Church of Agios Nikolaos, Alagonia. Michalis Kappas and Stavroula Papanikolopoulou (26η EBA) report on excavations conducted during the restoration of the Church of Agios Nikolaos. During excavation inside the church, a total of eighteen graves were found (Fig. 1). These were cist and pit graves, with and without cover slabs. The sides of the graves were reinforced with irregularly shaped stones placed perpendicular in the ground (Fig. 2). Inside the graves, bones were found (but degraded due...

Church of Agios Nikolaos, Platsa. Evangelia Militsi-Kechagia, Michalis Kappas and Konstantinos Iliopoulos (26η EBA) report on discoveries made during restoration works.  Excavations were conducted outside the church to consider solutions to rainwater runoff (Fig. 1). Seven graves were found (Fig. 2). Only two were oriented EW (the axis of the building), while the rest were NS — these graves might have belonged to an earlier phase before the construction of the church. Graves were also...

Church of Agios Nikolaos, Ancient Messene. Michalis Kappas, Eleni Barbaritsa and Lamprini Bouza (26η EBA) report on discoveries made during restoration works.  Excavations were made inside the church, which revealed two walls, oriented EW, 0.7m wide, 6.20m long and 1.87m apart. It could be from a single-room church with a semi-cylindrical arch to the E: the twelfth century church seems to have been rebuilt on a predecessor of the tenth or eleventh century. Between the two walls was a...

Road between Soulinari, Kremmidia and Korifasio – Soulinari section. Ioanna Angelopoulou (26η EBA) reports on discoveries made during the construction of the new highway. A cemetery was found extending 8.30 m x 2.30m. A total of five cists were found, oriented EW (Fig. 1). The deceased were placed on the natural soil, and covered over with slabs. As no grave goods were found nor any pottery, it is not possible to date the...

Intersection of Kyprou Street and Bouboulinas Street, Methoni.  Ioanna Angelopoulou (26η EBA) reports on discoveries made during the construction of the new medical centre (Fig. 1). Five walls were uncovered, with associated finds of the Late Byzantine period (Fig....

Androusa castle. Evangelia Militsi-Kechagia, Michalis Kappas and Konstantinos Iliopoulos (26η EBA) report on discoveries made during restoration works.  Excavations finished this year in the W part of the site (Fig. 1). At the W end of the S wall, there was probably a farmhouse in more recent times built on the ancient wall.  Along the W end of the N wall, a stone structure was unearthed, probably part of a tower. Work was also conducted near the known SE tower, at the base of...

Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, Christiani. Michalis Kappas and Sofia Sakkari (26η EBA) report on excavations conducted during the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. During excavation of the ground floor of room 26, a large number of ceramic sherds were found, but also inside a clay pitcher a hoard of silver Ottoman period coins (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). There were 1158 coins in very good condition. Other finds from the area were bronze knives, marble...

Androusa castle. Evangelia Militsi-Kechagia, Michalis Kappas and Konstantinos Iliopoulos (26η EBA) report on discoveries made during the renovation of Androusa’s castle. The embankment around the east gate was cleared in order to clarify its history of repairs (Fig. 1), after which excavation proceeded to the S of the castle to find the course of the S wall. The wall was found, connecting to the SE tower (Fig. 2). Both this wall and the tower cut older walls.  About 2m below the...

Church of the Ascension, Filiatra. Michalis Kappas and Konstantinos Iliopoulos (26η EBA) report on discoveries made during the renovation of the Church of the Ascension.  Trenches around the church revealed the walls of a burial precinct. In the same area, fallen stones with fragments of frescoes were found, thought to have collapsed in the 1886 earthquake.  To the W of the church, two graves were found (Fig. 2, Fig. 3). The head of the deceased was laid on a pillow of stones and...

Corinth – Tripoli – Kalamata motorway. Margarita Kamitsi (26η EBA) reports on discoveries made during the construction of the motorway, in the section between Tsakona and Kalamata.  At various locations along this segment, sections of a waterpipe were discovered. During the cleaning of the area, broken sections of the pipe were found, as well as ceramics, bricks, animal bones and shells. The pipes seem to date from the Ottoman...

Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, Christiani. Michalis Kappas and Sofia Sakkari (26η EBA) report on excavations conducted during the restoration of the Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour (Fig. 1).  Excavation began in the ruined propylon (rooms 28 and 29), to the N side of the building. It appears that this space was a courtyard until the final phase when it became enclosed. In the final phase, a new paved floor was also laid. Glazed ceramics were found here (Fig....

