Plot of the municipality theatre, Pagrateika, Corfu - 2006

Plot of the municipality theatre, Pagrateika, Corfu. Katerina Kanta-Kitsou and Georgia Kouskourida (H’ ΕΠΚΑ) report on excavations conducted during the construction of the municipality theatre in 2006 and 2007.

2m below the surface was a layer of dark brown clay, containing more modern ceramics. Beneath was a layer of brown clay soil mixed with gravel impurities, and a layer of dark brown clay soil above high concentrations of tiles. From this layer many pieces of painted and unpainted Roman pottery came to light.

The excavation of 2006 and 2007 brought to light 285 graves, including 87 pits, 34 tiled roof graves, 25 pithos graves, 84 burial vessels, 6 sarcophagi and 32 cremations. Most were discovered in the N or NE part of the plot, densely arranged in clusters (Fig. 1 and 2). Most of the graves date to the archaic period. 1000 smaller grave goods were found, including clay vessels, miniature vessels, bronze and lead figurines, buckles and coins.

Pit graves - most of the interred were found in supine position. One grave (426) contained four individuals, while the others contained only one. Five child burials were also found (431, 432, 433, 457, 462).

Tiled roof graves - 16 were covered with Corinthian or Laconian tiles. 7 were ‘box-shaped’ and enclosed, including grave 502, a child’s burial.

Sarcophagi - all were made of porphyry and dated to the classical period.

Pithoi - most were decorated with three parallel ridges on the body. All were found placed vertically, except grave 498. Very few grave goods were found with this group, and only graves 434 and 438 are associated with small finds from the archaic period.

Burial vessels - these vessels were pithos-like, some with a pointed toe, and covered with either a tile or stone slab. Some contained burial goods, the most of which came from grave 500, containing eight aryballoi, one oinochoe, one kylix and three kotyliskes (Fig. 3).

Cremation areas - these were elongated, horseshoe-shaped with a clay enclosure. Their interior was covered with ash, charcoal and burnt bone, while in six cases (474, 478, 479, 481, 488, 497) brunt vessels were also found and a painted pyxis (Fig. 4)