ELLINIKO-Argyroupoli Metro station - 2008

Elliniko, Argyroupoli Metro station. K. Kaza-Papageorgiou (ΚΣΤ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on continuing excavations in the area.

North Sector: Wall remains, a shallow pit, part of a retaining wall and a road were revealed. The shallow pit which had been used as a deposit contained 3^rd c. B.C. pottery sherds. Finally, a rock-cut well was excavated, which contained 5^th-4^th c. B.C. pottery sherds.

South Sector: A pi-shaped burial enclosure was found. The enclosure contained no graves. A sarcophagus containing a bronze mirror was found west of the enclosure (Fig 1). Numerous votive offerings were found in the area.

Cemetery: Until 2008 the following have been excavated: 50 pyres, 10 sarcophagi and 3 shaft graves (Figs 2,3,4). These date in the 7^th-4^th centuries B.C. The cemetery had a pi-shaped enclosure and pedestals for the placement of funerary stelai. Few of these were found in situ. Many had been discarded in a 2^nd c. A.D. well. The latter contained part of a stele depicting a loutrophoros, a stele depicting a man wearing a himation (Fig 5), a stele depicting a hoplite, part of a marble lekythos, a plaque with an inscription, and part of a marble lion. The lion would have stood on the wall of the enclosure, since another part of it was found in situ. Despite the fact that most burials had been looted in antiquity and in recent years, some of them contained valuable finds: bronze mirrors, strigils, plaques and numerous pots.

The excavation was supervised by E. Markopoulou.