LITHAROLAKKA, AMBELOPHYTO - 2005

Litharolakka, Ambelophyto (property of A. Adrachta). X. Arapogianni (Ζ’ ΕΠΚΑ) reports the discovery of a Mycenaean tholos tomb. Excavation revealed six looted and severely damaged later Christian cist graves, oriented east-west and built of re-used stone slabs from the tholos. Cist 2, the best preserved, has interior dimensions of 1.35 x 0.3m.

The tholos was built over ground, and oriented east-west with the dromos to the west. Only the northern part was preserved (to a height of 1m): the diameter of the chamber is estimated at 4.85m. The disturbed fill contained human bone and cranium fragments plus a very little animal bone, and a Late Roman jug and pyramidal loomweight. In the chamber floor (which bore traces of fire) was an oval pit (1.02 x 0.49m) containing burnt bone and cranium fragments, and non-diagnostic burnt sherds. Close to the preserved part of the chamber wall, at a higher level than the pit, was an oval grave structure (1.32 x 0.48m) containing a large quantity of bone and sherds, plus four intact LH IIIA1-2 vessels (a decorated stirrup jar, a cup, an alabastron and a handmade miniature jug). Cleaning of the chamber floor produced one bronze and one iron dagger, fragments of bronze tweezers, part of an obsidian blade, three steatite and one terracotta spindle whorls, and an intact Ψ figurine. Vessels restored from the large quantity of sherd material include two stirrup jars, three kylikes, three cups, an alabastron, a plainware jug, a thymiaterion, a bridge-spouted cup with spiral decoration, a feeding bottle, and one decorated and one undecorated jug. The pottery dates the tholos from LH I-II to LH IIIB.