ATHENS - 2009

Athens, 40 Markou Mpotsari St. N. Sakka (Γ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the discovery of a Roman workshop (Figs 1,2). The space attests to three phases of use. In the 1^st B.C.-1^st A.D. it operated as a brick workshop. Numerous mud bricks were found in situ where they had been left to dry. It is unclear what was produced during the second phase of use (2^nd c. A.D.). Nevertheless, a circular pit, a ditch and two postholes (most likely for a wooden bench) attest to the place’s function as a workshop. The pit and the ditch contained ash. In the first half of the 3^rd c. A.D. a rectangular room was constructed. It had five pillars, mud brick walls and a floor of beaten earth. Ashes, charcoal, burned olive pits and three lamps were found under the floor. These may be a deposit marking the refurbishment and/or change of ownership of the workshop. The latter stayed in use until the 3^rd/4^th c. A.D., when it was most likely destroyed by fire, as an extensive ash layer indicates.