STENO (PALAIOCHORI), CHRYSOCHORI - 2014

Steno (Palaiochori), Chrysochori (property of G. Dimopoulou). X. Arapogianni (Ζ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports the discovery of a Hellenistic (third- to second-century) temple-form grave monument on the southern lower slopes of the acropolis of Platiana. The monument, oriented north-south and founded on bedrock, comprised a Π-shaped burial chamber (6.5m wide and 1.4m deep) with an artificially levelled area in front of it supported by retaining walls. The monument, built of well-finished limestone blocks, is best preserved on the west side (reaching 1.62m preserved height): the façade preserves the krepis (one step plus the first wall course), while a second wall course survives on the west side. The rectangular chamber (2.12 x 1.7m, preserved height 2.4m) was built in isodomic style, with red-coloured plaster on the interior wall faces. The superstructure was built of very large monolithic slabs (now collapsed into the chamber): cut into the floor were two rectangular cists (2.3 x 0.7m, 0.72m deep), oriented north-south and separated (and covered) by limestone slabs. The floor of these cists was roughly trimmed bedrock. The presence of iron nails in the graves suggests that the dead were placed on wooden biers. In the centre of the chamber was a rectangular stone base, with two further similar bases removed to the levelled area in front of the tomb.

The tomb had been robbed and severely damaged. Both graves were looted, with broken vases massed in the southeast corner of the chamber. Vessels restored from these sherds include two terracotta moulds and two lachrymateria, and a black glaze pyxis with painted and incised decoration (including scenes of Dionysiac worship). Cleaning of the chamber produced one silver and one bronze coin, two lachrymateria, two lamps, a bronze sheet, a bronze handle with a lead core, a lead lid of a vessel, a mass of lead, and iron nails. Vessels restored from sherds around the façade of the Π-shaped monument comprise a moulded bowl, a lachrymaterion, a lamp, a pyxis lid, the feet of a terracotta animal figurine and a skyphos – an iron nail was also found.

Cleaning of the two cist revealed a very few items that had escaped the looters. Cist 1: scattered bone and sherds, noting three crania indicating a multiple burial. Finds comprise a large quantity of iron nails, six silver and one bronze coins, a glass pendant, bone astragaloi, parts of the bone shaft of a diadem, and a lachrymaterion. Cist 2 also contained three crania, plus two silver coins, iron nails, three lamps, handles from vessel lids, a lachrymaterion, and sherds of a stamnoid pyxis.