VOULA Varis Avenue - 2010

Voula, Varis Avenue 31 and Athinaidos (O.T. 149, property of Alfa plan). Mairi Giamalidi (ΚΣΤ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on the discovery of a 5^th c. B.C. cemetery and a 4^th c. B.C. domestic complex (Figs. 1, 2).

The cemetery was delimited by a peribolos wall and included 50 burials (42 pyres, 6 pit graves, 1 tile grave and 1 terracotta larnax). All the pyres were rock-cut and contained 40 vessels (lekythoi, skyphoi, pyxides and aryballoi). Pyre 3 contained 10 black-figure lekythoi. Pyres 14 and 18 were twin pyres, which had the same dimensions, were delimited by two Γ-shaped rubble walls, and contained Corinthian aryballoi. Γ- and Π-shaped walls also delimited some of the other pyres. The base of a funeral stele was found near pyre 25. The pit graves were also rock-cut and contained 37 vessels (lekythoi, skyphoi, alabastra, pyxides), and bone and metal artefacts. One of them was the grave of a young athlete and contained 14 vessels (12 lekythoi, 1 pyxis, 1 marble alabastron) and a bronze strigil. Another one belonged to a child and contained 15 vessels (6 lekythoi, 9 skyphoi) and knuckle-bones. The tile grave belonged to a very young child and contained a lekythos. The terracotta larnax contained the burial of an infant and 3 lekythoi. In addition to these, 2 pits for burial offerings were excavated. They contained numerous skyphoi, plates, phialai, oinochoai, amphorae and lekanides. The cemetery dates from the end of the 6^th to the first half of the 5^th c. B.C. Its location shows that some cemeteries in Halai Aixonidai were adjacent to the habitation area.

After the abandonment of the cemetery, its peribolos wall was incorporated in a 4^th c. domestic building. The latter measured 280 m² and was gamma-shaped. The west wing consisted of 10 rooms placed around a stone-paved courtyard. One of them (building A) lies on the north side of the courtyard and was independent of the other rooms (Fig. 3). Its walls were stronger and better constructed than those of the rest of the complex and its floor was paved with square, terracotta slabs. The courtyard measures 6.80x5.50 m. Numerous lamps, kantharoi (2^nd half of the 4^th c. B.C.), black-glazed pottery, storage vessels, a terracotta mortar, beehives, cooking pots and metal artefacts were found in one of the aforementioned rooms. More rooms were found on the south side of the courtyard. One of these has a floor paved with schist. Room 10 is part of this second cluster of rooms (Fig. 4). This room is large and paved with square terracotta slabs. It contained a pithos lined with mortar and a cistern, and appears to have served as a workshop. A large open area lies south of the complex. Two hearths, a bench and drains were found there. Lamps dating to the 2^nd half of the 4^th c. B.C. were found in the drains. Additional small finds from the complex include sherds from storage vessels (amphorae, pithoi), plain ware (lekanides, oinochoe, cooking pots, plates, phialai), fine ware (kantharoi, skyphoi, saltboxes), a large number of beehive sherds, black-glazed lamps, loom weights, lead clamps, iron artefacts, grinders, fragments from grindstones, and 5 bronze coins. The building was used from the middle of the 4^th until the early 3^rd c. B.C.

The excavation was conducted by K. Ntaifa.