Kranidi - 2011

Kranidi, Delpriza area (property of Mindcompass Overseas AE). Angeliki Kossyva (Δ ΕΠΚΑ) reports on rescue excavations at the place-name Bostani, E of the coastal village of Koilada, in the area of Delpriza Kranidiou, that uncovered:

1. An agricultural installation of industrial nature dated to the 4th and 3rd c. BC, more specifically an industrial oil press (Fig. 1). The industrial area contains at least 4 roofed and 2 open spaces, with fragments of pebble “floor” on the E side, where the main entrance was probably located. All spaces contain circular plastered cisterns and quadrilateral shallow “basins”. They communicate with each other via configurations in the floor (Fig. 2). The small finds include pottery and coins and the configuration of the spaces indicate that it was developed in two phases during the Hellenistic period (late 4th/early 3rd and late 3rd c. BC). Also, the existence of coins and lead weights show that trading activities took place in situ.
2. Cemetery of the Classical period on the E slope of a low hill c. 600m S of the bay of Koilada, c. 1.7km S-SSE of the Franchthi cave. The graves are arranged in at least 3 rows with a general orientation N-NS on 2 artificially made levels constructed in the soft clay ground. 43 graves were excavated, 25 of which were simple pit graves of elliptical shape and covered with soil (23) or unworked stones (2). There were also 11 tile graves. In fact they are pit graves of elliptical shape, in which the deceased is surrounded by and covered with Laconian tiles. In the N section of the excavated area, 4 cist graves have been revealed to date; 3 of them are lined with worked or unworked local limestone. The 4th grave is lined on the long sides with pantiles and one worked limestone slab on each narrow side. The cist graves are covered with soil except 1 which was covered with stone slabs. Finally, 2 simple burials were found with the deceased deposited directly on the surface of the ground and covered with soil. The graves in general contain 1 body with the exception of 3 graves that contain 2 individuals and Cist Grave 39, which contains 2 deceased, one on top of the other, and the secondary inhumation of the bones of a 3rd body between the legs of the other individuals (Fig. 3). In 4 graves no bone remains are extant despite the fact that one contained grave goods; of these graves, because of their size, 3 are identified with the burials of infants. In total 38 adults can be identified and at least 4 infants. All the deceased were placed directly on the floor of the graves mainly in extended supine position. An important exception is the body in Grave 12, which is placed in a contracted position on its L side. Perhaps this was not the initial position of the deceased because it is placed to the side of the pit so that a smaller tile grave could be included containing an infant burial. Only 8 graves had grave goods. The graves are clustered together in groups rather than spread out over the whole area of the cemetery. The clusters are probably family groups. While the type of graves suggests differentiation, the grave goods in different types of graves are similar. Therefore social rank cannot be determined easily. The grave goods are more or less everyday utilitarian objects, while luxury goods that indicate high social status are lacking. This is probably an agricultural community of the Classical period.