ARTEMIDA, Spata - 2009

Artemida, Spata, Leoforos Brauronos and Hebes St. (O.T. 1597, property of Demertzidi) and Reas St. (O.T. 1596, property of P. Kakoyiannou). Basiliki Skaraki (B’ ΕΠΚΑ) and Eirini Vrettou (B’ ΕΠΚΑ) report on the discovery of an ancient poros quarry (Fig. 1). The stone is soft and yellowish and matches the material used for the buildings in the Sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia. The site is part of the same, larger quarry excavated and reported in the past, which was identified as the Porias poros quarry (ADelt 60, 164-165). It is an extensive, deep quarry which preserves evidence of the extraction technique (Fig. 2). Block courses were first loosened with the insertion of wooden wedges and then manually extracted with the use of tools (Fig. 3). Marks for the placement of wedges as well as tool marks are visible (Figs. 4, 2). The latter match those found on the poros block in the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia. Based on the construction phases of the sanctuary the quarry site is dated to the middle of the 6^th c. B.C. and appears to have been in operation until the late 5^th c. B.C.

In the late 5^th and early 4^th centuries B.C. as well as in Late Roman and Early Christian times part of the quarry was built over. The following features were excavated:

i) Late Roman storerooms consisting of a rectangular room, an additional wall attesting to a second room, another 2 walls and numerous pithoi. An extensive destruction layer containing roof-tiles and sherds from storage vessel was excavated around the first wall.

ii) A rectangular room measuring 5.70x3.20 m. (Fig. 5). It had an entrance with pillars on either side of it on its NW corner. A fragment from a 4^th c. B.C. inscription from the sanctuary of Artemis Brauronia had been used as building material in the west wall. The inscription mentions garments offered by women to Artemis. It appears that this building was constructed after the sanctuary had fallen out of use.

iii) A rectangular room with rubble walls.

iv) Marks on the bedrock, which are associated with the use of cranes.

v) 2 large basins lined with mortar. These basins would have been filled with water and used for the cooling of tools.

vi) A large isodomic Classical wall (Fig. 6), and a rectangular, late 5^th c. B.C. building with two isodomic walls (Fig. 7) containing numerous pottery sherds including 2 red-figure squat lekythoi (one depicting a sphinx and the other a woman) (Fig. 8). The building is identified as either the space where the quarry workers rested or a small sanctuary. An intact pithos was found outside the building.

vii) A room full of fragments from storage vessels (Fig. 9).

viii) Numerous walls and a semi-circular structure (Figs. 10, 11). These were found below the Classical buildings.

ix) A cairn.

 

In the north part of the quarry (Fig. 12), which had not been built over, the following small finds were excavated: 2 bronze coins, a Vespasianic sestertius (70 A.D.), and 4^th c. A.D. coin depicting Constantine the Great. These finds indicate that part of the quarry was in operation until Early Christian times. Finally, finds from the section of the quarry found on Reas St. (Fig. 13) include few undecorated pottery sherds, and a bronze Byzantine coin (Fig. 14). The excavation was conducted by the authors of this report and A. Pitsikoulis.