PIRAEUS - 84-86a Ypsilantou St. - 2009

Piraeus, 84-86a Ypsilantou St. (property of MASSIMO VOINAS M.E.P.E.). K. Axioti (ΚΣΤ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the discovery of a late 4^th c. house (Fig 1). Its architectural plan is representative of late Classical – early Hellenistic houses and finds numerous parallels in the Piraeus. The house has a central, peristyle courtyard surrounded by four flanks of rooms. A road runs along its south side.

The courtyard had a pebble floor and a drain. A pebble-floored hallway ran along its four sides. A monolithic statue base stood in the middle of the courtyard. Three rooms and the entrance hallway lie on the south side of the courtyard. The westernmost room is identified as the andron, since it contained parts of a pebble floor and of couches. Additionally, traces of plaster were preserved on the walls. A large room lies in the centre of the eastern side of the courtyard. The room contained a pebble floor, a cistern and three drains. The cistern was connected via a shaft to a second cistern which lies in the adjacent property. The north flank of the house consists of four rooms. A pithos, a pebble floor, a floor of beaten earth and frescoes were found in these rooms. Finally, part of a pebble floor was excavated from the west flank of the house. Additional finds include a small altar with the inscription ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΣ ΕΡΜΕΙ, which was found in the large, central room of the eastern flank.

A. Petrou and K. Demetriou supervised the excavation under the direction of K. Axioti.