KOUVARAS FYTEION Amphylochia - 2007

Kouvaras Fyteion. The ΛΣτ’ ΕΠΚΑ reports the excavation of a Mycenaean warrior tomb on the height of Rachouli, north of Lake Ozerou, in a strategic location overlooking the pass from the interior of Akarnania to the Gulf of Ambracia. This is a cist tomb (1.5 x 0.6m) with the cover, walls and floor of almost unworked limestone slabs. In addition to four 14^th-century ceramic vessels, the tomb contained valuable and sometimes unique offerings – offensive and defensive weapons, a gold kylix with a high stem of an LH IIIC ceramic type, and a bronze tripod lebes of Matthaus type 8 although with embellished with new features akin to later developments (mixed handles, curved supports between the legs and body of the lebes).

The offensive weaponry included a very long (0.94m) bronze Naue II sword with gold wire wrapped around the handle, a further bronze sword of Sandars type F with a bone handle, a leaf-shaped spearhead of Mycenaean type, an arrowhead with a long tang, and a bimetal knife of Italian origin or type (the blade is iron and the handle bronze with bone inlay held with bronze nails). The defensive weaponry includes a pair of greaves with wire points for lacing of a type current from Calabria to Enkomi.