Mavra Litharia - 2010

Mavra Litharia, Development of the double high-speed railway line Corinth-Patras, Kiato-Patras section. (Fig. 1). Vasileos Papathanasiou (LZ EΠΚΑ) reports on continuing excavation of the Hellenistic and Roman cemetery at the top of the hill just to the N of the New Corinth-Patras Highway and S of the ancient harbour of Mavra Litharia. 15 pit graves were excavated, mostly oriented NE-SW and unlooted. As grave goods they mostly contained clay lamps, perfume bottles, amphorae, large skyphoi, bronze coins, mirrors.

Excavation also began on the slopes of the hill, where a Roman cemetery was found (Fig. 2). A vaulted, double-chambered tomb carved into the natural conglomerate rock was excavated. It was preserved fragmentarily with a N-S orientation. The central S chamber was excavated. The roof and S wall are not preserved. Inside the chamber, 7 tombs had been carved into the rock. The graves were largely unlooted and yielded a host of small finds: clay lamps with handle and embossed decoration, intact glass vessels, coins, a bronze mirror and bracelet, a gold earring. An inscription with the name of the craftsman (ΟΛΥΜΠΙΑΝΟΥ) was preserved on a lamp. All graves contained multiple burials, while Grave 2 had been used as an ossuary.