KIFISSIA, Deligianni 39 - 2009

Kifissia, Deligianni 39 (O.T. 174A, property of Sarantopoulou). Maria Stefanopoulou (B’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the discovery of houses and burials (Fig. 1). The area attests to a long use from the EH to the Byzantine periods. A floor and EH pottery sherds are the only remains of the earlier phase. Late Geometric pottery sherds may indicate that the area was inhabited during this period too. Part of a Late Archaic building was excavated, consisting of rubble walls. Seven ditches, 2 cairns and 2 pits containing EH and Archaic pottery sherds are contemporary to this building. A stone paved area, 2 walls and 5 cairns are dated to the early Classical period.

From the second half of the 5^th c. B.C. the area was converted to a cemetery. A peribolos wall of rectangular stone blocks was excavated. The burials found within it include:

A cist grave containing a skeleton, two alabaster alabastra, an iron strigil, and a bone and bronze artefact dated in the second half of the 5^th c.

An inurned cremation in a bronze vessel. A pit containing an intact squat lekythos was found near this burial and could have served as a pit for burial offerings.

2 cist graves, postdating the aforementioned burials. One of the two contained a bronze mirror.

In addition to these a 4^th c. B.C. statue of a lion was found SE of the peribolos wall.

 

In Roman time the area appears to have been used once more for habitation as attested by numerous architectural members and fragments from sculptures. The latter include fragments from hands, the paw of a lion and fragments from marble vessels. In addition, a rectangular building was excavated which appears to have been in use from Roman to Byzantine times.

The excavation was conducted by A. Mpouvi and Ruben Sanz under the supervision of the author.