Sparta, Platanista Street - 2007

Sparta, Platanista Street (O.T. 127, property of N. Panoutsakou). Maria Florou (5th EBA) reports on further excavations at the property, with extensions in the northern and eastern areas. Parts of walls made of rubble and mud, as well as more substantial ones of rubble and bricks bound with mortar were identified (Fig. 1). In the south and western parts of the property were fragments of four Roman and Late Roman pipes.

Roman pipe I ran close to and in parallel with wall 6, aligned on a NW-SE axis. Its lower section was made of rubble and mortar, with the upper of bricks alternating with mortar and the base of small square clay slabs set in mortar. Pipe II ran close to and in parallel with pipe I. It was aligned on an E-W axis, changing after a few meters to N-S. Its construction was similar to that of Pipe I. Pipe III consisted of cylindrical clay elements and ran close to and in parallel with Pipe I, as well as under wall 6. Pipe IV consisted of cylindrical clay elements, was aligned on a N-S axis and ran under wall 7.

In the north-eastern area were six graves (Ι-VI), while in the north was a mosaic floor at a depth of just 0.06 m., consisting of white and blue tesserae forming a geometric motif. It would previously have been larger but at a later stage was truncated by a wall.

In the northern part of the area was a solidly built and carefully constructed granary made of rubble, tiles and concrete. It was internally lined with thick plaster and had a mouth of 0.50 m. in diameter. Its construction led to the partial destruction of the mosaic floor described above.