KERATEA - 2007

Keratea, Small Business Park (VIOPA). A. Ntova (Β’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on excavations in VIOPA. The latter extends over a 1,300-stremmata (130 ha) area (P. Michailidou et al. 2010). Numerous trenches were dug in several places within VIOPA and the following were revealed (Fig 1):

Early Helladic settlement: A road was found with retaining walls on both sides (Fig 3). It was paved with a compact yellowish material and two circular pits had been carefully cut in its surface. A circular building divided in two by an internal wall was found east of this road. Other remains from this period include walls, pits, stone-paved areas, floors and foundations of houses, and cairns (Figs 2,4). Based on the walls it appears that the settlement was subdivided into sections. Strong walls on the sides of the foot and the top of the hill delimited the settlement. Numerous EH sherds were found along with obsidian cores and blades, stone tools, shells, a marble head from a figurine, and numerous lumps of litharge. The latter indicate that metallurgical activities took place in the area.

Mycenaean remains: These were found near the EH settlement and consist of walls, rectangular and circular pits, and a drain (Fig 5). The remains are interpreted as a workshop. Pottery sherds, stone tools and the head from a terracotta figurine were found.

Ancient roads: Four ancient roads were found. An oval pit was excavated next to one of the roads. It contained undecorated and black-glazed sherds, and the neck of a Geometric amphora decorated with a meander band, a wheel and a horse.

Classical-Hellenistic Farmsteads: Parts of 7 farmsteads/buildings were found. One of them was constructed on earlier wall remains and had floors of reddish earth. The in-urned cremation of a young child was found close to it. A miniature skyphos and a kotyle were found with the burial. Another farmstead was found near one of the aforementioned roads (Fig 6). It consists of 11 rooms set around a rectangular courtyard. A third farmstead consisted of a minimum of 13 rooms and dated in the 4^th c. Three Geometric burials and one of the aforementioned roads were found in its vicinity

Numerous pits and two wells were found amongst the buildings. One of these pits contained one or more burials and the following burial offerings: black-glazed open vessels, lamps, a squat lekythos, bronze and iron artefacts and a piece of litharge. Additional finds from the area of the buildings include coarse and fine ware sherds, pyramidal loom weights, coins, lead artefacts and querns.

Cemeteries: A Geometric cemetery was excavated. 9 pit burials were found along with an amphora, an oinochoe and a kantharos. A second Archaic-Classical cemetery was excavated containing 8 inurned cremations in pithoi and amphorae, and 4 pyres. The pyres were set in rectangular, rock-cut pits where black-glazed lekythoi had also been placed. Finally, a Classical cemetery was excavated containing 2 in-urned cremations in pointed amphorae, 1 tile grave, 1 cist grave, 1 small terracotta larnax and 1 pyre. The votive offerings from this cemetery include black-glazed vessels, black-figure lekythoi and a red-figure chous.

Byzantine remains: 2 cist graves containing numerous Byzantine burials were found. In addition a Byzantine cistern was excavated.

Numerous other structures were found in the area: pits, cairns, walls and enclosures.

The following archaeologists worked at the site: P. Michailidou, E. Papafloratou, E. Tselepi, I. Speliotakopoulou and H. Tsonos. The plans were drawn by A. Kermali.