Aipeia, church of Agios Nikolaos. Michali Kappas (26th EBA) reports on the discovery of 2 coins of the 2nd period of Venetian rule and a Turkish coin that were found above the fallen building material of the superstructure of the abandoned church during its cleaning. The coins show that the abandonment of the church occurred several centuries ago. Among the superficial finds was a medieval iron fibula.

During the excavation of the chapel next to the church, a female burial was...

Christianoi, Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour. Michali Kappas and Sophia Sakkari (26th EBA) report on continuing excavation at this location.

1. Excavations on the Bishop’s residence (Fig. 1).

The Episcopate consists of 9 areas of at least 3 building phases, 7 of which are roofed with semi-cylindrical vaults and 2 (16, 23) covered with hemispherical (φουρνικά) vaults. The oldest is Room 15, a monumental propylon in front of the main entrance to the...

Christianoupoli, Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour. The 26th EBA reports on excavation at this 11th- to 12th-century complex which includes an octagonal church and an episcopal residence (originally two-roomed). The church had previously undergone extensive restoration completed in 1951. It preserves a large part of its sculptural decoration and a little wallpainting dated to the 12th century. Ten trenches were opened with the following results: 1: in the episcopal residence and...

Metamorphosi (formerly Skarmingas). Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour. The 26th EBA report on excavation conducted in advance of conservation work. Following removal of a recent altar structure, excavation in the altar area revealed only a cutting in the bedrock which is probably connected with the collection of spring water which then drained into a water channel south of the church. Plain and glazed sherds were found in the fill (fig. 1). In the nave, removal of recent flooring...

Metamorphosi (Skarmingas), Church of the Metamorphosis of the Saviour. Mihalis Kappas (26th EBA) reports that during restoration works in the building, extensive excavation took place in the interior, which revealed a grave of careful construction placed on the axis of the W wing of the church, exactly in front of the main gate (fig. 1). The grave contained a secondary inhumation and a primary burial. Fifty-one bronze coins of Manouel Komnenos were discovered in the fill around the burial...

Kyparissia, coastal Road. Konstantina Gerolymou (26th EBA) reports on a rescue excavation during construction work along the W side of the coastal road at Kyparissia and close to the archaeological site of the town. The remains of substantial walls were found, the date of which is not secure since there were no small finds (fig.1). There were 3 walls, 2 rubble and 1 of better construction, made with unworked stones, mortar, and tile fragments in a few locations. Very few sherds...

Petalidi (Property of S. Christopoulos). Konstantina Gerolymou (26th EBA) reports on renewed excavations on a property that lies close to the coastal road to the S of the settlement. Previously a miniature column with integrated capital had been found. In 1992, in trial trenches, a large amount of pottery of the Roman and Early Christian period was found (Figs. 1-3), but no architectural remains. In the N of the property and in contact with public space close to the coastal road there is a...

Palaia Loutra, Drosia. The 26th EBA report on trial excavation following the discovery of the remains of a church (the sanctuary apse, parts of the side walls and two sections of spiral column). (fig. 1) Excavation southwest of the apse revealed its southwest edge and the south wall of the church, inside which was a pilaster 1.14m from the angle with the apse. In contact with the south wall was a tomb (1) covered with large stone slabs and cement (figs 2-3), which contained multiple burials...

Drosia, Palaia Loutra. Evgenia Chalkia (26th ΕΒΑ) reports on further excavation of building remains including an arched wall (Τχ 1) that were previously investigated in 2006 and 2007 (Fig. 1). The current excavations were concentrated in the southwest area of the wall and resulted in the location of its southwestern extent and confirmation of the presence of an arch, 1.05 m. in width. Part of the southern wall of the building was also excavated (Τχ 3). It ranged in thickness from...

Zerbisia, Naos Agiou Spyridonos. Evaggelia Militsi (26th ΕΒΑ) reports on excavation of the floor of the southern chapel in order to investigate traces of the initial floor which is currently covered with cement. The excavation took place in the area of the bema. Two disturbed burials, one with its walls dressed with stone slabs (Fig. 1), were found under the current cement floor of the...

Kalamata, Kastro. Evaggelia Militsi (26th ΕΒΑ) reports on the excavation of seven rubble walls within the interior precinct of the castle (Fig. 1, 2). Some were carefully made and plastered, while later repairs and additions were also visible. They were preserved to heights of between 0.40-1.22 m., with the longest being 4.7 m. Between the walls were two floors, one made of mortar and the other of rectangular clay slabs. The date of the walls is uncertain as large quantities of...