Chora Messenias, area of the Palace of Nestor - 2008

Chora Messenias, area of the Palace of Nestor. D. Kosmopoulos (2008) and X. Arapogianni (2009) (ΛΗ’ EΠKA) report on discoveries in the vicinity of the Palace of Nestor resulting from excavation for pipes being laid along the Chora-Pylos road. A section of trench 1m wide within the archaeological zone of the site revealed coarseware ceramics, drinking vessels and other decorated finewares (kylikes, stirrup-jars, jugs) dating to the LH III period.

At a location c. 180-200 m SW of the Palace LH building remains were found, specifically a wall with partially worked small- and medium-sized stone running parallel with the ditch and extending under the asphalt road to the N (Fig. 1). Extension of the trench to E and W revealed a space, presumably of domestic character, within which was found a makeshift hearth made of tile and pithos fragments within a pebble floor (Fig. 2). Traces of fire, lumps of clay soil and a piece of fired mud brick were found above the hearth, while the pebble floor apparently extended under the road bed. About 3.5 m N a further wall, perpendicular to the line of the trench, was uncovered, N of which was a partially destroyed pebble floor extending to N and E (under the road bed).

In 2009 remains of walls were detected and a small amount of Mycenaean pottery collected where the trench passed in front of the Palace in the Vayena property. Further vessel fragments were recovered at a depth of 3 m in front of the parking area (at the 103rd km).

The excavations were supervised by E. Malapani, M. Tsoulakos, B. Katsipanos and the author (2008) and by E. Kyriatzi (2009).