NEMEA - Agia Sotira - 2008

Nemea, Agia Sotira cemetery. R.A.K. Smith (Canadian Institute/Brock), M.K. Dabney and J.C. Wright (Bryn Mawr College) report on the 2008 season of excavation in the LBA chamber-tomb cemetery on the hillside of Ag. Sotira, outside the village of Koutsomadi near anc. Nemea.

Newly-acquired land N of the field investigated in 2006 and 2007 (Fig. 1) was explored using ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry, with test trenches to investigate anomalies. No tombs were found. This was followed by an extensive programme of test trenching. Trenches were excavated E-W at ca. 4m intervals. A fissure at the NW limit of this area proved to be the collapsed chamber of tomb 6, making it possible to excavate both the chamber and the dromos simultaneously.

The tomb had undergone multiple openings. Since in most cases the dromos was excavated down to the floor level of its previous use, only 2 major fill episodes are clearly visible. Pottery from the dromos included carinated kylix sherds. Excavation of the stomion correlated well with the various levels observed in the dromos. The lowest level, beneath the blocking wall, contained multiple thinly compressed floor levels, from which samples were taken for micromorphological analysis. Above these levels, it is apparent that the stomion was rebuilt during a secondary use of the tomb. The S side, facing the dromos, was set back, and the top of the E face of the doorway reconstructed with rubble masonry. This masonry continued into the chamber E of the stomion. It seems that during an opening of the tomb, the E side of the stomion and part of the SE portion of the chamber collapsed and were rebuilt. Evidence for this was preserved in stratified layers of humus and silt sloping down into the collapsed chamber from S to N. In associated levels, 2 vessels, preliminarily dated to the Geo period, were discovered above the stomion.

Excavation of the chamber revealed the interment of a minimum of 9 individuals with 14 ceramic vessels. On the floor was a layer of poorly preserved burials, including 2 primary and 3 secondary burials. In addition, a pit was discovered in the SW area of the chamber just W of the stomion; this contained 4 or 5 secondary burials. The bones in this pit were better preserved, and included 2 adults and 2 or 3 sub-adults or children. The ceramic vessels in the chamber were associated with the burials outside of the pit, and can be preliminarily dated from LHIIIA2 to LHIIIB2. They include stirrup jars, jugs, an alabastron and a flask dated to LHIIIB1. (Fig. 2). Organic residue analysis is in process, as is phytolith analysis from soil samples taken from the dromos, stomion and chamber.

Tomb 6 is similar to the other tombs discovered in this cemetery, which are very modest in terms of the wealth contained. The cemetery was most heavily used in LHIIIA2 and LHIIIB1, with some evidence for early activity in LHIIIA1, and it continued in use on a lesser scale into LHIIIB2. The cemetery was probably associated with the nearby settlement at Tsoungiza, and contained family tombs reused over generations. In tomb 6, the importance of continuity is emphasized by the fact that those who conducted burials here felt it important to reconstruct a tomb that had collapsed during its period of use.