PALAIKASTRO Gortyn - 2008

Palaikastro (Gortyn). A.-V. Karapanagiotou (ΛΘ' ΕΠΚΑ) reports on excavation of a roadside cemetery of the LCl−Hel period, on the SW slope of the hill of Skeplia or Steplia, 1km ENE of Palaiokastro, above the mod. road from Palaiokastro to Rizospelia. A monumental limestone grave stele (more than 4.5m h. and undecorated), preserved in 4 sections, has long been known from the site (fig. 3). It is best paralleled in LCl Attica.
In the S part of the cemetery, in addition to common graves, excavation to date has revealed the following monuments along the line of the road. A rectangular structure (2.3m x 1m), of which the foundations are preserved: this is built of small and medium-sized worked limestone and local stone blocks, preserved in 2 courses to a total h. of 0.7m. No evidence for the superstructure survives. An empty elliptical pit was found behind and below the level of the foundations.
The foundations of a funerary monument (2.6m x 1.3m; fig. 1), preserving part of the euthynteria of limestone blocks (notably the well-worked NE corner block, 1.1m l., 0.6m w. and 0.29m h., plus a further smaller such block, 0.81m x 0.41m x 0.27m). The lower faces of these blocks, which sat on bedrock, were only roughly worked, and the spaces between the blocks were packed with smaller stones. This may be the foundation of the large stele long known from this site, or a similar such marker. A cavity 1.1m x 1.3m was cut into the bedrock inside the structure and below its foundations: this was empty, but had likely been looted. Surface cleaning above this monument produced a bronze coin of Heraia of 370−340 BC.
An elliptical pit (0.4m x 0.85m and 0.4m d.), cut into the bedrock, contained 5 bg vessels (an oinochoe, a krater, 2 skyphoi and a kantharos) of the L4th−E3rd Ct BC, carefully placed together (fig. 2). These may relate to rituals in memory of the dead. The pit was then covered with limestone slabs. A further 4 LCl−EHel vessels (a krater, 2 skyphoi and a trefoil-mouthed oinochoe) were found in a similar pit, 5m to the S of the stele monument detailed above.
Finally, following reports of tombs on the W slope of Skeplia, ca. 80m NW of the stele monument, 4 tombs were discovered, of which 2 have so far been excavated. Tomb 1 is a pit grave 1.15m x 0.35m, in which only the lower part of the skeleton was preserved; among the bones was a tear bottle and, by the right tibia, a lamp, finds which date the tomb to the 2nd half of the 2nd Ct BC. A tomb excavated to the W of the road dates to the end of the 2nd Ct BC on the basis of the grave offerings (a tear bottle and a lamp). Tomb 4 is a cist, 2m x 0.5m, which contained an extended skeleton, head to the N, but no grave goods.
While the anc. road has eroded away in the area of the major monuments, sections of it were found to the E of these graves. The road here is 2.76m w., preserved for a l. of 6.5m and is built of pieces of the local soft bedrock, unworked slab-like stones and pot sherds. Cleaning of this general area revealed a further 11m l. stretch running N: the road surface was not preserved here, merely the cutting for the road bed (2.55m w.) and the lower levels of fill consisting of chips from the quarrying of the bedrock.