Chountaleika - 2010

Chountaleika, Chountaleika. Christos Piteros (Δ’ΕΠΚΑ) reports on excavations at the circular tower atop Alepotrypes Hill, about 1-1.5km SE of Chountaleïka, which was undermined by illegal excavations in 2010. The superstructure of the tower and most of the outer perimeter stones of the tower had been plundered in the past, resulting in the lower circular conical shape of the base of the tower, the core of which is made of medium-sized limestone stones (Figs. 1, 2 ). The tower is built on a substrate of limestone stones. It has a total preserved height of 1.60 m and an external base diameter of 12.50-12.6 m. Outside the tower, around the foundation, there is a circular reinforcing external base ring, which is fragmentary because of the looting of the stone, but the circular exterior construction is clear (Figs. 1,-3). Two trenches were made to investigate the construction of the tower.

Trench 1 was opened in the NW exterior of the tower (Fig. 2). This section clearly shows how the outer ring and inner main core of the tower base was made. No sherds were found in this trench.

Trench 2 (Figs. 3-5) was opened in the southern outer side of the tower immediately west of the place of looting and preserves important details of the tower’s construction. In the area of the excavation, there were parts of Laconian style tiles from the Hellenistic period that probably came from the tower’s roof. It is a large, circular, Hellenistic multi-storey tower constructed according to the new tactics of war, which obviously brought arrow-slits, but also large openings, i.e. windows, for bombardment from the upper floor. The tower overlooked the area of western Epidaurus and the roads from the west and north leading to the sanctuary of Asclepius and the city of Epidauros. It has a wide conical base that appears to be designed to protect the superstructure from earthquake.

[Entry created by E. Strazdins]