Anc. TRIPHYLIA Survey - 2009

Triphylia. J. Heiden (DAI) reports on the fourth campaign of study at ancient Triphylia.

Resistivity survey at Makistos revealed a rectilinear grid which may be the street system of a Classical polis. A main street and a narrower side street are visible.

At Samikon, the 1:1,000 plan was corrected and individual buildings mapped at 1:50. Based on a 3D laser scan, elevations of two towers of the city wall were drawn. Tower 6, east of the acropolis, was recorded. No pre-fourth- century BC pottery was found apart from two Middle Helladic sherds below the acropolis.

At Platiana, the city plan was completed and building plans at 1:50 begun. The city wall and its towers, a large public building (perhaps the bouleuterion) and the theatre plateau were examined (Fig. 1). No pre-fourth-century BC pottery was found. Samikon and Platiana were apparently new foundations of the Triphylian League.

At Lepreon, buildings were recorded at 1:50. Study focused on a tower on the west wall (Fig. 2) and on the two northern towers on the east wall and the wall between them.

 

In the ancient settlement near Vrestos, the near circular city wall (with 11 towers) and all visible architecture in the inner city were recorded at 1:1,000. Much coarse pottery, very little fineware and a clay grill were collected. A funerary monument was found outside the city.

In Anilio, work began on a fort-like complex above the modern village (Fig. 3), described by Dörpfeld as a Mycenaean ruler’s seat, but probably much later in date. A large foundation, probably of a temple, was cleared. Surface sherds date from the Late Archaic to the Hellenistic period.