thirty tile graves, three pit graves and two enchytrismoi were found inside and outside the building. Most contained no offerings, but the few items in the tile graves included bronze coins, bone needles, terracotta and glass unguentaria, phialae and lamps.

Mikrou plot (km marker 2153). A Roman funerary structure was partially excavated: the exposed dimensions were 6.25x5.05m, but the structure continued beyond the expropriated area. A brick superstructure rested on foundations of cemented limestone blocks. It contained an undisturbed grave (2) with an oinochoe: beneath the main burial were disarticulated bones. An enchrytismos in a badly disturbed part of the building contained a gold sheet with a stamped animal motif, and four bulbous unguentaria in the vessel mouth. Six tile graves without goods were in contact with the east and west walls of the building – only one burial contained a bronze coin (probably of the second half of the second century BC) in the mouth of the deceased. A short distance from the building was a Middle Geometric pit grave and a late tenth-century BC cist. The pit contained a trefoil-mouthed oinochoe, a skyphos, an iron knife and a round aryballos. The cist contained a strongly contracted inhumation wearing jewellery (three bronze rings, three iron pins, two bronze bracelets, two bronze fibulae, four bronze beads and two gold spirals): outside the tomb were a pyxis, a hydria, a skyphos and a trefoil-mouthed oinochoe.